Spencer Pratt fires back at Jimmy Kimmel's mockery by resurfacing host's blackface controversy
Jimmy Kimmel blasts Spencer Pratt, saying he should be DJ at a New Years Eve party
Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel blasted LA Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt on his show, and Pratt responded by sharing a screencap from an embarrassing moment from Kimmel's past as an entertainer.
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Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel mocked Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt on Wednesday night’s show, and the former reality TV star responded by bringing up one of Kimmel’s most embarrassing controversies.
Pratt is one of the contenders attempting to replace incumbent Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. Pratt, 42, has been a vocal champion for LA residents since losing his home during the deadly 2025 Palisades wildfire. He launched his mayoral campaign in January with a focus on ousting Bass due to her alleged mishandling of the LA fires.
"It could take a while for Democrats here in Los Angeles to figure out which of their friends secretly voted for Spencer Pratt," Kimmel quipped, riffing on California taking a long time to tally votes in recent elections. "Barring a late ballot buzzer-beater, it appears Mayor Karen Bass will advance to a runoff against the former reality show villain."
JIMMY KIMMEL ATTACKS FIRE VICTIM SPENCER PRATT AS 'SCREAMING JERK,' LECTURES LA VOTERS ABOUT MAYORAL ELECTION
"Sixty percent of the vote has been counted. If that holds, it means in November Los Angelenos are going to have to choose between a woman named Karen and a man who is one," he said, referencing the "Karen" slur for a demanding, middle-class White woman.
After talk show host Jimmy Kimmel mocked his candidacy, politician Spencer Pratt replied by sharing a screencap of Kimmel doing blackface in a now-infamous skit. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; Michael Le Brecht II/Disney via Getty Images;)
"Spencer Pratt should not be a top-two finalist for mayor. He should be DJing the worst New Year’s Eve party in Reno right now," Kimmel said. "He’s unlikely to win. In fact, he’s already filming a reality show about his run for mayor, so he definitely has his priorities in order."
In response, Pratt replied by sharing an image of Kimmel’s now-infamous moment when the talk show host wore blackface during "The Man Show" in the early 2000s, most notably while impersonating former NBA star Karl Malone.
Kimmel has apologized for this skit in recent years, saying he intended for it to be just another celebrity impression.
"We hired makeup artists to make me look as much like Karl Malone as possible. I never considered that this might be seen as anything other than an imitation of a fellow human being, one that had no more to do with Karl’s skin color than it did his bulging muscles and bald head," he said in a past statement to Fox News.
TED DANSON SAYS HE WANTS TO 'APOLOGIZE FOREVER' FOR DOING BLACKFACE AT WHOOPI GOLDBERG ROAST
Mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt's candidacy was driven by how his house burned down amid the Palisades wildfires. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
He added further, "I’ve done dozens of impressions of famous people, including Snoop Dogg, Oprah, Eminem, Dick Vitale, Rosie and many others. In each case, I thought of them as impersonations of celebrities and nothing more. Looking back, many of these sketches are embarrassing, and it is frustrating that these thoughtless moments have become a weapon used by some to diminish my criticisms of social and other injustices."
"I won’t be bullied into silence by those who feign outrage to advance their oppressive and genuinely racist agendas," Kimmel vowed, later adding, "Thank you for giving me an opportunity to explain and to those I’ve disappointed, I am sorry."
Fox News’ Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
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Jimmy Kimmel has disavowed the past skit where he did blackface, saying he did not wish to offend. (Randy Holmes/Disney)
Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected].
Knicks in firm control of NBA Finals as Wembanyama's late turnover dooms Spurs
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The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 105-104 in Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals, taking a 2-0 series lead and moving within two wins of their first championship since 1973. Key moments included Jalen Brunson’s game‑winning free throw after a late turnover by Victor Wembanyama, and standout performances by Karl‑Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges.
Lorenzo Reyes
USA TODAY
June 5, 2026Updated June 6, 2026, 2:22 a.m. ET
Editor's Note: Click here for a recap and highlights from Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
It’s a bad night to be a broom in New York City.
The New York Knicks, once again, outplayed the San Antonio Spurs Friday, June 5 in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, taking a commanding 2-0 lead as the series turns to New York.
New York, which withstood a late charge from San Antonio, stunned the Spurs on their own home court for the second straight game on a free throw by Jalen Brunson with 9.5 seconds left to play to win 105-104.
Brunson got to the line on a bad pass from Victor Wembanyama in the final seconds of the game, as the Spurs were trying to get up the floor after his defensive rebound. Wembanyama tossed a pass ahead, but Stephon Castle wasn’t looking, so the ball bounced off his back, allowing Brunson to scoop it up. Wembanyama then fouled Brunson, putting him on the line.
Later on, the Spurs had the chance to win the game, but Wembanyama’s would-be game-winning jump shot rimmed out.
So now, with Madison Square Garden set to host the the next two games, the Knicks are just a pair of wins away from a sweep and from claiming their first NBA championship in 53 years.
New York has won 13 consecutive playoff games, including eight in a row on the road.
Here are takeaways and analysis from Game 2 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs:
NBA Finals Game 2 score: Knicks 105, Spurs 104
TEAM1234FKnicks25312821105Spurs34182329104
Karl-Anthony Towns, once again, was the best player on the floor. It’s going to guide New York to a title
Just like in Game 1, Karl-Anthony Towns lifted the Knicks on both ends of the floor. And with New York now carrying a decisive 2-0 lead, his dominance over Wembanyama across stretches of the Finals has the Knicks close to erasing their 53-year title drought.
Towns' offense has been stellar. He led the Knicks with 21 points — 17 of which came in the first half — on 8-of-12 shooting, adding 13 rebounds and 4 assists. He also stretched the floor, opening up the space for his teammates to attack.
But it’s his defense that is going to get the Knicks their first title since 1973 — as long as New York keeps this up.
Towns has been dominant on Wembanyama, using his size and strength to body the Spurs phenom. In the first half, Wembanyama played timidly, apparently perplexed about how to break through Towns’ physicality. Frankly, it’s determining the outcome of the series.
At the half, Wembanyama had just 7 points on only 4 shot attempts. Wembanyama did drop 22 in the second half, but the early struggles put San Antonio in a hole.
And while Mitchell Robinson also had massive defensive possessions against Wembanyama late in the game, Towns is the reason Wembanyama looked lost early in the game.
This end-of-game sequence will haunt Victor Wembanyama. It will only define him if he lets it
It was, for one of the best players in the world, as tough a half-minute as you will see. Wembanyama, with the game tied and 33.1 seconds left to play, settled for a contested jumper. He short-rimmed it.
Then, after he contested a Jalen Brunson shot with the game still tied, he collected the defensive board with 13.7 seconds left and turned up court. Stephon Castle was drifting ahead, and Wembanyama tossed the ball to him, but Castle looked away. The ball glanced softly off Castle’s back, and Brunson rushed over to scoop it up. Wembanyama, looking to fix his mistake, rushed over to Brunson but only compounded the turnover by fouling Brunson and putting him on the line.
It would become the game-winning free throw.
Wembanyama also had the chance to win the game in the final seconds, but his right elbow jumper back-rimmed as time expired.
The dejection on his face was obvious, and, for a player who has spoken transparently about his emotions and his desire to win titles, this could be a debilitating moment.
But Wembanyama is just 22, and he plays for one of the most stable organizations in the NBA.
“I threw that one away,” Wembanyama said. “I messed up. We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game; this game was ours. But at this point, it’s done. Am I going to regret it? Yes, of course. Am I going to use that to fuel me and fuel us into the next game? Absolutely.”
Mikal Bridges had the role playing impact that wins championships
Not only is he one of the toughest defenders in the NBA with his length and shiftiness, but Mikal Bridges has been on a generational heater this postseason — at least after he struggled early in the first round.
Bridges entered the fourth quarter 8-of-9 — having made eight consecutive shots — and finished the game with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal. He hit his first 4 3-pointers of the game and hit timely basket after timely basket.
Early on, Victor Wembanyama took what the defense gave him. He needed to be far more assertive — far earlier
At the half, after the Knicks had made several runs, Wembanyama had taken just four shot attempts. New York, of course, deserves credit for showing bodies any time Wembanyama touched the ball, but his response, mostly, was to drift around the perimeter.
He tried to drive and create opportunities for his teammates, but that led to two turnovers. During one of those, late in the second quarter, Devin Vassell passed him the ball on the right wing. Almost immediately after he saw the Knicks defense approaching, Wembanyama tried to dump the ball back to Vassell, who had started to relocate. The ball skipped out of bounds.
In short: Wembanyama was just out of rhythm an unassertive early on, and San Antonio cannot afford halves like this.
“I think it’s a little bit of all of it: I have to make sure there are environments that the ball finds him,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the game. “I think he has to make sure that he can’t rely on that to get shots as well. And I think there were times when he was open on rolls around the paint, and his teammates have got to get him the ball. It’s a combination of all that, but, yeah, 4 shots in a half on this stage is not acceptable.”
It’s often difficult, when opponents are game planning for a single player, for that person to find the balance between taking a steady diet of shots but not forcing them.
Still, Johnson will need to find ways to manufacture easier offense for Wembanyama, because having him standing around, watching other players operate will make it difficult for the Spurs to win.
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Wembanyama did score 22 in the second half, but the slow start put San Antonio in a position where they need to play from behind.
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