Spencer Pratt, Karen Bass, and Why California Politicians Suddenly Love Hollywood
From The Town with Matthew Belloni by The Ringer
May 21, 2026 · 40 min
About this episode
Matt Belloni discusses California's political landscape and its connection to Hollywood with guest Peter Hamby.
Matt is joined by Puck’s political journalist Peter Hamby to discuss the gubernatorial and mayoral races in California and Los Angeles and how it might impact the future of Hollywood (02:34). They discuss why Hollywood has become a winning political issue for both races, the state production tax incentives that could reshape the entertainment industry in L.A., Spencer Pratt’s popularity in Hollywood, and more (11:00). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ (34:45). Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Peter Hamby Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Matt Pevic Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Industry voters visit Starz FYC.com.Book a new kind of stay at HolidayInn.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: Matt Belloni
Guest: Peter Hamby
Topics covered
- California politics
- Hollywood
- gubernatorial races
- mayoral races
- entertainment industry
- box office predictions
Keywords
- California
- Hollywood
- politics
- Spencer Pratt
- box office
- The Mandalorian
- Peter Hamby
Sponsors
Holiday Inn
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Puck
Books & works: The Mandalorian and Grogu
Places: California, Los Angeles
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