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By Alice Gibbs
Senior Reporter
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In the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires, one couple is having an unexpected career resurgence that underscores one undeniable fact: millennials are fiercely loyal.
Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag—famously known as "Speidi" from MTV's The Hills lost their home earlier this month in the devastating fires. In a bid to rebuild, Pratt turned to TikTok with an emotional plea: stream Heidi's music to help them rebuild their lives.
The revival of Montag's 2010 album Superficial to the top of the charts is not just a story of a forgotten pop record finding new life—it's a testament to the enduring connection between millennials and their early 2000s pop culture icons.
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Millennials answered Pratt's call, driving Superficial and its title track to No. 1 on iTunes charts in the U.S. and multiple other countries.
TikTok creator Jules Armstrong (@lastinglooks), 39, captured the sentiment in a video with over 700,000 views. She said: "Spencer has been on here non-stop trying to do anything and everything he can to help save his family and rebuild his home... Watching Spencer emotionally break down, finally seeing this album get its due after all these years, is such a full-circle moment," she said.
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"I've noticed the change of perspective on Spencer over time on TikTok in general. I think people have gotten to know him in a different way. And I think over the years the public has realized that reality shows are not exactly real," Armstrong told Newsweek. "His videos on TikTok since losing his house in the fire have been extremely real, vulnerable and raw and I think what you're seeing is just a reaction to that. People want to help and especially people who can't give any money and they see someone who needs help and they can help simply by streaming an album they are willing to do that."
Armstrong highlighted the album's rocky beginnings. Released in 2010, Superficial was a passion project into which the couple invested nearly $2 million. Despite working with top producers and acquiring songs originally slated for Britney Spears' Blackout album, Superficial sold just 1,000 copies in its first week and was largely ridiculed by critics.
But online, millennials who once watched the antics of Speidi on The Hills have embraced the album with open arms. Content creator Kaitlyn Wiener, @heyitskitkat on TikTok, summed it up in a viral post with 1.1 million views: "Millennials are loyal AF... When Spencer Pratt hit us with that 'stream Heidi's music' plea, we showed up like it was 2007, like we were all tuning into The Hills—no questions asked," she said.
"Spencer was openly pleading with the public to stream Heidi's song, which really highlighted his loyalty as a husband. It showed a side of him that went against the villain image he had on The Hills, and I think a lot of people, myself included, were moved by that," Wiener told Newsweek. "I feel like millennials love a comeback story in Spencer's has been particularly compelling. He's been very open on social media these past few weeks which is made everybody really love him."
Spencer and Heidi have been delighted by the response online.
"It's incredible to see so many people looking for ways to help. Just the sheer velocity of 'I'll Do It' hitting number 1 in 14 countries and 'Superficial' being rocketed to number 1 across numerous countries, we cannot express our gratitude enough for our fans. We put everything into this album 15 years ago, and it's indescribable to see it take off when it matters most," Spencer Pratt told Newsweek.
Viewers on TikTok reacted to the comeback in a series of comments. "We love a good comeback story and honestly, they just seem like really good people," said one commenter.
Another wrote: "We're all here for Speidi. Growing up is realizing Spencer and Heidi were probably the realest people on those shows haha."
"This type of power is what the government doesn't want," joked one viewer.
The new success of Superficial offers more than just validation for Heidi and Spencer. It's a lifeline. Pratt hopes the album's newfound success will help them rebuild their lives after the fire. In a recent interview with HuffPost, Heidi reflected on the journey of the past two weeks, calling it "so Speidi"—a perfectly chaotic mix of public spectacle, resilience, and, ultimately, redemption.
Update 1/16/25, 5:37 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Kaitlyn Wiener.
Update 1/17/25, 12:33 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Spencer Pratt.
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