Spencer Pratt, Heidi Montag on Backlash for Fireworks Donations

Although many celebrities have received criticism asking for donations after wildfire devastation, Spencer Pratt a Heidi Monday says Us why aren’t they bothered by the “backlash.”

“We’re used to negative things, so it’s pretty standard,” Pratt, 41, said in full Us Weekly on Wednesday, January 15. “If people want to send their own money to whoever they want, it’s the equivalent of buying a celebrity merchandiser, buying their movie tickets. People can do whatever they want with their own money and, thank God, there are people who want to support and send us whatever.”

He added, “Nobody has to do that, and it’s not a tax. People can say whatever they want and they are entitled to their opinion. But, all the people who are sending messages, they’re asking to send money, they’re asking to make an Amazon wishlist. … these are their choices.”

Pratt and Montag, 38, lose their Los Angeles at home in the ongoing wildfires that have devastated Southern California earlier this month. The natural disaster swallowed up thousands of acres resulting in at least 25 deaths. Many residents, incl The Hills alums, evacuated the city limits following government orders.

Pratt and Montag left the area with their sons Gunner, 6, and Ryker, 2, with only a few personal effects. After losing most of their propertya pair of TikTok followers created a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of Pratt and Montag.

“When this first happened, that first day, they created a GoFundMe on their own and it continued to do great and so amazing,” Pratt recalled. “And then they handed it over to us. We’re so grateful they did and they’ve set up an Amazon wishlist.”

Montag further emphasized that neither she nor Pratt wanted to ask for donations.

“Then our friends Brandon a Courtney (from TikTok) like, ‘We don’t care what you say. We know people who want to give you money and even if it’s one donation that’s going to help you,'” he said Us. “Therefore, we did not expect anyone to contribute. I haven’t posted it, but we’ve had so many people want to donate $5.”

According to the GoFundMethe Pratts have raised over $134,000 so far and some of the generosity is as little as $5, but it’s not the amount that matters – the gift itself means so much more.

“People are like, ‘Oh, they’re asking for money,’ That’s someone’s coffee, so someone bought us a coffee,” he explained. “It’s just in terms of size, so it might look like it’s all money, but scroll (through to see) it’s just people sending you a latte.”

“There are some people that it’s a bigger number and I thanked every single person.”

Pratt further theorized that the alleged backlash has come from those who mistakenly believe that celebrities are all super rich.

“Nobody thought we were rich celebrities until three days ago and it’s getting frustrating. Like if you Google ‘Spencer,’ literally (he said) ‘Broke, no net worth,’” Pratt said Wednesday. “My net worth on that website you’re looking for the last 15 years … is $1,000. So now our house is burningmy parents house is burning (and) now we’re rich celebrities, which is upsetting because the media, respectfully, has never called us celebrities (and) never called us rich .”

He added, “This weird disconnect that we’re grouped in with real rich celebrities, which would be great if we were … but we’re not, people know that.”

According to Pratt, “only haters” call him and Montag out.

“No one has a brain (who) thinks we are rich celebrities. It’s like these are just hateful people trolling,” he said. “The people (who) support us and have been follow our way of life on social media, they see that we are not rich celebrities. They see what we do every day. We’ve been posting our life on Snapchat for the past 11 years, all day long. Our audience knows we’re not rich celebrities, they know we eat Mexican food and we get organic eggs and they know we do it. We film everything.”

In addition to GoFundMe and Amazon Wishlist donations, Pratt and Montag also have money coming in from their respective business ventures and social media uploads. Many fans have purchased crystals from his Pratt Daddy Crystals store as well as often stream Montag’s past music and buy her daughter who goes with her. (They’re also members of the TikTok Creator Fund, where the app pays influencers for every popular video that gains genuine engagement, as well as a similar program on Snapchat.)

“There is Heidi Number 1 in 13 countriesI didn’t know that people in Oman are going to support Heidi, Holland, Philippines, Saudi, I mean all these countries I hope, God willing, and she becomes a world star- wide,” Pratt said. “We could go visit and hug these people who were there for us when we needed it most.”

Related: Celebrities Support Heidi Montag’s Music: Paris Hilton and More

Stars have been showing their support for Heidi Montag and her music after her husband Spencer Pratt asked for help following the loss of their home in the wildfires in Los Angeles. “Thank you very much to everyone. No. 1 on the iTunes chart, oh my gosh,” Montag shared on a Saturday, January 11, Instagram Story. “Thank you (…)

Their former MTV costars Kristin Cavallari, Audrina Patridge a Lo Bosworth also filmed themselves dancing to tracks from Montag’s 2010 Superficial in appropriate videos.

“The tremendous support of these people using their platforms to help us when they know how influential their platforms are, and how important every single post is to them and their brands and to ask the people which follows them to rally behind us and to help us — it’s amazing,” Montag gushed. “We have never experienced that kind of support or kindness or even recognition and something that is so important has been very encouraging.”

Pratt, who indicated that they intended rebuild their family homehave recently been honest about their financial situation in recent social media videos.

“We put all our money into our house and our life to build something for our children to put in their name and every detail we’ve just kept every year for the last eight years,” she told Us. “Our house was 3,000 square feet. It is not a mansion in the Palisades. Everything was perfect from the stoves to the washing machines. That’s all we put our money into – and then we go eat nice foods in Erewhon. But our life was like, ‘Put our money into our house, eat clean goods and that’s it.’ We take one trip a year to see Heidi’s parents in Colorado.”

Pratt continued, “Any money we make from any TV or social media opportunities is just a check to verify. So it’s all like, ‘Oh, Heidi and Spencer (are) these rich celebrities asking for money.’ I wish I was a rich celebrity, I say I’d be in Cabo right now eating tacos.”

Check the LAFD website for local wildfire warnings and click here for resources on how to help those affected.

With reports from Andrea Simpson