The attorney told Jesse Weber that Los Angeles Magazine’s controversial AI-generated election cover reflects the city’s very real political and public safety crisis
The AI-designed Los Angeles Magazine cover has drawn national attention as the heated LA mayor’s race explodes into the political spotlight.
Of Note: As of Wednesday morning, in America’s second-largest city, Karen Bass currently maintains a steady lead with just under 37% of the ballots tallied. “The Hills” alum Spencer Pratt trails with 29.8%, while Councilmember Nithya Raman sits in third with 20.5%. This is subject to change, but it’s looking like it will be Pratt vs. Bass in November.
Ellina Abovian, LA Mag Digital Editor-in-Chief, was a fixture across National News platforms like Good Morning America and ABC News Live. At the same time Mark Geragos, who co-owns Los Angeles Magazine, appeared this week on Jesse Weber’s “Jesse Weber Live” to discuss the now-viral AI cover featuring reality star Spencer Pratt and Nithya Raman amid the chaotic (and close) Los Angeles mayoral race.
The cover sparked major online chatter after depicting AI-generated versions of mayoral candidates while Los Angeles appeared to burn in the background. An enormous Ghana flag….referencing Mayor Karen Bass’ controversial trip to Africa during last year’s Palisades fire crisis, also appeared prominently in the artwork.
One disgruntled ex-employee accused the magazine of leaning too heavily into AI imagery and political provocation. But Geragos argued the cover reflected the current reality of Los Angeles politics.
“The cover is fake. The crisis is real,” Geragos reiterated in a line coined by Abovian in an Instagram post last week.
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According to Geragos, the idea for the cover evolved after multiple candidates refused to pose together for a traditional photo shoot. “It started as we should do a cover that has all of the candidates,” Geragos explained to NewsNation’s Jesse Weber. “Then it quickly whittled down… and all three refused to pose together.”
The magazine ultimately decided to focus on what in retrospect was a prescient vision of the battle for second place in the race, arguing that no candidate appeared likely to lock in the required majority outright.
“Those were the number two candidates,” he said. “Plus they couldn’t be more opposite.”
Other AI-generated images (particularly viral clips portraying Spencer Pratt as a Batman-like savior figure while depicting Karen Bass as a Joker-style villain) have majorly exploded across social media, racking up millions of views and igniting debate over whether AI political advertising represents the future of campaigning. Geragos admitted even he was surprised by how rapidly AI became central to the race.
“I don’t think when this went to print anybody understood the magnitude of the AI revolution in terms of political smear,” he said. The high-profile attorney also painted a grim picture of modern downtown Los Angeles, where Los Angeles Magazine relocated its headquarters.
“We’re literally in the heart of downtown LA,” Geragos said, describing the area near Skid Row and what he called “Fentanyl Alley.”
Geragos contrasted the magazine’s decision to remain downtown with other legacy media outlets like the Los Angeles Times, which has fled to El Segundo.
“We’re there. We’re in downtown LA,” he said. “Eight years ago it was vibrant… now it’s something very different.”
The discussion also touched on the increasingly unpredictable mayoral race, where Spencer Pratt’s unconventional candidacy has generated media attention and online momentum. Many did not take Pratt as a serious candidate at first, but things appeared to have taken a turn.
Mark Halperin, in an interview with Abovian, had initially predicted Karen Bass would fail to make the runoff before later revising that position. “It’s a fluid situation,” Geragos said. “Only two out of those three are going to make it.”
He also suggested some political observers believe Bass may privately prefer facing Pratt in a runoff scenario because establishment voters would likely consolidate behind her.
“The fires in Los Angeles have been such a traumatic event,” Geragos said. “It’s not the same situation.”