Spencer Pratt Slammed for Claiming 'Dragging' Daveigh Chase to 'Rehab Against Her Will' Would Have Saved Actress — 'The Pinnacle of Stupidity'
Spencer Pratt said Daveigh Chase should have been 'dragged' to rehab.
July 1 2026, Published 2:00 p.m. ET
Spencer Pratt has been slammed for claiming that former child star Daveigh Chase is dead because she wasn't "dragged" to rehab, RadarOnline.com can report.
The 35-year-old died on June 16 after she was diagnosed with meningitis and several blood infections that turned her body septic and reportedly caused it to shut down.
Spencer Pratt Labeled an 'Idiot'
Pratt made drug addiction a centerpiece to his run for LA mayor.
After Chase's death, Pratt tweeted, "This poor beautiful girl is dead because nobody was willing to drag her to rehab against her will."
But that assessment drew ire from critics and drug abuse survivors, who blasted the failed mayoral candidate for trying to simplify addiction.
"You're an idiot," one person tweeted. "My nephew died from a fentanyl overdose in 2022. He was put through rehab several times. His parents tried everything to get help for him, but he'd relapse, and he was an adult, and you can't force an adult. You don't know her story, and shouldn't make one up."
Another noted: "Sadly, rehab doesn’t work AT ALL unless someone wants to go. So 'dragging' her to rehab would not have helped," while a third called the ex-reality star's statement the "pinnacle of stupidity."
A user scolded: "Maybe.. and just maybe.. If substance abuse counseling and classes/rehab were free, then people would start going more. A 30-day stint in inpatient rehab can cost over 30K. Why don't you fight on something like that?"
Daveigh Chase's Cause of Death Revealed
Chase's cause of death was revealed to have been AIDS.
As Radar reported, a Los Angeles medical examiner determined Chase's cause of death was actually found to be complications from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, better known as AIDS, which The Ring star had kept secret.
Chase, who also went by Daveigh Schwallier, suffered from "chronic polysubstance use," which the Mayo Clinic describes as "using more than one substance and following a pattern of use that affects your health and quality of life."
Her health reportedly deteriorated after she was admitted to a hospital in Los Angeles due to malnutrition, but she spent several years battling multiple personal demons, including an addiction to drugs.
She was also reportedly homeless amid her struggles and hadn't spoken with her father since she was 19.
Daveigh Chase's Mom 'Tried Desperately' to Help Her
She had been acting professionally since the age of 7.
Chase's mom, Cathy, previously claimed her daughter's addiction struggles began after a 2016 motorcycle accident, when doctors prescribed her painkillers.
"She was seeking drugs and was partying with the wrong people," she added. "I never kicked my daughter out. She wanted freedom, and these people got her hooked on some drugs. That was the beginning."
The matriarch said she "tried desperately" to help Daveigh, but explained people "can't legally force someone who doesn't want that help."
She added that the drugs allegedly left the former child star struggling with her mental health.
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Spencer Pratt's Drug Crusade
Pratt started his own personal drug war with Bill Maher on a podcast.
Pratt, who recently ran for mayor of Los Angeles after losing the home he shared with his wife, Heidi Montag, and their two sons in the deadly 2025 wildfires, campaigned heavily on battling the growing drug problem in the city.
His platform heavily targeted the city's drug and homelessness crisis, frequently accusing authorities of ignoring public drug abuse. The MTV alum promised that if he were elected, he would "enforce" tougher drug rules, and claimed many drug addicts had taken over city parks and public spaces.
"If you're smoking that in front of a kid at a swing. I'll be getting you as mayor," Pratt told Bill Maher on the comedian's Club Random podcast.
"You know, no more drugs around kids at parks, in schools, in front of daycares, even if it's legal pot. We need to have a society of consequences again."
