Carly Kimmel Accused of Targeting Bakery Over Political Cookies

Jimmy Kimmel's sister-in-law, Carly Kimmel, faces fresh accusations of targeting a small Los Angeles business in a dispute over political expression. The 49-year-old woman allegedly filed a complaint against Vicente Foods, a venerable 78-year-old grocery staple in Brentwood, after the store sold cookies supporting mayoral hopeful Spencer Pratt.

Danielle, the bakery owner, told the Daily Mail that she baked the treats to honor Pratt's stance on the Palisades wildfires. "I lost everything in the fires," Danielle explained, noting her personal connection to his campaign. "So, I sold the cookies to show my appreciation for what he is doing." Pratt, whose own $3 million mansion burned in the disaster, has rallied for the community, a sentiment Danielle echoed by stating he "stepped up for the community when we needed him."

The situation took a sharp turn when the store received word to remove the items. "At first the store was supportive of me selling the cookies," Danielle said. "But I was just told we had to take them down after a complaint... we were told to make them not visible anymore." The bakery owner described a sudden shift from support to suppression, leaving her unable to display her political solidarity.

Local fashion boutique Kitson amplified the story by citing a "reliable source" who identified Carly Kimmel as the complainant. Carly is married to Jonathan Kimmel, the late-night host's brother, and has long worked behind the scenes on his show. The boutique's Instagram post suggested a pattern of behavior, stating, "Attacking a small business seems to run in the family." They further noted that similar legal battles involving bakeries and free speech have historically ended with the bakeries prevailing in the Supreme Court.

The allegations quickly went viral, forcing Carly Kimmel to hide her Instagram account to dodge the resulting backlash. While Vicente Foods claimed they did not receive the complaint directly from Kimmel, Kitson insisted they were informed of her involvement. A resident of the Palisades corroborated the narrative, saying friends visited the bakery to "confirm the story after speaking with the baker."

Public reaction has been swift and supportive of the grocer. One online commenter urged others to "go buy something from the bakery to show your support for this small business owner!" Another added, "Vicente Foods has been my go to store for 40 years." Despite the controversy, the boutique did not immediately respond to requests for comment, leaving the family's defense unspoken.

Carly Kimmel recently expressed her enthusiasm for purchasing specific cookies upon their initial release, a sentiment that reflects her connection to the Kimmel family circle. Her husband, Jonathan Kimmel, is Jimmy Kimmel's brother and has served as a long-time member of his production team.

In the realm of Los Angeles politics, Ryan Pratt, formerly a reality television star and father to two children, was initially viewed as a long-shot contender when he formally launched his campaign in January. He was pictured alongside his former wife, Heidi Montag. Despite early skepticism, Pratt has gained significant traction, positioning himself as a serious threat to incumbent Mayor Karen Bass and City Councilmember Nithya Raman in the upcoming election scheduled for June 2.

Pratt, a registered Republican, entered the race with the intent to unseat the current administration. While many observers initially dismissed his hardline positions on social issues as too conservative for the city's electorate, his aggressive campaigning strategy has shifted public opinion. He now trails Mayor Bass by only a narrow margin in recent polling data. This surge has attracted endorsements from various celebrities and political figures, transforming his candidacy from an outlier to a viable option.

The momentum for Pratt intensified earlier this month following a televised debate where he criticized Mayor Bass regarding the wildfires, stating she was "burning my house down." The comment elicited laughter from the audience and was widely interpreted as a dominant performance. Subsequent polling from NBC indicated that 79 percent of viewers believed Pratt had won the exchange, a conclusion echoed by the liberal-leaning Los Angeles Times, which declared him the clear winner.

Central to Pratt's platform is the handling of the Palisades Fires, which occurred in January 2025, resulting in 12 fatalities and over $25 billion in damages. Pratt's own $3.8 million mansion in the Palisades was destroyed during the blaze, making the mayor's response to the disaster a primary focus of his campaign. Beyond the fires, he has pledged to aggressively address widespread homelessness and drug usage.

Pratt recently outlined a controversial proposal to implement a three-week "grace period" designed to warn criminals, drug users, and homeless individuals to vacate the city before enforcement actions begin. On the All In podcast, he asserted that the city is "worth saving" and described his approach as a temporary reprieve followed by strict enforcement. "My plan, the first three weeks, signs up across the city: no more nakedness, no more drug use, no more robbing, no worse, no more dog abuse," he stated. He explained that his team would utilize this window to deliver warnings, noting, "You got three more weeks of this, clock's ticking."

According to Pratt, this strategy serves to demonstrate that "there's a mayor in town," potentially causing some offenders to leave voluntarily. "After that, once we start enforcing the laws: Boom! Streets will be back," he promised. Furthermore, he suggested utilizing the Centers for Disease Control to address what he termed "medieval diseases" prevalent in homeless encampments. This approach underscores a campaign built on parallel commitments: leveraging the personal tragedy of his lost home to attack the incumbent's record, and using a temporary window of leniency to prepare for a sudden, aggressive crackdown on public order issues.