Who is Max Winkler? Spencer Pratt admits to selling friend’s picture partying with Mary Kate Olsen 

Spencer Pratt has admitted to leaking photos of Max Winkler and Mary-Kate Olsen. Pratt shared details about the incident in his new memoir titled The Guy You Loved to Hate: Confessions from a Reality TV Villain. The book talks about his time going to school in Santa Monica, California. He was surrounded by celebrity peers, including Olsen and her then-boyfriend, Max Winkler. Max is the son of actor Henry Winkler.

According to a report by People Magazine, Max Winkler takes after his dad and has had a successful career in Hollywood. He spends most of his time behind the camera as a director, producer, and writer. Max has directed multiple episodes of hit series like New Girl, American Horror Story, and its anthology spin-off series, American Horror Stories.

Back then, Spencer Pratt wanted to direct his own film but lacked the funds. As per People Magazine, he tapped into what he called a wasted resource. Max's bedroom had a photo shrine to Olsen. The two had recently split up.

Pratt described the images as

“Young love documented in European hotels, Hollywood parties, stolen moments,”

He said he urged his friend to take down the photos.

“I asked Max if I could take the photos off his wall — you know, for his healing process, he didn’t say no, so I took that to be a yes,” Pratt explained.

Spencer Pratt sold Max Winkler's photos of Mary-Kate Olsen for $50,000 and called himself rich:

According to the report shared by People Magazine, The Hills star then said he visited the Winkler home. Pratt greeted Max Winkler's father on the way in. He left with all of the pictures of Olsen and her ex. Pratt ended up selling the photos to a photo agency for $50,000. He said the price made him feel "rich" at the time.

"Less than a week later there it was, evidence of my entrepreneurial genius staring back at me from the InTouch cover at a gas station: 'TEENS GONE WILD!' across the cover," Spencer Pratt wrote of the 2004 tabloid news story.

Pratt added more about seeing himself in the magazine.

"A shot of Mary-Kate with a constellation of empties—'LOOK AT ALL THE EMPTIES!'—and there I was in the background, frozen mid-shaka. I hadn't sold that frame. Someone else was shopping, and now I wasn't just the seller, I was part of the merchandise. My face was now forever linked to Mary-Kate Olsen's supposed wild phase, preserved in grocery store checkout lines across America," he shared.

Pratt defended his decision to leak the images in his book.

"When you really think about it, it was a win-win. Mary-Kate got her rebel rebrand, Max got closure," Pratt wrote.

The Olsens haven't publicly commented on the photo scandal. Mary-Kate did mention Pratt during a 2008 interview with David Letterman, though.

"He does not have a good temper. He walked out of a few games, he'd walk off the field,"

Mary-Kate said of Pratt playing soccer at her school.

Letterman asked her at the time if she was friends with the guy or not.

"No," she replied simply.

Max Winkler told Henry Winkler to respect the writer during Barry's audition and helped him win an Emmy:

When it comes to Max Winkler, his dad said in a 2023 interview on The Talk that his son had always wanted to work in Hollywood.

"My son Max told us at 10 that he wanted to be a director. He kept his word," shared Henry.

Henry also said in the same interview that his son's work as a director helped him earn one of his most prominent roles.

"My son is very strict. My son directed me in my audition for Barry. I had the script, I said 'Max, will you take a look at it?' I'm sitting at my desk, he's standing over me, I'm reading it, and he says 'Dad ... respect the writer!'" Henry said.

Henry Winkler went on to explain that he sometimes improvises because of his dyslexia. His son told him it wasn't the right time for that.

"Not this time. There's an exclamation point at the end of that sentence ... use it," Max said.

As per a report shared by People Magazine, Max's coaching worked. Henry landed the role of Barry. The actor ended up receiving four Emmy nominations for his performance and won once in 2018.

Max Winkler also helped encourage his dad to write his memoir. Henry appeared on the Tamron Hall Show in December 2023 as part of his press tour for his book. He didn't know that Max Winkler had taped a special video message for his dad. Hall played it during the show.

"Dad, congratulations on your book coming out. I love you very much and I'm so excited for the rest of the world to read this beautiful thing you've written. I think it's going to inspire a lot of people, and I think you should consider whoever gave you the idea to write this book, consider giving them a 10% piece of the sales, just because it feels like the right thing to do," Max said.

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Henry immediately began laughing. Hall asked if he had 10% coming.

"Ten percent? On my life!" Henry shared.

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