Lauren Conrad has definitively stated she intends to step away from the entertainment industry following the broadcast of the twentieth anniversary special The Reunion: Laguna Beach. The programme is scheduled to premiere this Friday exclusively on the Roku Channel.
Putting a Pin in Her Career
In a promotional clip released this Tuesday for Kristin Cavallari's podcast, Let's Be Honest, the forty-year-old former reality television personality expressed her desire to conclude her public career. "I would love to put a pin in my career," Conrad declared. She elaborated on the poetic symmetry of ending her journey with the original cast. "It would be really cool to end my career with the same people I started it with. Like, the same group of people I started with, I can also say goodbye with. It felt clean and then when this is all over, I can..."
Her thirty-nine-year-old former castmate promptly interjected, "...hang up that entertainment hat." To which Conrad fervently agreed, "God, I hope so. I don't [miss it at all]."
From Laguna Beach to The Hills
Conrad's rise to fame began when she was an eighteen-year-old senior at Laguna Beach High School. MTV recruited her alongside classmates Kristin Cavallari, Lo Bosworth, and Stephen Colletti to feature in the pioneering reality series Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County for its inaugural two seasons from 2004 to 2005.
The show famously documented a love triangle involving Conrad, Cavallari, and Colletti, which fueled on-screen feuds. Conrad later transitioned to the spin-off series The Hills, starring in five seasons from 2006 to 2009. She has since admitted her participation was primarily financial, calling the MTV gig "the easiest money I ever made" and confessing she only signed on because she "was broke" at the time. The Hills itself faced frequent criticism for allegedly fabricating storylines for dramatic effect.
A Selective Return for the Reunion
Despite stepping back from the limelight, Conrad agreed to participate in the one-off Laguna Beach reunion special. A significant factor was Roku's offer to make her an executive producer on the project. This contrasts with her decision to decline involvement in MTV's 2019 revival, The Hills: New Beginnings, for which she turned down two full seasons.
Reflecting on her career trajectory, Conrad expressed profound gratitude. "I'm so happy. I feel so lucky because, you know, it can go a lot of ways when you've been in entertainment for a long time," she shared. "And I think a lot of people really miss it and I didn't. I enjoyed it while I had it. Like, we had fun. It was great. And I'm really grateful for the opportunity."
Embracing a Quieter Life
Conrad now prioritises her family and a more private existence. "And I know that because I did all that, I'm able to live the life I live now," she explained. "But I love, like, just being with my fam and my friends and living a quieter life."
The co-founder of the ethical marketplace The Little Market is a mother to two sons: Liam, aged eight, and Charlie, aged six. She shares them with her husband of eleven years, William Tell, the rhythm guitarist and backup singer for the rock band Something Corporate. The couple began dating in 2012.
Business Ventures and Low Profile
Conrad maintains a notably low public profile, rarely posting on social media despite amassing 5.8 million followers on Instagram. She focuses her energies on her business ventures.
She actively runs and designs for her eponymous clothing brand, LC Lauren Conrad, and the children's apparel line Little Co. Both collections are sold through the major retailer Kohl's. Meanwhile, her husband's band, Something Corporate, continues to perform, with a show scheduled for August 6 at the Theatre of Living Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Lauren Conrad's journey from a teenage reality star to a businesswoman and mother appears to be reaching its final chapter in the public eye, as she prepares to formally conclude her entertainment career alongside the cast that launched it two decades ago.
