For many millennials, Lauren Conrad will always be the face of early reality television — the young woman navigating friendships, heartbreak and ambition on Laguna Beach and The Hills.
But two decades after those shows first aired, Conrad’s life looks very different. The former reality star now spends most of her days far from cameras, focused on family, fashion and the quieter rhythms of everyday life.
At 40, she says she’s happy to be out of the spotlight that once defined her early adulthood.
Life beyond the cameras
Conrad first became widely known in 2004 when MTV premiered Laguna Beach, a reality series following a group of high school seniors in coastal California.
Her easygoing personality and understated style quickly made her the show’s breakout star.
Two years later, viewers watched her move to Los Angeles in The Hills, where cameras followed her internship at Teen Vogue, her friendships and her romantic life.
But by 2009, at the height of the show’s popularity, Conrad made a decision that surprised many fans: she walked away.
She had always seen reality television as temporary, a way to build connections while pursuing her real ambition — fashion design.
That same year, she launched a clothing line with Kohl’s, the beginning of a business that would gradually grow into a larger lifestyle brand. In 2020, she added a children’s clothing line, Little Co., to the portfolio.
A quieter family life
Today, Conrad’s world revolves less around fashion shows and red carpets, and more around school drop-offs and weekend sports.
She and her husband, attorney and former musician William Tell, are raising two sons — Liam, 8, and Charlie, 6.
Their days begin early. The family starts mornings around 6 a.m., and Conrad typically drives the boys to school before shifting into work mode.
Afternoons and evenings often mean soccer or baseball practice. Weekends sometimes involve surfing.
Tell, she says, is an enthusiastic parent — the kind who does funny voices during bedtime stories and coaches the children’s teams.
Despite their mother’s fame, the boys remain largely uninterested in her television past.
For them, she’s simply mom.
Returning briefly to the past
Still, Conrad recently stepped back into that earlier chapter — if only briefly.
She reunited with the original cast of Laguna Beach for a 20th-anniversary special titled The Reunion: Laguna Beach, set to stream on The Roku Channel on April 10.
The project brings together former cast members including Kristin Cavallari and Stephen Colletti to revisit the places and moments that shaped the show.
For Conrad, returning to filming wasn’t easy.
She admitted she avoided watching the original series for years, partly because she felt embarrassed revisiting the teenage drama that unfolded on screen.
Much of the show focused on a love triangle between Conrad, Cavallari and Colletti — a storyline that became central to the series.
At the time, both Conrad and Cavallari say they felt the narrative encouraged rivalry between them.
Years later, their relationship is far more relaxed.
They now share what Conrad describes as mutual respect — the kind that often comes with time and distance.
A life lived more privately
One sign of Conrad’s shift away from fame is her relationship with social media.
Unlike many public figures, she rarely posts online and isn’t active on TikTok.
Yet when she recently heard about the “Proof of Mom” trend — a movement encouraging mothers to appear in family photos rather than always being behind the camera — she immediately related.
Like many parents, she realized she often documents family moments without actually appearing in them.
Coming home
Another major change came four years ago, when Conrad moved back to her hometown after spending much of her 20s and 30s in Los Angeles.
The move allowed her to raise her children in the same community where she grew up.
She says the experience feels grounding.
In her hometown, she notes, people are less focused on who she once was on television.
A new decade
Earlier this year, Conrad celebrated her 40th birthday with a playful prom-themed party — a nod to the teenage years that first introduced her to the public.
But she says reaching this milestone feels freeing rather than daunting.
In her 30s, she felt pressure to check off life goals and milestones.
Now, she sees things differently.
The pace of life, she says, can slow down a little — and that feels just right.
