Is Lauren Conrad okay? Truth behind 'The Hills' star's controversial exit and what she's been up to lately
The year was 2004, and MTV had just dropped its reality series 'Laguna Beach', which documented the lives of a few wealthy high schoolers from Orange County. The then 19-year-old Lauren Conrad emerged as the breakout star of the series. Her spunky and relatable nature made her a huge hit amongst fans, which soon translated into the teenager landing her own spinoff show called 'The Hills'.
'The Hills' which premiered after the end of 'Laguna Beach' in 2006 ran for six seasons and mostly revolved around Conrad and her friends as they tried to balance their personal and professional lives while chasing their dreams in Los Angeles. Conrad was enjoying her newfound fame as one of the 'It girls' and a successful reality star, but it soon came crashing down when she suddenly decided to quit the show post season 5. After which she never returned to reality television, leaving her fans wondering whatever happened to their favorite reality star. As the reboot of 'The Hills', ' The Hills: New Beginnings' Season 2, is right round the corner, we decided to revisit what the OG 'Hills' star is up to and why she quit the show and won't ever return. If you too are curious about Conrad's exit, then read on.
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Why did Lauren Conrad quit 'The Hills'?
During season 5 of 'The Hills', Conrad shocked everybody by announcing mid-season that she would be leaving the show to pursue other ventures, but fans always suspected that there was more to her exit than just her desire to further her career. Their suspicions proved to be right, as during an interview with Cosmopolitan shortly after her exit, the reality star expressed how she was forced to be nice to her co-star and former best friend Heidi Montag by the producers, and she didn't want to do that anymore.
"What they didn't get is that I didn't want to fight with her anymore. It's hard to look at somebody who used to be your best friend and say, 'We can't be friends. Too much has happened.' I'm trying to move on, but they won't let me," she said about growing increasingly more upset with the reality show. "And when someone keeps pushing you into the same position, well...you get upset."
Conrad and her best friend Montag ended up locking horns when the latter began dating Spencer Pratt. Conrad openly disapproved of Pratt and felt that the couple was moving too fast. This ended up creating a huge friction between the two close friends. This was further escalated when Conrad believed that Montag and Pratt were spreading a story about her alleged sex tape with her ex-boyfriend Jason Wahler.
Although during season 4 things seemed to have gotten better between Conrad and her best friend, the reality star labelled it as "fake" and revealed that the producers forced the friends to be nice to each other, and that there was still bad blood between them. Owing to the fallout with Montag, Conrad decided to quit the show and focus on other career opportunities. Although 'The Hills' returned with a reboot called 'The Hills: New Beginnings' Conrad refused to take part in it, hinting at her intention of never returning to the show. This doesn't mean that Conrad has disappeared completely from publlic eye.
Where is Lauren Conrad now?
Since quitting the hit reality show, Conrad went on to launch her own fashion empire. She also has her own podcast, and runs a marketplace called 'The Little Market'. She added a new feather to her hat recently after dipping her toes into the makeup industry by launching her own makeup brand. Aside from her several business ventures, Conrad is also a best-selling author of several books, both fiction and non-fiction.
She is currently married to a lawyer named William Tell. The couple have two children together. She frequently posts snippets of her life with her husband and kids on Instagram. It looks like everything turned out just fine for Conrad since her abrupt exit from 'The Hills', although OG fans will always miss her on the show.
'The Hills: New Beginnings' Season 2 premieres on May 12, at 9 pm ET only on MTV.