Lauren Conrad opens up about leaving fame to raise her family

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• 🔥 Quick Facts
• From MTV Icon to Private Mom: The Complete Transformation
• Finding Love and Building a Family With “Smoke Show” William Tell
• Returning to Cameras for Laguna Beach Reunion: A Different Woman
• How Fashion Design Dreams Started at Age Eight
• Why Lauren Conrad Feels Grateful to Be Forty and Finally at Peace?
  • Sources

Lauren Conrad is finally opening up about why she stepped away from the spotlight to raise her family. In a rare PEOPLE cover interview published today, the 40-year-old reality star revealed that her two sons with husband William Tell are her top priority, and she couldn’t be happier away from Hollywood’s cameras.

From MTV Icon to Private Mom: The Complete Transformation

Lauren Conrad has completely transformed her life since her reality TV days. Twenty years after Laguna Beach debuted in 2004, she’s traded the red carpet for soccer fields and school pickups. “I really appreciate private moments,” she explains. Conrad moved back to her hometown four years ago, where she now spends her mornings driving both boys to school and her afternoons at practice. “It’s such a privilege to be able to live my life for myself after putting many years on camera,” she says.

The shift away from fame wasn’t sudden. Conrad left The Hills at the peak of her TV career in 2009 to focus on her fashion brand. “I always looked at reality TV as a temporary thing to make my connections and then go on to my dream,” she recalls. Today, she runs a successful fashion empire and simply wants to be present for her kids without cameras rolling.

Finding Love and Building a Family With “Smoke Show” William Tell

Conrad and William Tell met on a Valentine’s Day blind date in 2012 and knew immediately they had something special. “My husband’s a smoke show, and we both dove in almost immediately,” she gushes. The couple got engaged after just a year and a half, married in September 2014, and welcomed their first son Liam in 2017. Tell, 46, is an attorney and guitarist for the pop-rock band Something Corporate. “He’s so engaged with our kids,” Conrad says. “He’s the parent who does funny voices when he reads the story and coaches every team they’re on.”

A typical day in the Tell household is anything but glamorous. Kids get ready at 6 a.m., and Conrad drives both boys to school. Afternoons involve shuttling between soccer and baseball practice, while weekends mean family surfing sessions. “The fields they’re playing on are the same fields I played soccer on,” she says. “I feel really lucky to be able to raise my kids in the same space I grew up.”

Returning to Cameras for Laguna Beach Reunion: A Different Woman

Conrad recently reunited with the original cast for The Reunion: Laguna Beach, available April 10 on Roku. The experience was emotional and harder than she expected. “I thought it was going to be easier, like riding a bike, but I actually had a pretty hard time getting back into it,” she admits. Rewatching old episodes now brings humor rather than embarrassment.

Detail	Information
Release Date	April 10, 2026
Platform	The Roku Channel
Format	20-Year Anniversary Special
Featured Guests	Original Season 1 cast including Kristin Cavallari, Stephen Colletti

Conrad and Kristin Cavallari made headlines when they were photographed together at the reunion. The two former rivals have evolved significantly since their on-screen love triangle days. “We’ve matured a lot. There’s a real level of respect for one another that obviously we didn’t have as teenagers,” Cavallari explained. Conrad adds, “We have so much in common and have been texting constantly. As you get older, you’re not worried about the small stuff.”

“Nobody cares who I am here. It’s such a privilege to be able to live my life for myself after putting many years on camera.”

— Lauren Conrad, Reality TV Star and Fashion Designer

How Fashion Design Dreams Started at Age Eight

Conrad’s passion for fashion began early. “In the third grade, I was like, ‘I’m going to be a fashion designer,’ ” she recalls. When offered the Laguna Beach role, she consulted her architect dad. “He was like, ‘A lot of people who work in entertainment also work in fashion. This could be a really good opportunity for you.’ ” That advice proved invaluable. Conrad launched her first Kohl’s collection in 2009 and later added Little Co., her children’s line, in 2020. Today, she describes her style as practical and functional. “I’m a jeans and T-shirt girl. I want to be able to get on the floor and not worry about what I’m wearing.”

Her influence on fashion during her MTV years was undeniable. Thick headbands, sky-high heels, and winged eyeliner became her signature look that fans replicated everywhere. Now, her style priorities have changed completely to fit her role as a hands-on mother.

Why Lauren Conrad Feels Grateful to Be Forty and Finally at Peace?

For Conrad, hitting 40 felt like a milestone worth celebrating, not dreading. She threw herself a senior prom-themed birthday party earlier this year. “I was looking forward to my 40s,” she says. “In my 30s, it felt like a checklist, like, ‘By the time I’m this age, I want to do this and this.’ Now I’m like, ‘You’re good. You can slow down and enjoy it.’ ” Her sons remain blissfully unaware of their mom’s fame, which suits her perfectly. “I don’t think they really understand, and I don’t think they’re that interested, to be honest. Once in a while I’ll be like, ‘Oh, look, mama did this,’ and they’re like, ‘Okay….’ Someday they’ll get it.”

Conrad’s message to fans is clear: life looks different at 40, and it’s wonderful. “I feel very settled and happy,” she shares. “I just feel grateful right now.” After stepping back into the public eye for the reunion, she’s already counting down the days to return to her peaceful, quiet life away from Hollywood’s spotlight.

Sources

• PEOPLE Magazine – Exclusive interview with Lauren Conrad published March 31, 2026
• The Roku Channel – Details on The Reunion: Laguna Beach premiere date and availability
• Entertainment Tonight – Coverage of Laguna Beach 20-year reunion and cast interactions