It's time to go back to The Hills, but when the classic MTV series returns this month, it's going to be missing its most famous face. Lauren Conrad — affectionately known by many as "LC" during her time on reality television — won't be on The Hills revival, and it certainly won't be the same without her. But in 2019, Lauren Conrad has built a bona fide empire, and probably has too much on her plate to deal with onscreen drama with old frenemies.
This won't be the first version of The Hills sans LC, and her absence isn't a surprise. Conrad, who also lived her teenage years onscreen on MTV's Laguna Beach, skipped out on the final season of the original Hills' run, saying she was "ready to start [her] real life." "There was always compromise when I was filming, and I had to decide what I could share and what I couldn't and I felt like very little was my own," she told E! News in 2016. "I was in a place where I knew the show could go on without me, and I would be happier if I left. It wasn't an easy decision, but I made it and I'm glad that I did."
Conrad hasn't publicly spoken about her absence on The Hills: New Beginnings, but it seems reasonable that she might not want to run into her ex-boyfriend, Jason Wahler, who is returning to the show, or former co-stars Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, who have long been suspected to have spread nasty rumors about Conrad while The Hills was filming. Viewers watched that conflict bring on the demise of Montag & Conrad's friendship, and they never really reconciled.
That's OK, though, because LC has moved onto bigger and better things since The Hills wrapped. Here's what's been keeping Conrad busy these days:
The Little Market
Together with Hannah Skvarla, Conrad founded a nonprofit organization called The Little Market, which allows customers to purchase handcrafted clothes, decor items, accessories, and more from artisans all over the world. It's a wonderful way to find products from artisans wouldn't ever reach an audience of that size, and to financially support their talents and their communities. "We practice fair trade principles, and every purchase from The Little Market generates meaningful income for the artisans and their families," the nonprofit's site reads.
Asking For A Friend
Conrad's newest venture is hosting a podcast called Asking For A Friend. The premise is pretty much exactly what the name suggests — in each episode, Conrad interviews someone she knows who's an expert on a specific topic, whether it's motherhood, decorating your home, makeup and beauty, or starting a business. On Conrad's Instagram Stories, she takes questions from listeners and fans, and poses them to each guest.
LC Lauren Conrad Clothing
We've come so far from those fashion internships on The Hills! Conrad is now years into a partnership with Kohl's to produce her LC Lauren Conrad brand, which is described on the department store's website as "designed for a chic, effortless lifestyle." LC Lauren Conrad offers plus-size collections, home decor, swimwear, jeans, and pretty much anything you might go looking for if you're a fan of the designer's style.
LaurenConrad.com
Conrad keeps all of her projects tidily organized and promoted on LaurenConrad.com, where she also posts lifestyle-focused blogs of her own and hosts posts from contributors. You can find holiday gift guides, advice columns, recipes, and more on the site.
Her Family
The most important (and adorable) reason LC might not be returning to The Hills is that she's busy building a little family. She and husband William Tell have one child already and another on the way. It wouldn't surprise anyone if Conrad was hesitant to bring cameras around her family 24/7 after living some of her formative years in that spotlight.
So, it would seem that Conrad is all booked up. She won't be inviting any camera operators or reality producers back into her home anytime soon, and who knows if she'll even watch the mayhem unfold as The Hills: New Beginnings hits our screens. She's successfully maneuvered her reality TV career into a booming entrepreneurship, and as much as we'll miss Conrad, there's no need for her to look back.
