Lauren Katherine Conrad (born February 1, 1986[1]) is an American television personality, fashion designer and author. In late 2004, she came to prominence after being cast in thereality television seriesLaguna Beach: The Real Orange County, which documented her and her friends' lives in their hometown ofLaguna Beach, California.
Conrad later moved toLos Angeles to pursue a career in the fashion industry. She received her own spin-off seriesThe Hills and starred in five of its six seasons from 2006 to 2009. During its production, she also attended theFashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and interned forTeen Vogue andKelly Cutrone'spublic relations firm People's Revolution. Conrad later founded the fashion lines LC Lauren Conrad and Paper Crown, and co-founded thefair trade online store The Little Market. She has published nine books, includingL.A. Candy andThe Fame Game trilogies.
Conrad was born inLaguna Beach, California on February 1, 1986, to Jim, an architect, and Kathy (née Lawrence).[2] She has two younger siblings, a sister namedBreanna, also a television personality,[3] and a brother, Brandon.[4] Conrad first expressed an interest in a career in the fashion industry when she was in the sixth grade.[2] Her father added that Conrad "wasn't a great student [and] wasn't that interested" during her childhood, although noted that "we figured out along the way that she was an artist and her real love was fashion."[5]
Alongside eventual castmatesLo Bosworth,Kristin Cavallari, andStephen Colletti, Conrad attendedLaguna Beach High School. In 2004, they starred inLaguna Beach: The Real Orange County, anMTV reality television series which documented their lives during high school. During its production, she was often referred to by the initialism "L.C.", although she has since expressed her distaste for the nickname.[6] The series proved successful for the network;[7] she described the lifestyle it imposed on her as being "definitely a different way to grow up".[8] The first season notably focused on thelove triangle between Conrad, Cavallari, and Colletti, and the subsequent feud between the former two.[9] Upon the conclusion of the first season, Conrad appeared on an episode ofMTV Cribs.[10] After graduating from high school in 2004, Conrad attended theAcademy of Art University in San Francisco for one semester, where she metHeidi Montag.[11] Conrad left the series after the second season,[12] during which period she moved back home and transferred to theFashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, though she did not graduate with a degree.[13] After her sister Breanna became a primary cast member, Conrad made a guest appearance on the series during the third season in 2006.[14]
After moving to Los Angeles in 2005, the spin-off seriesThe Hills was developed to chronicle the lives of Conrad, her housemate Montag, her neighborAudrina Patridge and her colleagueWhitney Port.[15] During production of the first season, Conrad and Port held internships withTeen Vogue under the direction of West CoastVogue editorLisa Love; she stated that they had to interview successfully for the positions, "regardless of what the cameras wanted".[16] By the second season, Lauren's friendship with Heidi had deteriorated after Montag began datingSpencer Pratt.[17] After Montag moved in with Pratt, Patridge and Lo Bosworth later became roommates with Conrad.[18][19]
During the third season, Conrad ended her friendship with Montag after she suspected that Montag and Pratt were responsible for rumors of a sex tape involving herself and her former boyfriend Jason Wahler; the ensuing feud carried through each subsequent season in which Conrad appeared.[20] Conrad briefly dated fellow castmateBrody Jenner, which she commented had been subject to "editing to drag it out" during the series.[21] In January 2007, Conrad was announced as the inaugural spokeswoman ofAvon Products's "mark." line, marketed towards young women;[22] she was succeeded by actressAshley Greene in June 2010.[23] Later in 2007, Conrad appeared as a satirical version of herself alongsideCarmen Electra in the comedy filmEpic Movie.[24] In 2008, Conrad and Port began interning withKelly Cutrone's PR firm, People's Revolution.[25]
Upon the conclusion of the fourth season ofThe Hills in December 2008, Conrad wished to leave the series to pursue other career opportunities.[26] However, per the producers' requests, she filmed ten episodes for the following season, in which she closed her storylines.[27] Conrad made her final appearance on the series in May 2009, attending Montag and Pratt's wedding after much deliberation during the mid-season finale of the fifth season.[28] However, in the July 2009 issue ofCosmopolitan, she stated that producers had pressured her into a reconciliation with Montag throughout the season, adding that she was displeased when they would not allow otherwise.[29] Conrad was replaced by formerLaguna Beach castmate Kristin Cavallari until the series' conclusion in July 2010.[9][30]
In September 2010, Conrad was to star in an MTV series that would have focused on her career endeavors, though the network chose not to pick up the program after Conrad preferred not to film her private life.[31] That month, Conrad revealed that she had filmed an alternate ending forThe Hills with Jenner.[32] Upon the conclusion of their month-long morning marathon of the series, titled "RetroMTV Brunch", MTV aired the footage in August 2013.[33] The scene depicts Jenner returning to his apartment after seeing Cavallari's limousine off to Europe. Conrad is revealed to be sitting on his couch, and comforts him that "it's hard to say goodbye" to a "friend of [his]", before the camera focuses on a smiling Conrad.[34] That month, she also expressed interest in participating in a potential reunion film.[35] That October, Conrad and her friend Hannah Skvarla opened the online storeThe Little Market, which distributes handmade pieces from women of varying cultural backgrounds.[36] In December 2013, Montag stated that she and Conrad have "talked a few times" since the series' conclusion, elaborating that "it's unfortunate things happened the way that it did, but we're both different people now, older and more mature."[37]
In 2011, Conrad made a pilot for MTV for a documentary series focused on her professional aspirations. MTV did not take the pilot to series.[38]
In March 2008, Conrad premiered her first fashion line The Lauren Conrad Collection. After underwhelming sales figures, Conrad ended the line the following year to further familiarize herself with the industry.[39]
In fall 2009, Conrad collaborated withKohl's to launch her second fashion line LC Lauren Conrad,[40] and was later expanded to include a bedding collection.[41] In May 2012, it was reported Conrad’s line reached annual sales of $60 million while Conrad only gets a 4% backend of the sales, according to theHollywood Reporter.[42] Conrad released limited-runCinderella,Minnie Mouse, andBambi-inspired collections for LC Lauren Conrad in February,[43] May,[44] and October 2015, respectively.[45] She also introduced an upscale runway collection for the line duringNew York Fashion Week that September.[46] In 2017, Conrad launched an affordable swim line at Kohl's to expand her brand.[47] In 2020, the brand was expanded to include children's clothing.[48]
In April 2011, Conrad launched The Beauty Department with her hairstylist, Kristin Ess, and her makeup artist, Amy Nadine;[49] she later announced plans to expand the brand to include a line of cosmetics.[50]
Conrad released her third fashion line Paper Crown in 2011.[51] Paper Crown was discontinued in 2018.
In July 2012, she collaborated with BlueAvocado to launch XO(eco), an environmentally-friendly collection of bags.[52]
In August 2020, Conrad launched Lauren Conrad Beauty as a line of affordable and eco-friendly make-up which started with 4 make-up products and by September 2020 expanded to 10 make-up products and 10 skincare products with announcements of more product being developed for a later date.[53] Lauren Conrad Beauty was discontinued in 2021.
In 2022, Conrad launched her first fragrance, LOVED by Lauren Conrad.[54]
Conrad's first novelL.A. Candy was released in June 2009, and became a bestseller onThe New York Times.[55] It was inspired by her life, focusing on a woman named Jane Roberts who moves to Los Angeles.[56] It was followed by sequelsSweet Little Lies[57] andSugar and Spice[58] in 2010. Conrad also released the fashion guideLauren Conrad Style in 2010.[59] Conrad released her fourth novelThe Fame Game as a spin-off to theL.A. Candy series in April 2012.[60] In October 2012, Conrad releasedThe Fame Game continuation novelStarstruck and the style guideLauren Conrad Beauty.[61][62][63] The final novel of the trilogy,Infamous, was released in June 2013.[64]
The TV show did not help my reputation very much. It was difficult to be taken seriously, but I think the fact that I went to school to study fashion and worked in the industry helped me. I think it's a good thing to feel like you have to prove something, because you're always going to have to work a little bit harder.
– Conrad discussing her efforts in attaining credibility within the fashion industry.[51]
Since appearing onLaguna Beach: The Real Orange County, Conrad has been recognized as being among the first individuals to benefit from the popularity of reality television in the early to mid-2000s. In 2009, Thomas Rogers fromSalon described her as "one of the dullest major characters in reality television history", but opined that her normalcy compared to her co-stars onThe Hills made her "vaguely likable".[71] An editor fromPeople stated that Conrad "became a full-blown TV phenom" during its third season, which notably introduced the conflict with Montag and Pratt, in addition to controversy regarding scripting allegations.[6]
In 2013, Misty White Sidell fromThe Daily Beast noted that Conrad established a following based on her respectability instead of "bitch-slaps and drunken sex-capades", further commenting that her more relatable image made her an "anomaly" among television personalities.[72] Conrad herself commented thatThe Hills was intended to be an "aspirational" program despite being "laced with scandal and catfights", stating that the storyline differed from the "shock value" emphasized in recent programming.[73] Conrad has additionally been recognized for originating several now-famous quotes onThe Hills, including "He's a sucky person!" when criticizing Spencer Pratt during thesecond season, "You know what you did!" when arguing with Heidi Montag over her alleged involvement with sex tape rumors involving herself and the now-iconic line "I want to forgive you and I want to forget you." as a response when the former apologized for the rumors in thethird season.[74]
Conrad has been featured on the covers of several magazine's best-selling issues, including those ofPeople StyleWatch andCosmopolitan.[75] She appeared on the May 2012 issue ofGlamour, which sold approximately 500,000 copies and became the magazine's strongest-selling issue of the year,[76] and was featured on the covers of the second highest-selling issues ofLucky andMarie Claire in 2013.[77] Lauren Sherman from Fashionista credited Conrad's success to "her knack for entrepreneurship, her easy style, and her friendliness".[75] Jim Higgins fromMilwaukee Journal Sentinel complimented her pursuit of several different career endeavors, and compared her to a "youngMartha Stewart".[78] However, in August 2012, Conrad was criticized for destroying a collection ofA Series of Unfortunate Events novels for a crafting tutorial posted to YouTube.[79]
During its production, Conrad was the highest-paid cast member onThe Hills, earning an annual salary of $2.5 million.[80] In 2008, her endeavors earned her an additional $1.5 million.[81] In 2010, Conrad was named the second highest-paid reality television personality, ranking behindKim Kardashian.[82] Having been reported to be a registered member of theRepublican Party,[83] Conrad has stated that she has "done several things to ... encourage people to vote", and respects the private ballot and "[doesn't] want to ever influence someone's vote or have [her] vote change someone's opinion of [her]".[84][85] Conrad collaborated withSeventeen magazine to film apublic service announcement forDeclare Yourself, a campaign which encouraged young adults to register themselves to vote during the2008 presidential election.[86] She has additionally expressed her support forsame-sex marriage, and on one occasion left a Mexican restaurant after learning of its disapproval of same-sex marriage.[87]
In 2008, Conrad began dating actorKyle Howard. Howard expressed concern that appearing on reality television would interfere with his acting career; consequently, their relationship was not documented onThe Hills. After three years together, Conrad and Howard ended their relationship in 2011.[89][90]
Having begun dating in February 2012,[91] Conrad andSomething Corporate guitaristWilliam Tell moved into a shared residence inWestwood, Los Angeles in September 2013,[92] and announced their engagement the following month.[93] Conrad and Tell married on September 13, 2014, in California.[94] Together they have two sons: William “Liam” James (born on July 5, 2017)[95] and Charles “Charlie” Wolf (born on October 8, 2019).[96]
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