Amid the rise of the reality TV craze, Kristin Cavallari was one of the breakout stars of MTV’s Laguna Beach , the 2004 series that chronicled the lives of select high school teens. But not all was as it appeared, with Cavallari reflecting on the harsh reality she faced after walking away from the show.
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In an interview with Bustle released Thursday, the Uncommon James founder and podcast host discussed being a teen amid the rise of the reality TV genre and the idea of “franken-biting” (when sentence fragments are taken and put together to make it sound like someone said something they didn’t.) On the series, a then-17 year old Cavallari was portrayed in the “villain” role to the series’ “good girl” Lauren Conrad with the two seemingly in a love triangle with Cavallari’s then-boyfriend Stephen Colletti. The series aired on MTV from 2004 to 2006, catapulting some of the cast to stardom, and led to MTV’s next hit reality series The Hills. But Cavallari’s portrayal on the series resulted in some hardships.
“I think I walked away from Laguna Beach thinking that I was the only one MTV messed with and I got the shitty end of the deal, and I took everything so personally,” Cavallari said. But now, looking back, she realizes everyone was affected. “They fucked with everybody the same way they fucked with me.”
She continued, “We were very young to have our lives manipulated like that. I’m not complaining about it. I’m so thankful for the show. I think it can be both things — I can feel like we were taken advantage of, and I can also be thankful for it.”
Cavallari went on to explain how things can be more heightened, especially when still growing up and finding yourself. “At that age, 17, 18, no one really knows who they are, but it definitely made me be like, ‘I am not that girl on TV, but if there’s even a slight part of me that is, I know that I don’t want to be that.’ So maybe it actually was a blessing in disguise and made me be a nicer person in general.”
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Despite there now being a “reality reckoning” as there have been calls for a union for reality TV stars, Cavallari isn’t interested in joining, explaining, “Everything has worked out the way it’s supposed to, and it’s gotten me where I am today. So no, I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Over the years, Cavallari has found her own success away from reality TV, which has included being the founder of her brand Uncommon James, which features minimalist home, jewelry and apparel offerings, as well as hosting her Let’s Be Honest podcast, launching a fragrance and developing new skin care products. But Cavallari already has an end in sight and envisions being done with Hollywood once her kids, whom she shares with ex-husband Jay Cutler, graduate high school.
“My celebrity could go away tomorrow and I would be really happy,” she said. “I want to work for two or three more years and literally be done and then open up a coffee shop in a little beach town just for fun.”
She added, “I’m not going to be in Hollywood. I’ll be done. I have a set amount of money in my mind, and then I’m done working. I just want to live a chill life. I’ve been grinding since I was 17, and I’m tired.”
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