By Megan Riedlinger
5:26am PST, Feb 2, 2021
We first met Lauren Conrad back in 2004 when she starred on the MTV reality series "Laguna Beach." The show, which documented life at a ritzy Orange County, California, high school, earned Lauren her her very own spinoff in 2005 — "The Hills" — which followed her move to Los Angeles to work in fashion. These days, her life is very, very different. To celebrate Lauren's 35th birthday on Feb. 1, 2021, Wonderwall.com is taking a look at how LC and more of your favorite former MTV reality stars' lives have changed and what they're up to now…
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Lauren Conrad forged a very successful career for herself post-reality TV by developing multiple fashion lines. Her first, 2008's The Lauren Conrad Collection, wasn't a big success — it only lasted a year — but it prepared her for the difficulties of the industry. She returned in 2009 with her second, LC Lauren Conrad, which was super-accessible as it launched at Kohl's. Her next line, Paper Crown — intended for a more upscale audience — was sold at Nordstrom. Lauren also started The Beauty Department — a website that includes photo and video beauty tutorials, product reviews and inspiration — alongside her hairstylist, Kristin Ess, and makeup artist, Amy Nadine, in 2011. This was an easy way for Lauren to expand into the beauty market, which she did with 2020's Lauren Conrad Beauty, an eco-friendly and affordable makeup line. Lauren also made time to write multiple books including the bestselling fictional book "L.A. Candy" as well as non-fiction books like "Lauren Conrad Style." As for her personal life, Lauren has been happily married to former Something Corporate guitarist William Tell — who's now a lawyer — since 2014. They share sons Liam and Charlie.
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Shanna Moakler and Travis Barker divorced in 2006, the same year their show stopped airing — though they did reunite a few more times before splitting for good in 2009. The two co-parent son Landon and daughter Alabama. In addition to his work with blink-182, Travis worked on music for other artists like Rihanna, Soulja Boy and Flo Rida in the late aughts. In 2008, he and good friend DJ AM survived a plane crash that left four dead. After that, Travis became a vegan and started taking his health more seriously. He continued to work with blink-182, worked on solo projects and collaborated with multiple artists as he's established a reputation as one of the best drummers playing today. As for his personal life? Travis and friend-turned-more Kourtney Kardashian, who's lived near him and his kids for years, were confirmed to be dating in early 2021.
Following her MTV reality show, Shanna Moakler competed on "Dancing With the Stars" in 2006 (and was eliminated in week 2) and guest starred on "Entourage." She later hosted The CW's "Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants" in 2007 and E!'s "Bridalplasty" show in 2010 and did a stint on season 3 of VH1's "Hollywood Exes" in 2014. She dated Hells Angels biker Bryan Sollima from 2014 until 2019. In addition to her two kids with ex Travis Barker, Shanna is also a mom to daughter Atiana with ex Oscar de la Hoya.
Jessica Simpson starred on "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica" with her husband, 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey, from 2003 until 2005. Though she was already a pop singer, the show helped catapult her to household-name status as fans loved her ditzy and down-to-earth nature. So what's Jessica up to today?
After leaving the small screen behind, Jessica Simpson divorced Nick Lachey and launched a clothing company, The Jessica Simpson Collection, which expanded into a lifestyle brand and was earning $1 billion in annual sales by 2014. She also made her movie debut in 2014, playing Daisy Duke in "The Dukes of Hazzard." Her fifth album, "A Public Affair," came out in 2006, but her celebrity romances attracted more attention — she dated musician John Mayer and football star Tony Romo before settling down with former NFL player Eric Johnson in 2010. The two were engaged within months and welcomed daughter Maxwell Drew in 2012 and son Ace Knute in 2013 before marrying in 2014. They completed their happy family with daughter Birdie Mae in 2019. Jessica has also worked with Weight Watchers and in 2020 released a riveting memoir that topped The New York Times Best Seller list, "Open Book."
After "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica" came to an end, 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey went on to release a solo breakup album, "What's Left of Me," in 2006. He also kept things in the MTV family, casting VJ Vanessa Minnillo as his love interest in the music video. They soon started dating, got married in 2011 — he reunited with 98 Degrees the following year — and welcomed three children together: Phoenix, Camden and Brooklyn. After his split from Jessica, Nick pivoted to hosting, serving as the host of shows like "The Sing-Off" from 2009 until 2014, "Big Morning Buzz Live" from 2014 until 2015 and "America's Most Musical Family" in 2019. He also competed on "Dancing With the Stars" in 2017 (he was the fifth celebrity eliminated).
Thanks to big sister Jessica Simpson, her edgier little sister landed her very own reality show with MTV in 2004, "The Ashlee Simpson Show." It chronicled her life and followed her journey recording an album. Let's see what Ashlee's up to today…
Ashlee Simpson's first album, "Autobiography," ended up being the highest selling debut album by a female artist in 2004. Her infamous "Saturday Night Live" performance — where it was revealed she was lip-syncing — came later that fall. She went on to release two more albums, "I Am Me" in 2005 and "Bittersweet World" in 2008. Broadway called in 2008, with Ashlee playing Roxie Hart in "Chicago," which got her more acting gigs: She appeared on an episode of "CSI:NY" in 2009 and on the rebooted "Melrose Place" from 2009 until 2010. She married Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz in 2008 and they soon welcomed son Bronx, though they'd split by 2011. Ashlee later had another reality show, 2018's "Ashlee+Evan" — this time on E! with second husband Evan Ross, whom she married in 2014. The couple have a daughter and a son together, Jagger and Ziggy.
Ryan Sheckler's "Life of Ryan" ran from 2007 until 2009 and chronicled the professional skateboarder's life riding his board and flirting with girls. Where is Ryan today?
Ryan Sheckler reportedly cut the third and final season of his show in half after he decided it was detrimental to his career and instead came back to the entertainment world with the Red Bull online show "Sheckler Sessions" in 2012. That ran until 2013. The athlete continued to skateboard and stayed away from filming but in 2017, he opened up about his addiction issues — how he'd struggled with alcohol and finally went to rehab.
Kelly Osbourne's teen years took place in front of the MTV cameras thanks to her family's show, "The Osbournes." The popular series ran from 2002 until 2005. The reality star released an album during the show's run, "Shut Up," which included a cover of "Papa Don't Preach," and did a stint in rehab for a painkiller addiction in 2004. So what happened after the cameras stopped rolling?
Kelly Osbourne continued to appear on our television screens after "The Osbournes" ended. She co-hosted "I'm a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! NOW!" and served as a guest judge for "Project Catwalk" in 2006 and hosted it in 2007 and 2008. In 2009, she competed on "Dancing With the Stars," coming in third place alongside partner Louis van Amstel. She joined the cast of "Fashion Police" in 2011, where she remained until 2015. That same year, she landed a job as a judge on "Australia's Got Talent." More recently, Kelly — who's now sober after multiple stints in rehab — competed on "The Masked Singer" in 2019 and appeared on "Celebrity Watch Party" in 2020. She revealed in the summer of 2020 that she was happily dating someone but wanted to keep the relationship quiet.
Like sister Kelly, Jack Osbourne experienced some of his teenage years in front of the MTV cameras thanks to his family's reality show, "The Osbournes." Where is he today?
Jack Osbourne pivoted to acting from reality TV, appearing on season 6 of "Dawson's Creek" in 2002. He also landed cameos on "That '70s Show" and appeared on an episode of "Hell's Kitchen." He transitioned to hosting in 2005, working as a co-host on Britain's "Celebrity Wrestling: Bring It On!" in 2005 before moving back to reality TV with "Jack Osbourne: Adrenaline Junkie" that same year. The show ran for four years. He produced a documentary about his father, "God Bless Ozzy Osbourne," in 2011 and would later team up with his dad for another project, the History Channel's "Ozzy & Jack's World Detour," in 2016. Like many former MTV reality stars, he competed on "Dancing With the Stars," coming in third place in in 2013. In 2012 — the same year he publicly revealed he'd been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis — Jack married Lisa Stelly. He and the Fancy Sprinkles founder, who share three daughters, split in 2018. He's been dating Aree Gearhart since 2019.
Who could forget Johnny Knoxville's insane stunts on "Jacka**"? The MTV series kicked off in 2000 and launched three seasons, a spinoff and multiple movies.
It turned out that Johnny Knoxville was more than just a prankster! He started acting following the success of MTV's"Jacka**," appearing in flicks like "Men in Black II," "The Dukes of Hazzard," "The Ringer" and "Bad Grandpa." He also lent his voice to Leonardo in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" in 2014. The daredevil actor was married to Melanie Cates, with whom he shares daughter Madison, from 1995 to 2007. They share one daughter, Madison. He married Naomi Nelson in 2010. They have kids Rocko and Arlo.
Whitney Port first graced our MTV screens in 2006 when she was introduced as Lauren Conrad's co-worker at Teen Vogue. She remained on the show until she landed a spinoff chronicling what happened after she moved to New York. "The City" ran from 2008 until 2010. What's Whitney up to now?
Whitney Port launched her own fashion line, Whitney Eve, in 2009. It was a focal point of season 2 of "The City," though it wasn't a huge hit. She went on to write a book, "True Whit: Designing a Life of Style, Beauty and Fun," and took a job as a judge on "Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model" in 2012. More recently, she appeared on "The Hills: New Beginnings" in 2019. The reality star wed Tim Rosenman — whom she met when he was a producer on "The City" — in 2015. They're parents to a son, Sonny.
"Rob and Big" debuted in 2006. The reality show chronicled the quirky friendship between a former pro-skateboarder and his bodyguard.
Christopher Boykin, best known as Big, left the show to start a family but eventually came back in TV in 2011 for "Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory." He remained until 2015 then returned for a few episodes of Rob's show "Ridiculousness" and MTV's "Guy Code" before sadly passing away in 2017 from a heart attack. He left behind daughter Isis and ex-wife Shannon Turley.
Rob Dyrdek kept things in the MTV family long after "Rob & Big" wrapped in 2008. In 2009, he returned for "Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory," which was centered on the warehouse where he worked, and in 2011, he launched the series "Ridiculousness," which showed crazy videos from all over the internet. Season 19 of this wildly popular MTV show debuted in November 2020. He's been married to model Bryiana Flores, with whom he shares two kids, since 2015.
One of the breakout stars of "Jersey Shore" was Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, the petite party girl who proudly called herself a Guidette. The original series ran from 2009 until 2012 and set her up for some spinoffs and a life in the spotlight…
Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi jumped from "Jersey Shore" to the spinoff "Snooki & Jwoww" with bestie Jenni "JWoww" Farley, which debuted in 2012. She later moved on from MTV to do a show for f.y.i. called "Nicole & Jionni's Shore Flip" then did a web series for AwesomenessTV called "Snooki & JWoww: Moms With Attitude." She competed on "Dancing With the Stars" in 2013 and appeared on "The New Celebrity Apprentice" in 2017 before heading back to MTV for "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation" in 2018. She's been married to Jionni LaValle since 2014. They have three kids: Lorenzo, Giovanna and Angelo.
