Back in 2004, MTV introduced TV viewers to the teenage love triangle of Lauren Conrad, Stephen Colletti and Kristin Cavallari on the reality show Laguna Beach (available to stream on one of the best streaming services, Paramount+). Cavallari was portrayed as the villain of the series — the obstacle standing in the way of the trope that was LC and Colletti’s friends-to-lovers story. Fast-forward 20 years, and the now-mom of three is still facing backlash for her dating life. She recently got candid about her age-gap relationship and the people who are “bitching” about it.
Kristin Cavallari, 37, and TikToker Mark Estes, 24, went public with their relationship in February and immediately were hit with criticism over their 13-year age difference. However, Cavallari told Bustle that it’s nothing she hasn’t heard before. What has changed over the past couple of decades, though, is her attitude toward it. She said:
I’ve had 20 years of people bitching about something I’m doing. I feel like my whole career has led me to this moment. This is the first time in my life I truly have not given a shit what anybody thinks. I think if people are upset about it, that has nothing to do with me. You don’t know me. My life doesn’t affect you in the slightest. If that’s triggering for someone, they need to take a look in the mirror and figure out why.
It’s wild to think that Kristin Cavallari was just 17 years old when she filmed Laguna Beach — for which she got paid a bafflingly low $2,000 — so it must be incredibly freeing after 20 years to finally stop caring about other people’s opinions on her love life. Because it hasn’t just been those two. Following Laguna Beach, Cavallari leaned into the bad girl role on its spinoff The Hills, where she dated Kardashian stepbrother Brody Jenner. She later married NFL quarterback Jay Cutler, with that relationship being featured on her E! reality show Very Cavallari.
Maybe because she’s no longer in front of the camera, the Uncommon James boss isn’t worried about fans’ opinion of her personal life or the optics of it. The people who know her in real life, she said, are supportive of her and Mark Estes’ relationship. Cavallari continued:
I understand what it looks like from the outside world of, like, yeah, I’m dating a 24-year-old, but no one in my life has been like, ‘This is weird.’ Everyone’s like, ‘I get it. It makes sense.’
She’s been open in the past about how devastating it was to be painted as a villain at such a young age, but Kristin Cavallari is grateful for where her journey has taken her. She pointed out that as a completely independent 37-year-old woman, she should be able to date whoever makes her happy, saying:
I own my own house. I have kids. I don’t need a man for anything other than just pure happiness. Emotionally, he’s able to step up to the plate, and he’s shown up for me more than anyone else I’ve ever dated.
Despite her critics, Kristin Cavallari seems to be very happy with her TikToker, and that’s especially nice to hear after her past relationship left her so “unhappy and stressed out” that it affected her health.
If you want to relive Kristin Cavallari’s villain era, both Laguna Beach and The Hills are available to stream with a Paramount+ subscription, and be sure to see what’s coming soon with our 2024 TV schedule.
