What Happened To Jessica From Laguna Beach?
Teenagers in the 2000s were totally captivated by MTV's popular reality series "Laguna Beach." The show followed several high school students living in the lavish and gorgeous town of Laguna Beach, California (via Distractify). The Orange County teens shared many aspects of their lives, including romantic drama, friendships, feuds, disagreements with parents, dating woes, school issues, and much more.
The show featured breakout stars like Stephen Colletti, who went on to star on "One Tree Hill," and Lauren Conrad, who later moved to the show's spin-off "The Hills" and eventually created her own clothing line. Kristin Cavallari also starred on "The Hills" before moving to her own reality TV series "Very Cavallari," which featured her working on her accessory business, per TV Insider.
"Laguna Beach" primarily focused on the drama surrounding the teenagers' daily lives. However, it also showcased other elements, such as their privileged lifestyles and the stunning town they called home. The show ran from 2004 until 2006 on MTV and was canceled after just three seasons. While Colletti, Conrad, and Cavallari were the main stars of the show, others like Trey Philips, Talan Torriero, Jason Wahler, and Lo Bosworth also remain popular members of the cast, per Us Weekly. Meanwhile, one former cast member, Jessica Smith, has seemingly settled into a quieter life since leaving "Laguna Beach" behind.
Remembering Jessica's Laguna Beach days
"Laguna Beach" fans will likely remember Jessica Smith as one of Kristian Cavallari's best friends. Smith was often seen hanging with Cavallari in her scenes, but she also had romances with two fan-favorite cast members: Dieter Schmitz and later Jason Wahler, per Cinemaholic. It was her relationship with Wahler that helped add to the dramatic aspect of the show's second season. Smith and Wahler were often seen arguing about their relationship issues, and he was accused of cheating as well. Their on-again, off-again romance continued throughout their entire senior year, despite the fact that Wahler also dated Lauren Conrad and Alex Murrel that year.
Although Smith tried to move on and date other boys, she was continuously drawn back to Wahler. Fans watched all of their messy relationship issues play out during the season before the couple finally called it quits for good and went their separate ways. Wahler moved to Los Angeles, where he eventually reconnected with Conrad. The two began dating again and their relationship played out on "The Hills." He later returned for the franchise's reboot "The Hills: New Beginnings" in 2019 with his wife, Ashley Slack (via Us Weekly).
Meanwhile, Smith's life turned out much different than that of Wahler, Conrad, Colletti, and Cavallari. These days she appears to be keeping a low profile and staying out of the televised drama.
Jessica currently lives in Texas with her four children
Jessica Smith has mostly stayed out of the headlines since her time on "Laguna Beach." After leaving the reality TV series, Smith did find her name in the news when she was arrested for a DUI in 2007 (via Cinemaholic). Today, though, her life is much different. The former TV star is married to husband Michael Evans and the pair made the journey from California to Texas. The couple share four children together, Colton, Michael, Emma, and Brooke. They reportedly met in the restaurant where Smith worked while in college and began dating soon after.
During a previous Instagram live interview, Smith admitted that she's a bit embarrassed by her behavior during her younger years on "Laguna Beach." However, she doesn't think much about those days as they happened such a long time ago. Currently, Smith and Evans raise their family together — she owns her own Amazon shop and runs "a lifestyle website," per Us Weekly. According to The Family Nation, the 35-year-old often shares moments from her life with fans via her Instagram account, which boasts over 41,000 followers.
Smith is no longer the privileged teenager from Laguna Beach with a dramatic relationship and cheating boyfriend. She appears to have come a long way from her reality TV days and has chosen a life out of the limelight for herself and her family.