Jason Wahler is hoping to show MTV viewers “what sobriety looks like” on the upcoming reboot of The Hills .
Ahead of the June 24 premiere of The Hills: New Beginnings , Wahler, who will be joined by wife Ashley Slack, on the show, spoke to Us Weekly magazine about his intensions behind signing on to appear on the reality series.
“I want to show [what] recovery looks like,” he shared. “There’s just so much stigma associated with that in our world today and in our culture.”
When Wahler was first seen on The Hills , he was involved in a relationship with Lauren Conrad and at times, his addiction struggles were discussed. As the magazine shared, Wahler has battled substance abuse for several years and has been to rehab multiple times. Luckily, with the love and support of wife Slack, he is now sober and thriving.
Wahler and Slack tied the knot in October 2013 and welcomed their first child, daughter Delilah Ray Wahler, in August 2017.
As fans of the long-running MTV series well know, a number of the show’s alums have gotten married and welcomed children after leaving the show, including Whitney Port and Audrina Patridge. However, after welcoming her first child with Corey Bohan, who appeared alongside her during several issues of The Hills , Patridge got divorced.
Brody Jenner has also gotten married and after tying the knot on the show years ago, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt welcomed their first child, son Gunner.
Also during his interview with Us Weekl y magazine, Wahler admitted that because he was in the midst of his addiction during his first stint on the show, he didn’t make much of an effort to get to know his co-stars.
“My perception was so skewed back in the day. I wasn’t in a place to really get to know anybody. I mean, I didn’t know myself, you know, so I was not in a position to be able to connect with anybody else,” he explained.
According to Wahler, he never actually knew Spencer Pratt and was only somewhat familiar with Pratt’s wife, Heidi Montag, who feuded for years with Conrad.
“With Spencer, I just never got to know him,” Wahler explained.
Now, years later, Wahler is a fan of Pratt and told the magazine he is a “good guy.”
To see more of Wahler, Slack, and their co-stars, don’t miss tonight’s premiere of The Hills: New Beginnings at 10 p.m. on MTV.