Brandon Lee is a full decade younger than most of his co-stars on The Hills: New Beginnings. Back in the day when the original cast members were partying at Ketchup and Le Deux, Lee was… well, probably partying too—just not with them. Now, the sober son of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee admits he hasn’t a clue as to who the MTV reality show’s original star is.
In a new interview with Teen Vogue , Brandon Lee revealed that he never saw one episode of the original Hills — which starred Lauren Conrad and was one of the biggest reality shows of the first decade of the 2000s — before signing on to the reboot. The breakout star of the revival series, who was only 10-years-old when The Hills debuted in 2006, admitted he has no idea what went on in the original reality series with then-it girl LC.
“Everyone mentions her name a lot, but I have no idea who that is. I have really no idea about any of the stuff from the original.”
Lauren Conrad, who now works as a fashion designer, author, and podcast host, turned down an offer to appear on The Hills revival, so there’s no chance Brandon Lee will cross paths with her this season on New Beginnings . In fact, none of the stars of the MTV revival will.
In an interview last month with Entertainment Tonight , The Hills Audrina Patridge said Lauren Conrad hasn’t talked to her since she left the original series. Brody Jenner also added that he and Conrad haven’t spoken in “quite some time.” And during a press stop with Good Morning America , The Hills veteran Heidi Montag went so far as to admit she was “excited” when she heard that Lauren wasn’t going to be part of The Hills: New Beginnings . Montag said the LC-free show is “more freeing and fair” for her.
Indeed, Audrina Patridge agreed that Lauren Conrad called the shots on the original incarnation of The Hills.
“Without Lauren, like, she was always the one — she’s the leader, the one that would tell you what to do, what not to do. So now it’s kinda like we all get… you kinda get to make your own choices and be your own self.”
While Lauren Conrad is busy with her Kohl’s fashion line, her new podcast Asking For A Friend, and her second pregnancy, The Hills has moved on with new cast members that include Brandon Lee and Mischa Barton. And even though Lee has no idea who the OG Hills star is, he has become close buds with Lauren Conrad’s former co-stars on the MTV reality show.
Lee told Teen Vogue he has had deep conversations with Conrad’s ex, Jason Wahler, about sobriety and addiction. In addition, he has been friends with original Hills cast member Brody Jenner for a while now.
“Brody was definitely a big impact in my joining the cast,” Lee told Teen Vogue . “I feel like we became closer on the show.”
Brandon Lee even has “a drawer full of Spencer Pratt crystals” in his house. Pratt was Lauren Conrad’s nemesis on the original Hills, so, yeah, this is definitely not her show anymore.
You can see Lauren Conrad in a classic scene from the original Hills below.
The Hills: New Beginnings airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on MTV.