20 Years Later, The ‘Laguna Beach’ Cast Is Set To Reunite In Roku’s Anniversary Special
By Erin Whitten
Kristin Cavallari, Lauren Conrad, and Stephen Colletti are heading to the beach…again. Roku has just announced that Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County‘s original cast is reuniting for a two-hour anniversary special in 2026, to celebrate 20 years since the series first debuted. It really has been 20 years since we watched as love triangles unfolded in real time and secretly envied our high school lives for being half as dramatic.
When Laguna Beach first aired in 2004, it was something new. There were no Instagram filters, no TikTok influencer scandals, just sun-soaked teens driving around Pacific Coast Highway, hooking up, breaking up, and letting MTV cameras in on their private lives. The new format of a reality show that looked so unfiltered felt so real, it was revolutionary. Whether you rooted for LC or Kristin, you were obsessed and now, for the first time since 2006, the cast is reuniting to give fans a full-on throwback.
The rest of the cast who will rejoin them in producing duties including Lo Bosworth, Talan Torriero, Trey Phillips, Christina Schuller, Dieter Schmitz, Jessica Smith, and Alex Hooser. Yes, we’re promised never-before-seen behind-the-scenes stories, full reactions to old episodes, and a visit to Laguna itself. Roku teased the official announcement with a throwback photo from prom night that’s just way too perfect and if that’s not a sign that some things really do come full circle, we don’t know what is.
Of course, everyone’s excited, including the people behind the scenes. “Laguna Beach was not only a television series that our viewers loved, it was a show that really defined a generation of pop culture,” Brian Tannenbaum, Head of Roku Originals said in a press release. “To have this cast all together again 20 years later is like a dream come true.” Series creator Liz Gateley shared the excitement, revealing that she never thought Laguna Beach would have such an impact: “Never in a million years did I think we would find such a perfect group of real friends. To be back with them 20 years later is a dream.” In an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Cavallari said that it felt a lot like the group’s high school years to get the cast together. “I don’t know if fun is the right word,” she said, hinting at drama to come. “When you get your whole high school crew together everyone gets nervous, everyone starts drinking. I felt like I was in high school. We get everybody on stage and the wheels just started falling off.”
No, that’s exactly what fans want, Cavallari. A little bit of drama, lots of nostalgia, and the opportunity to relive the most iconic show of the 2000s. The Laguna Beach anniversary special should be a full-on return to the friendships, the drama, and yes, likely the tears that made the series a cultural phenomenon. Grab your schedules and circle 2026. Next year, we’re all going back to the O.C. and this time, we’re not asking permission.
