Inside Kristin Cavallari's Rocky Relationship With Her Dad

Kristin Cavallari didn't always have a rocky relationship with her father, Dennis Cavallari. We didn't see any signs of discord during her time on the hit reality show "Laguna Beach," with the exception of the odd fight. But in a 2023 episode of her "Let's Be Honest"  podcast, Kristin admitted that she only realized she was raised by a narcissist in adulthood. Kristin spent most of her teenage years under her father's roof, and it wasn't her first choice. 

For a few years, she peacefully lived with her mother, Judith Eifrig, but everything changed as Kristin grew older, and her rebellious spirit grew stronger. In her show, "Very Cavallari," Kristin recalled some of the wild things she got up to at the time. "I started getting into quite a bit of trouble when I was in eighth grade. I would sneak out a lot," she said. "I started drinking, smoking pot, having sex. I got arrested a couple of times," (via People). 

Eventually, Eifrig couldn't handle it and asked Kristin to move in with her dad. Kristin had a stunning transformation and ultimately got cast on "Laguna Beach." During a 2019 episode of "Very Cavallari," she and Dennis reminisced about her time on the groundbreaking show. Kristin confessed that she had no idea she would receive tons of hate from it, and Dennis empathized with her struggles but he was a little surprised that she hadn't previously opened up. Of course, now we know why the reality star wanted to keep her guard up around him. 

Kristin Cavallari's December 2023 episode of her "Let's Be Honest" podcast found the Uncommon James founder revealing her feelings towards her estranged father, Dennis Cavallari, throughout her teenage years. "All I knew growing up was that I didn't want to be around him. He always made me feel like I wasn't good enough," she divulged. "But then the flipside of that is sometimes he would put me on this pedestal and talk me up." 

Although their relationship had been strained for a while, the final straw came when Dennis "crossed the line" with her kids. To make matters worse, Kristin claimed that her dad took no responsibility for the incident and shifted the blame back onto her. The reality star had suffered the ill effects of his narcissistic tendencies all her life and felt that if she didn't step in, her children would too. So, she cut off all contact with him. 

Although Kristin made that decision for her children's well-being in a heartbeat, guilt kept her from making the right call for herself earlier. In addition to her narcissistic father, the "Laguna Beach" star also dealt with a narcissistic partner. Once she understood that narcissists are unable to feel emotions for anybody except themselves, she stopped communicating to get her point across. All in all, Kristin has no regrets about their estrangement. 

When Kristin Cavallari chatted with her father, Dennis Cavallari, in 2019, the two bonded over the loss of her brother, Michael Cavallari, who died from hypothermia resulting from a car crash in 2015. Dennis was slowly coming to terms with the tragic loss and the father-daughter duo planned to honor Michael's memory by dispersing his ashes at some point. Kristin expressed that she wished Dennis would be more open about his declining mental health following Michael's demise because she felt like he was putting on a tough exterior to hide his pain. 

Then, in a 2020 "Very Cavallari" episode, the reality star acknowledged that she and her father weren't as close as they used to be, noting, "My dad and my brother were close, and, because of that, I think our relationship is very surface. It puts a little bit of a void between us," (via Page Six). Sadly, it seems like the distance only grew more, and other factors like Dennis' alleged infidelity might've further strained it.

In 2012, Tracy Sill told Star magazine that Dennis had been cheating on Nicole King, his wife of nine years at the time, with her. She claimed that Dennis hadn't told her he was a married man at the start of their relationship, and she had called it quits after learning this fact. Still said, "When Kristin discovers the truth, she will see her father for what he really is: A philandering, sex-crazed cheat," (via RadarOnline).