Why Kristin Cavallari Finally Cut Ties with 'Narcissist' Dad After He 'Crossed the Line'

The reality alum made the revelation on the latest episide of her Let's Be Honest podcast, alongside guest Dr. Sherrie Campbell. She explained that the decision came after her father Dennis crossed a personal line involving her kids and that was it.

"I cut my dad out of my life about two years ago, which has honestly been the best thing I've ever done," explained Cavallari. "I actually didn't even realize that my dad was a narcissist until I was an adult."

She went on to add some context to that claim, saying that when she was growing up, he always made her feel as if she "wasn't good enough." That feeling left her not even wanting to be around him.

"But then the flip side of that is, sometimes he would put me on this pedestal and talk me up," she added. "Now as an adult looking back, I'm like, 'Oh, it was when it benefitted you and made you look good.'"

Cavallari seemed to suggest that she'd come to terms with the way her father was in his relationship with her, but when it came to her kids ... well, that's a different story!

According to Cavallari, the beginning of the end of her relationship with her father was when he "crossed the line" with her children. She shares sons Camden, 11, and Jaxon, 9, as well as daughter Saylor, 8, with ex-husband Jay Cutler.

The Uncommon James founder said that after that unspecified incident, she made a decision. "I was like, 'You know what? I'm f--king done,'" said Cavallari. "And he blamed me for it, like threw everything back in my face."

While she had always felt like she could take it -- "You know, I can take the abuse. I have my whole life" -- this was a whole different story. "It's like when you now start messing with my kids," she said, "I'm not doing it."

Prior to that, based on the "about two years ago" timeline she expressed in the podcast, she reconnected with her dad on a 2020 episode of her reality show Very Cavallari. That moment was about her kids, too.

In that case, Cavallari explained that she was hoping to reconnect with her own roots, as well as those of her kids, and reached out to her father to learn more about her Italian Cavallari side.

"I'm interested in researching the Cavallari name and developing relationships with my extended family," she explained on the episode. "Also, I just want my kids to have a really good understanding of where they come from."

As for the future of reality television, while Cavallari has been sharing her life on the air since she was a teen, she's hoping her kids will hold off a little longer than she did.

Appearing on an episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show in April, she told Hudson she would totally support that path if that's what her kids want ... when they turn 18. "Until they're 18, I want them just to be kids," she said.

She said that none of her kids have expressed interesting in the traditional reality television format, but being the younger generation, her sons are already "obsessed with YouTube stars" and have said they want to start their own channel. She's not ready for that, either.

"I don't even put them on Instagram," she said. "I just try to keep them kids as long as possible."

These days, Cavallari seems to be focusing more of her attention away from reality TV. Her third bestselling cookbook, Truly Simple, was released in April 2023. She also works in beauty, jewelry and home decor with her Uncommon James line since 2017.