William John Tell was born on February 7, 1980, in Mission Viejo, California. He is an American musician and entertainment attorney.
He is best known as the former rhythm guitarist of Something Corporate.
Who is William Tell?
William Tell first found fame as the rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist of the piano-rock band Something Corporate.
He later launched a solo career and released the album You Can Hold Me Down in 2007. Then he shifted paths entirely and became a practicing entertainment attorney.
Today, people know him equally as a musician and as the husband of former reality star Lauren Conrad. He also returned to the stage when Something Corporate reunited for shows starting in 2024.
That reunion carried into 2025, giving longtime fans a fresh look at the band.
Early Life of William Tell
William Tell grew up in Mission Viejo, California, in Orange County. His father, also named William Tell, taught him to play guitar at a young age. That early lesson shaped the rest of his path in music.
He began writing his own songs not long after picking up the instrument. Tell attended Laguna Beach High School, where he first crossed paths with future wife Lauren Conrad. Their friendship at that time stayed platonic and would not turn romantic for more than a decade.
Tell met several future Something Corporate members through mutual friends in Orange County’s local music scene. One night, while playing at the same nightclub, he was asked to fill in temporarily. Their rhythm guitarist had left to study abroad.
William Tell Age
William Tell is 46 years old as of 2026, born on February 7, 1980. His zodiac sign is Aquarius. He first joined Something Corporate as a guitarist at just 21 years old.
William Tell Ethnicity and Nationality
William Tell is American, born and raised in Mission Viejo, California. His father was a minister with roots in gospel music, and that background shaped William’s early exposure to music.
Growing up in a musical household in Orange County gave him a foundation before he ever joined a professional band.
William Tell Height and Weight
William Tell stands at 5 feet 10 inches, which equals 1.78 meters. His weight is reported at around 75 kilograms, or roughly 165 pounds.
He has brown hair and brown eyes, and he largely avoids media appearances and photographs.
William Tell Musical Style and Influences
Tell’s guitar work leaned into the piano-driven pop-punk and alternative rock sound that defined Something Corporate’s early 2000s records.
He balanced rhythm guitar against Andrew McMahon’s piano lines, a combination that gave the band its signature texture. That blend helped set Something Corporate apart from other acts in the pop-punk scene at the time.
His solo material moved toward a more introspective, singer-songwriter direction. You Can Hold Me Down reflected a quieter, more personal sound than his work in the band. Tell co-wrote several of the album’s tracks with collaborator Mike Green.
William Tell Education
Tell largely kept his early academic history private, focusing publicly on his music career instead. In 2011, he enrolled at the USC Gould School of Law in Los Angeles. He graduated with his J.D. in 2014, the same year he married Lauren Conrad.
While in law school, Tell interned at Warner Bros. Records. He also interned at the entertainment law firm Ziffren Brittenham. Both internships gave him direct experience in the music and entertainment industries he had performed in for years.
William Tell Career
William Tell’s career spans two very different chapters: touring rock musician and, later, entertainment attorney. Both paths trace back to the same Orange County music scene that shaped his teenage years.
Early Career with Something Corporate
Tell joined Something Corporate as a temporary fill-in guitarist after their previous rhythm guitarist left to study abroad. He officially became a permanent member of the band on March 27, 2001. Something Corporate signed with MCA Records and Drive-Thru Records shortly after.
The band released its EP Audioboxer in 2001, which included the single “If U C Jordan.” In May 2002, Something Corporate released its debut full-length album, Leaving Through the Window. The record reached number one on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and peaked at number 101 on the Billboard 200.
Something Corporate followed that success with North in October 2003. The album debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200, a significant jump from their debut. The band promoted it with an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Tell spent three years touring alongside acts like New Found Glory.
Solo Career and Breakthrough
William Tell left Something Corporate in February 2004 to pursue songwriting on his own terms. He described the decision as difficult after years of nonstop touring with the band. Returning to California, he began writing what would become his solo debut.
His song “Just for You” appeared on The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants soundtrack in 2005. In 2006, Tell signed to New Door Records, a Universal Music Group subsidiary, as a solo artist. Former bandmate Andrew McMahon joined him for the track “Fairfax,” and Something Corporate drummer Brian Ireland helped during recording sessions.
Tell released his ten-track solo debut, You Can Hold Me Down, on March 13, 2007. He performed at the Bamboozle Left festival in Pomona, California, that same year. The album marked the most introspective work of his career to that point.
Law Career and Reunion
After a period of lower musical output, Tell pivoted toward law. He passed the California Bar Exam following his 2014 graduation from USC Gould School of Law.
He then joined Ziffren Brittenham LLP, a prominent Los Angeles entertainment law firm, where he works on transactions within the entertainment industry.
Tell has continued to balance his legal career with occasional returns to music. Something Corporate reunited for live performances starting in 2024. That reunion continued into 2025, bringing the piano-rock band back in front of audiences after two decades apart.
William Tell Discography
Tell’s recorded output spans his time with Something Corporate and his solo career.
- Leaving Through the Window (2002) – with Something Corporate
- North (2003) – with Something Corporate
- You Can Hold Me Down (2007) – solo debut album
- Lovers & Haters (2009) – solo release
William Tell Wife
William Tell married Lauren Conrad, the former star of Laguna Beach and The Hills, on September 13, 2014. The wedding took place in a rustic-chic ceremony on the California coastline in Laguna Beach. Laguna Beach alum Lo Bosworth was among the guests in attendance.
Tell and Conrad first met as students at Laguna Beach High School. However, they did not begin dating until a mutual friend set them up on a blind date on Valentine’s Day in 2012. The couple got engaged in October 2013 after Conrad shared the news on her blog.
Conrad has spoken warmly about their partnership in interviews. She told PEOPLE in March 2026 that she knew right away Tell would make a good father.
The couple keeps their relationship largely out of the public eye, choosing not to share most details with the press.
William Tell Children
William Tell and Lauren Conrad have two sons together. Their first son, Liam James Tell, was born on July 5, 2017. Their second son, Charlie Wolf Tell, arrived on October 8, 2019.
Conrad has said the couple splits parenting duties evenly despite their demanding careers. She has also described Tell as an engaged father who coaches the boys’ sports teams. The family has made a deliberate choice to keep their children largely out of the public spotlight.
William Tell Net Worth
William Tell’s estimated net worth is $5 million as of 2026. His wealth stems mainly from two sources: his music career with Something Corporate and as a solo artist, and his current work as an entertainment attorney at Ziffren Brittenham LLP.
Album sales, touring income, and merchandise from Something Corporate’s peak years in the early 2000s contributed heavily to his early earnings.
His legal career at Ziffren Brittenham adds a steady, separate income stream tied to entertainment industry transactions. Tell also earns from Something Corporate’s 2024 and 2025 reunion performances.
His wife, Lauren Conrad, has built her own separate fortune through her fashion lines and entrepreneurial ventures.
William Tell Social Media
William Tell keeps a low profile online and does not maintain an active public presence on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
He has stayed away from social media throughout his post-band career. That choice has helped him avoid the kind of public scrutiny his wife has occasionally faced.
Fans mostly see him through appearances on Lauren Conrad’s Instagram account instead. She has shared occasional family photos, though she has noted that Tell dislikes being photographed.
The Bottom Line
William Tell helped define Something Corporate’s sound as their rhythm guitarist on Leaving Through the Window in 2002 and North in 2003. He later released his solo debut, You Can Hold Me Down, in 2007.
Tell grew up in Mission Viejo learning guitar from his father before eventually earning a J.D. from USC Gould School of Law in 2014. He now works as an entertainment attorney at Ziffren Brittenham LLP while raising two sons with wife Lauren Conrad.
Something Corporate’s 2024 and 2025 reunion shows brought Tell back to the stage after two decades away. He continues to split his time between law and music.
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