NYT: The Kardashian-Jenners empire is a trashy & immensely profitable spectacle
To promote the new season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians – which premiered on Sunday – all of the Kardashian-Jenner women chatted with the New York Times for a long-read profile of their business empire. It’s called “Keeping Up with the Kardashian Cash Flow.” It’s not really news for anyone with a passing interest in gossip culture, honestly. We all know that the K-Js are rich as hell and they would do anything for a bump in cash flow and attention. But it’s still a somewhat interesting read because of this symbiotic relationship: “Family turmoil feeds the celebrity news cycle, which drives interest in the TV show, which then helps to publicize an ever-increasing number of sponsorships and branded products.” You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:
Whether Kylie discounted the Jordyn Woods Lip Kit on purpose: Kylie told me she didn’t know that the Jordy had been discounted and that she called an employee as soon as she heard. She said it had been put on sale a couple weeks earlier as the company switched from white to black packaging. “That is just not my character. I would never do something like that and when I saw it, I was like, thrown back,” Kylie said. “Jordyn knows I didn’t actually put it on sale.”
What the K-Js make from their social media presence: In the first five minutes of Kim introducing her KKW Beauty line in 2017, she sold an estimated $14.4 million worth of product (or about 300,000 items). Last year, Kendall, who has become the world’s highest-paid model, made $26.5 million for just 53 sponsored Instagram posts, according to Captiv8, a marketing firm that connects brands to influencers.
On Kylie’s “self-made billionaire” status: Kylie was 15 when Kris took her to trademark her idea to sell matching lip gloss and liner together. In March, Forbes named Kylie the youngest “self-made billionaire ever,” causing heated debate about the definition of self-made. “I can’t say I’ve done it by myself,” Kylie told me, driving to an airport in Los Angeles. “If they’re just talking finances, technically, yes, I don’t have any inherited money. But I have had a lot of help and a huge platform.”
Kim on waiting for her fourth baby: In May, they will have a fourth baby, a son via a surrogate — but if you have a pulse and an Instagram account, you already knew that. “I’m frantically trying to get the room ready,” Kim told me. “It’s madness, but the best madness.”
Kris on the criticisms her daughters do sponsorships with shady weight-loss companies: Kris is sanguine about such criticism. “I don’t live in that negative energy space,” she said “Ninety percent of people will be really excited about the family and the journey and who we are.” Khloé, fresh from a workout, said that she’s never had a chef and that she posts all of her personal training sessions on Snapchat, well aware that not everyone can afford such a luxury. “Well, listen, I am showing you what to do, silly person, 15 repetitions, three times, here’s the move …” she explained. Kim defended her family’s product endorsements. Teeth whitening? “I don’t have veneers. People really think that!” Waist trainers? “I got them for my friends after they had babies!” Kendall’s Proactiv deal, widely mocked after Kris teased it on Twitter as a “brave and vulnerable” move? “She never thought she’d ever be able to be a model because of her acne,” Kim said.
Kim turned down a million-dollar offer: Kim also said she turns down more offers than she accepts. When a fast fashion line offered her $1 million for a single Instagram post, Kanye urged her not to do it, saying, “These companies knock off my stuff.” So Kim turned it down. As a thank you, on Mother’s Day, Kanye gave her $1 million himself. “He wrote me a check for that amount and said ‘Thank you so much for always being supportive and not posting,’” she said.
Kanye has a big hand in KUWTK: If Kris is the founder and chief executive of Kardashian Inc., Kanye has become the creative director. He frequently texts with the producers, offering input on the opening images which initially had a 1970s sitcom feel and now feature the women in nude tones and sleek, silvery poses. And he shared his thoughts on the backdrop of the confessionals, which now bathe the women in amber light. “He’s a real creative force, clearly, and had thoughts on marketing, thoughts on presentation of the show, on the opening title sequence,” said Adam Stotsky, the president of E!
The most interesting thing, to me, was the part at the end of the article about how Kanye has so much to say about all of the sisters’ brands and how he’s suggesting changes for KUWTK. It must kill Kris Jenner a little bit to cede even a tiny bit of authority to Kanye, although Kris and Kanye get along so well, so maybe she’s happy to have his input. And she probably loves that Kanye is getting more involved in the show too. As for the rest of it… yeah, we already knew. The Kardashian-Jenners would do anything for money and fame.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
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