The members of the Kardashian-Jenner family continue to be ever-present in pop culture, nearly two decades after they burst onto the reality TV scene. Kim Kardashian and all of her siblings have parlayed their fame into bigger ventures, be that fashion, lifestyle, clothing or acting. As they continue to create new brands for themselves — and as even the best streaming services are struggling to keep their profits flowing — is The Kardashians in danger of being “kanceled”?
Momager Kris Jenner worked tirelessly to ensure Keeping Up with the Kardashians was a hit, and after 20 seasons, with cord-cutting becoming more popular, she chose to make the jump to streaming in 2022, requiring fans to purchase a Hulu subscription to continue watching her family’s antics on The Kardashians. According to a source for Radar, she’s not ready to give that up, but it may not be her call. The insider alleges:
Kris wants the show to go on forever, but the economic realities of the streaming world are creeping up on her. Everything from marketing budgets to episode counts are getting tighter so streaming services can continue making a profit.
While the reality TV world has been good to Kris Jenner’s family (and that may be the understatement of the year), I can see why she might be “petrified,” as the insider allegedly suggests, to lose the medium that launched her daughters into the careers they hold today.
However, with seasons already being reduced to 10 episodes for Hulu — a huge decrease from the family’s seemingly constant presence on E! — and airing months after they’re filmed, one has to wonder how much stock Jenner continues to hold in that piece of their identity. However much that is, the source reports that some of her children would be OK moving on. The insider continued:
When it does happen, it will enable them to concentrate on other things. There's definitely a feeling they've squeezed the lemon long enough.
This isn’t the first report to suggest that Kris Jenner is concerned that the writing is on the wall for their reality TV careers. With Kim Kardashian making her big move into acting over the past year, it definitely seems like The Kardashians is on a lower rung of her priority ladder. Since making her acting debut on American Horror Story: Delicate, Kardashian has signed on to executive produce and star in two films, and she’ll lead the upcoming Ryan Murphy courtroom drama All’s Fair, which will also air on Hulu.
All of that — on top of being a mom of four children, of course — is a huge time commitment, and some reports suggest Kris Jenner is worried that The Kardashians wouldn’t survive without Kim Kardashian as its anchor.
There are a number of streaming shows on the list of 2024 TV cancellations, and rising subscription prices and ad tiers are signs of struggles for those platforms. However, it’s simply hard to imagine a world without The Kardashians on reality TV.
If that day is coming, it doesn’t look like it’s coming soon anyway, with THR reporting in July that Hulu ordered 20 more episodes of Kim Kardashian and her fam, presumably making up a sixth and seventh season that have yet to hit the TV schedule.
