Kim Kardashian and the rest of her famous family opened up their home and their lives to viewers in 2006 with Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and they’ve continued to stay in the spotlight ever since. With the spotlight, however, comes scrutiny, criticism and judgment. Despite some in the family running billion-dollar companies, the family has often been criticized for being famous for doing nothing, so to speak, and Kim definitely has an opinion about that.
She may have gained billionaire status with her companies KKW Beauty and Skims, but Kim Kardashian has always been the queen of self-promotion. Riding the success of Keeping Up With the Kardashians (and a leaked sex tape with then-boyfriend Ray J), Kardashian has published Selfish, a book of selfies, developed a Sims-like cellphone game, founded a perfume line, a fashion subscription service and more. Her sisters have all engaged in similar ventures as well, so it’s no surprise she had strong words when asked about those who say her family is just famous for being famous. She told Variety:
Who gives a fuck. We focus on the positive. We work our asses off. If that’s what you think, then sorry. We just don’t have the energy for that. We don’t have to sing or dance or act; we get to live our lives — and hey, we made it. I don’t know what to tell you.
She knows that she and the rest of her family work hard at running their own companies. Just because they went the CEO (and reality TV) route rather than branching off in more artistic entertainment endeavors, that shouldn’t be something that’s held against them. But for those that do, know that it's just going to bounce off of Kim Kardashian's back without doing damage.
Even while the family invited cameras into their house and opened themselves up to scrutiny, it’s obvious that the things they’ve gone through over the years weren't easy to handle in the public eye with grace. Kim Kardashian had a couple of marriages and divorces; Khloé Kardashian dealt with body shaming on top of Lamar Odom’s cheating and substance abuse; Kourtney Kardashian had constant drama with ex-boyfriend Scott Disick. And so on.
They went through (and continue to go through) all those personal situations publicly, and have been able to spin that publicity into Khloé Kardashian’s Good American brand, Kourtney Kardashian’s Poosh, Kylie Jenner’s lipstick line Kylie Cosmetics and Kendall Jenner’s modeling career, on top of Kim Kardashian’s brands. That’s just to name a few. It’s crazy that people think this famous family doesn't know how to hustle. Just because she's sharing bikini shots on Instagram doesn't mean that's all she gets into on a daily basis. No wonder Kim says they don’t have the energy to hear that.
There’s no end in sight to the hustle, either, as their new reality series The Kardashians is set to premiere on Hulu. The family ended their long-running E! series in 2021, so fans are ready to catch up on what’s been going on, including Kourtney Kardashian’s romance with Travis Barker, Khloé Kardashian’s struggles with baby daddy Tristan Thompson and Kim Kardashian’s law school journey. Unfortunately we may not see as much of Pete Davidson as viewers were hoping, but Kim said we will learn some details about their relationship, with Ye popping up in at least the first episode.
The Kardashians premieres April 14 on Hulu. In the meantime, check out some of the best shows to watch on Hulu, as well as our 2022 TV Schedule to see when other shows are premiering.
