Keeping Up With The Kardashians is arguably one of TV’s most iconic shows. Many people give all the credit to sister Kim Kardashian West for the entire family’s fame and stardom. After all, Kim’s leaked sex tape with Ray J played a big role in the early days of the show. But the real reason this family turned into reality TV royalty may shock the average Kardashian-loving fan.

The patriarch of the Kardashian family, Robert Kardashian, might be the number one person to blame for their success. Robert Kardashian and his then-wife Kris had a close bond with former football star O.J. Simpson, and the Kardashian kids even referred to O.J. as their uncle. As a lawyer, Robert Sr. also defended O.J. Simpson in his murder trial, and little did they know that this trial would be one of the most-watched live events in television history.

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Cue Kris Jenner! Kris may not have been thinking about starting a show like Keeping Up With The Kardashians at the time when O.J. was being tried. However, a few years later, reality TV began to explode and she started to think twice. Just before KUWTK premiered on E!, Kris’ kids were working as models, and the three older sisters also ran the DASH brand. So Kris had the brilliant idea to bring cameras into her home and show just what her family is up to in their day-to-day Hollywood life. Ryan Seacrest, whom she pitched KUWTK to, loved the idea… and the rest is history.

 

Before Keeping Up With The Kardashians premiered on TV, there wasn’t that much to note about this family. Kim was modeling and working under Paris Hilton. Kourtney was studying at the University of Arizona. Otherwise, the Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe trio had just launched the DASH stores in 2006. All things considered, the family was just going about their regular lives. When KUWTK premiered, it propelled the family to fame, and Kim Kardashian’s infamous sex tape brought the viewership they needed to stay on the air. Kim’s name spread like wild fire and the Kardashian name was everywhere. Any publicity is good publicity, right? Once viewership was gained, it was hard for fans to let go. So the show just kept getting bigger and their brands only grew hotter.

Keeping Up With the Kardashians has without a doubt been a major success. While Kim may be the most well-known of the sisters and had the story arc that helped the show gain viewership, in a way it really was her parents, more specifically her father, to credit for the family’s success. Without that landmark case that he took on, people may have never known the Kardashian name, and the reality TV boom could have happened very differently.

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Sierra Gordon
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Sierra Gordon is a content creator and freelance writer based in South Eastern Michigan. A graduate from Eastern Michigan University with a dual degree in Electronic Media and Film Studies as well as Psychology, she enjoys writing about her favorite movies and TV shows from a psychological perspective and passing that perspective on to you. She writes with her toy poodle at her feet and loves to spend time with her significant other outside of her career.

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