KUWTK: How Rich Were The Kardashians Before Their Reality TV Stardom?

Keeping Up With The Kardashians has aired for 18 wildly successful seasons and is unquestionably one of E! network’s best shows. Since initially airing back in 2007, the show has seen the Kardashian-Jenner family climb to reach the upper echelons of fame and wealth now in the present day.

Kylie Jenner has utilized her fame coming from the series to kick start her beauty product line, Kylie Cosmetics, which has driven the young starlet’s fortunes upward over a billion dollars. Similarly, Kim Kardashian has since garnered a fortune of over 350 million dollars and is now married to singer-rapper and apparel mogul Kanye West. The entire Kardashian-Jenner family as a whole is worth a combined 1.6 billion dollars with each member holding a multi-million dollar fortune but before the airing of their hit reality show that certainly wasn’t the case.

The Kardashian family are originally speculated to be descendants of wealthy Armenian immigrants and their father Robert was a very successful lawyer known for his participation in the O.J. Simpson trial. As a wealthy lawyer the entire family grew accustomed to growing up in an extravagant lifestyle. However, Kris and Robert divorced in 1991 and she then married Olympic athlete Caitlyn Jenner shortly afterwards. Caitlyn wrote in her tell-all book that Kris would take control of all of their finances and accused her of hoarding the money. In response Kris rebukes these claims on a 2017 episode of KUWTK stating in regards to Caitlyn, “She never paid a bill from 1972. She didn’t know how much a gardener was and in the book writes ‘well Kris didn’t need me anymore, all the checks for Keeping Up With The Kardashians, they all went to Kris.’ Went to Kris? How about it went to the mortgage and the insurance and education. You start talking about how I was hoarding money when we didn’t even have it.” Needless to say, it may be surprising to some but the family has dealt with past moments of financial reality just like the rest of us.

But many fans don’t buy into Kris’s statements. Kris is notoriously known as a socialite and many saw her transition in marriage from Robert to Caitlyn as a means toward financial security. Caitlyn had amassed a moderate fortune as an Olympic athlete and corporate spokesperson and many have speculated that she may have provided a means to an end for Kris and the family. In Caitlyn’s tell-all book, she even goes so far as to accuse Kris of taking advantage of her wealth to fund the family’s extravagant lifestyle.

Regardless, the Kardashian-Jenner family has since then reached pinnacle success bootstrapped on their own hands and feet. Daughter Kim emerged as a highly successful model and their reality show was originally fueled by Kim’s fame. The show’s popularity has lifted the entire family up well beyond self sustainability. But make no mistake: Kris is the driver behind the families’ wild success. To further this point, Kris helps run her daughter’s businesses and manages their careers. She also is a mastermind in marketability. In any case, the Kardashian-Jenner family may have come up from riches but they have certainly turned silver into gold over the years. Fans can check out more family action by watching their reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, with new episodes airing this fall.

Source: Cheat Sheet

About The Author