She may be the face of one of the biggest reality TV empires in the world,
but Kim Kardashian's real life portrays a much different story than her Instagram feed. Despite
her multiple retail lines and mega-influencer status, this reality star has certainly suffered
her share of devastating tragedies. Here's how she's handled the tough times that came her way.
"Just wish me luck. Just wish me luck." Kim's parents, Kris and attorney Robert Kardshian,
were happily married for 12 years until Kris had an affair
and Robert then filed for divorce in 1991. Kris told Oprah in 2012,
"I think I have one regret, and that was getting divorced. I thought I knew it all,
I was young and you know, you think you're smarter than everybody else.
And I had been with Robert since I was 17 years old."
In an interview for OBJECTified six years later, Kris revealed that she engaged in
the affair because although her life was perfect, she had still adopted a "grass is always greener"
mentality. She was also remorseful about how the situation affected her kids — especially
Kourtney and Kim — who knew the real reason why their parents split up. Kim told Oprah,
"We always protected our dad because we felt bad for him because he didn't want
the divorce. We knew it was my mom's fault, we were really well aware."
As she's gotten older, Kim says that she's grown
to understand her mom's side of the story. She admitted,
"I've been in those situations where I feel like I want to get out, I can't breathe."
Adding more fuel to the fire, Robert Kardashian went on to represent his longtime friend, O.J.
Simpson, in Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman's murder case. Nicole had been one of Kris' best friends,
and Kris faithfully stood by the prosecution. She later recalled on a Hollywood Reporter podcast:
"After that initial shock of,
'What's going on,' I just felt like I knew, probably, what had happened."
The Kardashian kids called Simpson and Brown "Uncle O.J" and "Auntie Nicole."
They were even Kim and Kourtney's godparents. But Kris and Robert senior's opposite positions
made things even more stressful on the family. Kris told Oprah,
"There was a line drawn in the sand. There was a lot of tension
and the kids probably suffered as a result of it."
"We didn't really know what to believe or whose side to take,
as kids, 'cuz we didn't wanna hurt one of our parents' feelings."
Simpson was infamously acquitted of Brown and Goldman's murders. Even today, Kim usually
takes a cue from her mom and doesn't speak about O.J. out of respect for his kids. But in 2019,
she recalled the last time she saw him, telling the Foodgod podcast,
"We all, I think, all started crying, and it was emotional."
Robert Kardashian died suddenly from throat cancer on October 3rd, 2003.
He was 59 years old. And he had learned of his diagnosis only eight weeks prior to his death,
according to The New York Times. Kim remembered her dad in a 2019 Instagram post, writing,
"Miss you dad. Can't believe today would be 16 years since you went to heaven."
"Every moment of our lives, he would videotape us as kids.
And he was narrating all of that. 'Let's see, can you girls speak Armenian?'”
But Robert's legacy lives on in Kim's life today. She told Vogue in 2019
that he is part of the reason she began studying to become a lawyer. She recalled,
"My dad had a library, and when you pushed on this wall there was this
whole hidden closet room, with all of his O.J. evidence books. On weekends I would
always snoop and look through [them]. I was really nosy about the forensics."
2007 was a banner year for the Kardashian family,
but it's not just because it was then that Keeping Up With The Kardashians hit the air.
Months before the show debuted, an intimate tape featuring Kim and her then-boyfriend Ray J
leaked online. There were theories that the scandal was a publicity stunt ahead of the
show that premiered just eight months later. But momager Kris told The Hollywood Reporter,
"[It was] one of the most horrific things that we, as a family, went through."
Kim apparently feels the same. She revealed to Oprah in 2012 that while she's well
aware that the tape is how she was first introduced to fans, she has since hustled
to prove who she really is and to overcome that original public image. She claimed,
"I felt humiliated. I've always been concerned about the family — humiliating the family,
and that's what I did. And that's something that I'm going to have to
live with for the rest of my life. […] If I had one regret [the tape] would be it."
"I felt like I really had to work ten times harder to get people to see the real me."
Kim later confessed on Keeping Up With The Kardashians that she was high on
ecstasy at the time the tape was made. Kardashian has been in several high-profile
relationships, but none of her breakups got quite as much attention as her split from
former NBA star, Kris Humphries . The couple divorced after just 72 days of marriage.
"I feel sad. I feel bad for the guy. I changed his whole life and
he fell in love with me and I fell in love with him and now my feelings have changed."
Kim met Humphries in 2010 and the couple was engaged by May of 2011. They were married 90
days later in a special event; Kim's Fairytale Wedding — which aired on E! in October of that
year. The special drew about 4 million viewers over two nights, according to Us Weekly. And
the broadcast banked the couple a total of $17.9 million with filming and photo deals considered,
per MTV. But the duo's wedded bliss lasted no more than a total of 72 days — or even less
time, if you believe the bride. Kim revealed on Watch What Happens Live,
"I knew like, honeymoon, it wasn't gonna work out."
Kim ultimately filed for divorce on Halloween of 2011. She also admitted to Andy Cohen that she
rushed into marriage with Humphries because she was feeling pressure to settle down. She said,
"I think a lot of girls do go through that — thinking they're getting old
and they have to figure it out." Perhaps the most terrifying moment of
Kardashian's life happened in Paris in 2016 when she was robbed at gunpoint in her hotel room — and
tied up by a gang of men dressed in police uniforms and masks, according to the Daily Mail.
The thieves reportedly stole an estimated $5.6 million in jewels, including Kim's engagement
ring. At the time, Kim, her mom and sister Kourtney were visiting Paris for Fashion Week.
"I knew something wasn't quite right."
Kim detailed the incident, saying that it ultimately changed the way she values material
possessions. But she revealed the true terror of the experience, telling The Ellen DeGeneres Show,
"I knew that was it for me. One hundred percent. I said a prayer,
I'm like, 'I know I'm going to heaven. I hope my kids are okay,
my husband.' […] I know this sounds crazy, but I know that was meant to happen to me."
The Daily Mail reported that 17 total suspects
were arrested in connection with the incident, in 2017.
"Kanye, how did you know Kim was the one? I saw her in a paparazzi pic with Paris Hilton."
By 2012, Kim was officially linked to Kanye West. And the rapper confirmed that Kim was pregnant
with their first child in December of that year. The two are now married with four children —
North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm — but their journey toward growing their family hasn't been an
easy one. Kim gave birth to her eldest children, but the youngest two arrived through a surrogate.
"I want my kids to have siblings and I wanna know
that I did everything that I could to make this happen."
Kim has been open about the life-threatening conditions she experienced during her first
pregnancy. In a 2019 Instagram post, she revealed that she had preeclampsia , and had gone into,
quote, "emergency labor" to deliver North — nearly six weeks early.
Saint was conceived via IVF, but Kim explained that she was later forced to
undergo multiple surgeries to repair damage that her pregnancies did to her body. But
no matter how she welcomed her children, she's clearly a devoted mom to each of them. She said,
"I am just so thankful for my beautiful kids." The Kardashian-Jenner sisters have built an
empire off of their curves. But since they are celebrities and post frequently on Instagram,
body shaming from random internet trolls appears to be an unfortunate part of the job.
But shaming from other famous faces seems to have been an issue, as well.
Former President Trump took a jab at Kardashian's looks on The Howard
Stern Show in 2013. And she's publicly clapped back at model Tyson Beckford
for making inappropriate comments about her body. But Kim revealed that it was
the media who really crossed the line by fat shaming her during and after her pregnancies.
"There's maybe two or three covers this week that say I am
200 pounds and I'm like, 'You are like 60 pounds off, here.'"
She told C Magazine,
"It was the worst! Before I was always smiling, and so into being out and about. After I had the
baby, I was like, these are the same people that made fun of me, and posted the stories that were
so awful, calling me fat for something I couldn't control. I don't want to smile for them."
In the wake of Kanye's bipolar diagnosis, Kim has spoken out about the stress it's brought upon her
entire family. And after Kanye's public breakdown on Twitter as he holed up at a Wyoming ranch,
Kim opened up in an Instagram story in July 2020, writing:
"Anyone who has [bipolar disorder] or has a loved one in their life who does,
knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand."
"What is he, like. This is like, serious."
She also explained how the coronavirus pandemic had affected her husband,
revealing that the extra stress and isolation only seemed to amplify his symptoms. She added,
"Those who are close with Kanye know his heart
and understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions."
Back in 2019, Kim opened up about how they manage the disorder, telling Vogue,
"For [Kanye], being on medication is not really an option, because it just changes who he is. I
never want to speak for him because I am not in his mind. […] If it comes to him being in the
middle of a bipolar episode, I'll do everything to be supportive and help to calm the situation."
For a couple with the star power of Kim and Kanye, divorce rumors blowing up the tabloids are just
part of the territory. But buzz intensified in 2016 after Kardashian's Paris incident,
when West was hospitalized for exhaustion. At the time, a source alleged to Us Weekly,
"It will take some time before [Kim] can do anything, but she doesn't want to stay married."
"Kanye can come in and take some with me, but I definitely want solos."
In January 2021 Page Six reported that, for the couple, quote, "divorce is imminent." The
pair had reportedly been living separate lives and focusing on personal projects.
Kardashian lived in Calabasas , California with the kids and West was spending his
time in Wyoming. A source told the outlet that Kim had even hired a divorce attorney.
As for the last straw in the marriage, a source claimed,
"[Kim] is serious about taking the bar exam and becoming a lawyer,
she is serious about her prison reform campaign."
Meanwhile, another source alleged that West was apparently done with the entire
Kardashian family. TMZ reported that the couple has most recently sought counseling. And as of
early 2021, Kim has yet to file for divorce. A lot has been said about the Kardashian-Jenner
clan, but no one can deny that they all care about each other very much. Considering how much family
means to Kim, in particular, it's not exactly surprising that she revealed on Live with Kelly
and Ryan that the hardest thing she ever filmed was the one thing that impacted them the most.
"Caitlyn Marie Jenner. Oh Marie, and it says that on your driver's license? Yeah.
Yeah. With, ah, gender marker 'F.'"
Kim explained,
"As far as the most difficult thing that we've ever dealt with or filmed,
[it] was probably Caitlyn [Jenner's] transition. Just because we had no
idea if people were going to accept her, and that was the hardest thing,
seeing that someone might go through a lot of pain and you can't do anything to protect that person."
Seacrest called Kim the, quote, "diplomat" of the Kardashian family,
noting that just about everyone went to her to sort out their feelings during that time.
But in the wake of Caitlyn's scathing 2017 memoir, The Secrets of My Life,
Kim noted a brutally painful division between Kris and Caitlyn.
"She's so angry at mom. Like for no reason."
While the family has publicly rallied around Caitlyn in support of her new chapter as her
true self, the reality of what has been lost, and the growing pains that have touched them all,
still appear to be a bitter pill to swallow.
"At the end of the day, we're all family, and I'm not gonna say y'know,
anything. I'm just gonna try to be super positive and hope that it all resolves itself."
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