They keep on keeping up
Kardashians celebrate 10 years of crafting their fame
On Sunday’s Keeping Up with the Kardashians 10th Anniversary Special on E, the Kardashian-Jenners reflected on how their lives have changed in the last decade, going from quirky blended family to a pop-culture force. As the 90-minute retrospective started, a chyron at the bottom of the screen ran E News trending headlines. One read, “Kylie Jenner is pregnant: reports.”
It encapsulated how the family cultivated its fame. On Sept. 22, rumours leaked of Kylie’s pregnancy. Thanks to some coy not-denials from the family, the 20-year-old stayed in the news all weekend — right up until the live special. (The 14th season premieres Sunday.)
Besides the family’s PR savvy, it was ringleader Kris Jenner offered a theory about why the show has such staying power, running 10 years and 310 episodes: Although ratings have declined, it’s the “longest running celebrity docu-soap in the history of television,” as host Ryan Seacrest said.
“It’s very difficult to go anywhere without somebody talking about the show,” Kris said. “When we started our show, there wasn’t really another huge family with 132 family members. You know? There was a seven-year-old and there was a 60-year-old. So no matter what age you were, somehow you got sucked in and getting, like, emotionally invested in the show.”
Most of the special focused on the unattainable aspects of Kardashian-Jenner life, such as what it’s like to marry Kanye West. Or the problems that only a celebrity could have, including being forced to wake up at 7 a.m. and then film your life on camera for the rest of the day. But also, in a very Kardashian way, they managed to make it sound somewhat relatable.
“We were doing 18-hour days,” Kris said.
“We’re not complaining,” Kim clarified. “We love that our job, every single day, is to get up and work with our family members. We could not be more lucky.”