Khloé looks back 10 Years of Kardashians

After a reluctant start, Khloé Kardashian, 33, became one of the world’s biggest reality stars. On the 10th anniversary of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, she reflects on that pivotal choice.

in 2007, my sister Kourtney and I were living together in a townhouse in Calabasas, California, where we grew up. We were running our clothing store, Dash, and our kids’ store, Smooch, next to each other in the mall. We were there every day, with no employees. We did everything ourselves, from taxes to cleaning and inventory. We would take our 15-minute lunch break together and eat in the back.

We always had big family dinners at my mom’s house, and Ryan Seacrest came to one and was like, “You guys are crazy. You need to be on TV.” My mom and Kim wanted to do a show. Kourtney and I were really against it. We were like, “No, we love our little life. We love what we’re doing.” But Ryan said, “The whole family or nobody.” So my mom sold it to us as a great commercial for our stores.

We were like, “Ugh, fine.” I remember finding two girls who worked across the street and asking them to run Dash and Smooch for three days while we shot.

The first thing we ever shot was a barbecue (braai) at my mom’s house. That was our pilot, I guess. A barbecue! We didn’t know what the hell we were doing. We’d seen The Osbournes and The Simple Life, but The Osbournes was very raw, more security-camera-footage style. The Simple Life was about Nicole [Richie] and Paris [Hilton] being out of their environment

Our show, at first, was like a modernday Brady Bunch – a little gimmicky, with a takeaway each episode. People said, “I’ve never seen a family cuss each other out or go through things you go through and still love each other.” But that was our twist on the dorkiness of this blended family that gets along.

After six episodes, we got a little more foot traffic at our stores, but it wasn’t a tourist attraction or anything. I’d still go to chain store hair salons across the street to get a $25 (R359) blow-dry. I did my own makeup.

Occasionally I’ll catch an old episode and notice how we all talked in baby voices. It’s crazy if you listen to it now. Maybe it was because we were nervous.

I didn’t really see the opportunity the series presented until the fourth or fifth season. I was young, and didn’t care as much. I was heavier, too, so not a lot of endorsements came my way. Brands aligned with Kim or Kourtney, which was fine; I was still along for the ride. But it’s sad to realise most brands are interested only in cute, in-shape girls.

I did things then that made me think, ‘Why am I doing this?’ But I was young, and you feel pressure; you see your sisters getting deals and you’re like, “Should I be doing something? Is a pad commercial all I can get? Well, OK then.”

The older and more comfortable you get in your skin, the more you think about what makes sense for you. When I started getting in shape and got married (to now-ex Lamar Odom, the basketball player), a different amount of attention came my way. And because of what I’d seen my sisters go through, I was able to be pickier about opportunities.

Now our lives have evolved. We film six days a week, 12-18 hours a day. When you compile that much footage in 13 or 14 episodes, you can find a lot of drama. Not every episode is juicy to us; it’s only juicy to the audience. Things like Kim’s robbery or Caitlyn’s transition? That’s the kind of stuff we wish we’d never filmed. We’re never like, “Oooh! Let’s do this for season nine.”

And it’s funny – when we decide not to shoot things, people feel slighted. But when we film too much, they’re like, “Oh, you shouldn’t film that.” It’s a catch-22.

We could never have fathomed the longevity of the show – that we would film 14 seasons and spin-offs. I don’t think anybody could have. When it comes to our drama, we are a large, blended family. If you put a microscope over any family for 10 years, you’re bound to find cracks in the foundation. That’s just the name of the game, and we’re strong enough to endure it.

We’re vulnerable, open people, and it’s a gift to be that way. Lots of superb actors could never be themselves in front of a camera – it would be too much to have people judge or tear them apart. I totally get that, but this is what we do. And we do it together. We’ve chosen to be as raw and honest as we can be.