THE KARDASHIANS HAVE BONDS THAT CAN’T BE BROKEN
America’s first family are back 15 years after their TV debut, which provided the basis for a global celebrity of a sort never seen before
Kris Jenner makes a solemn warning in the pilot of the new reality show The Kardashians: “Never go against the family.”
It’s a motto that has kept the six stars of Hulu’s new reality show (now streaming weekly also on Disney+) – matriarch Kris Jenner, 66, and daughters Kim Kardashian, 41, Kourtney Kardashian, 42, Khloé Kardashian, 37, Kendall Jenner, 26, and Kylie Jenner, 24 – dominant forces in the celebrity world for years. The women of the Kardashian empire have grown into their fame since their first series, E!’s Keeping Up with the Kardashians, premiered 15 years ago.
“The term ‘famous for being famous’ was really invented for the Kardashians and specifically for Kim Kardashian,” says Christina Binkley, a long-time journalist covering the business of culture.
“It’s vaguely insulting: ‘Famous for being famous’ means you haven’t really done anything to earn your fame … But I think it’s gone beyond that. They’re certainly famous for a lot more than ‘being famous’ now.”
Now, as they transition into a new show, the Kardashians remain more relevant than many detractors would care to admit.
“Their reach is unstoppable,” says Holly Baird, a crisis management and branding expert. “You can’t open a magazine, go online or watch TV without hearing a reference of the Kardashians.”
Sure, they became famous for being famous, but they’ve parlayed that fame into myriad business ventures and a celebrity empire that has endured for longer than many others’.
Ultimately, The Kardashians is a vessel to promote their varied and lucrative businesses and their flagship storyline: No matter the drama, controversy or criticism, the family is an unwavering unit. And that Kardashian kinship reigns supreme in the new series.
The way we’ve kept up with the Kardashians through the years has changed – namely how the digital age has shaped the volume and pace of our celebrity news – but that doesn’t make their new reality show obsolete or behind the times. It makes it more interesting.
When KUWTK debuted in 2007, it made sense as a way to ignite their stardom. Now, the Kardashians hold some of the biggest social media follower counts in the world. As the show evolved, so did the ways fans kept track of their lives. Rather than waiting for the latest episode, followers knew what Kim and Co were up to in real time through posts and stories.
That changed in 2016, when Kim was robbed at gunpoint in a Paris hotel room. She’s since said the traumatising incident upended her entire social media strategy: safety trumped constant fan connections.
Others have adopted a more selective social process, too. Kendall rarely makes public appearances or comments about her personal life and Kylie has gone through two pregnancies – the former quietly, when she suddenly revealed her daughter Stormi’s birth.
But even when the Kardashians aren’t posting, there’s plenty to be said about them. Tabloids, gossip purveyors and must-know celebrity accounts such as celebrity gossip Instagram account @deuxmoi – a New York-based woman who has remained anonymous while amassing more than 1.4 million Instagram followers – and fan parodies such as @norisblackbook – a tongue-in-cheek satire account posing as Kim and Ye’s daughter, North West – keep the conversations going.
It seems a week can’t go by without a headline about Kim and Pete Davidson, Kourtney and Travis Barker or Kylie, Travis Scott and their new baby.
Those relationships have helped keep the family relevant, argues Natalie Franklin, the mastermind behind @norisblackbook. Franklin’s account, which boasts 1.5 million followers, is so well known among fans that the Kardashians dedicated an episode to “investigating” who ran it, and even welcomed Franklin on the show.
“The Kardashians have done a good job of … getting into these high-profile relationships so there’s visibility,” says Franklin.
“And then anything they do will get picked up by tabloids. And then by the time all that bubbles to the surface, the show premieres. This is the formula … that seems to keep them in the news cycle and on the brain.”
As does the show, which offers the family “more money, more overall growth and brand visibility,” Baird says.
Between Skims, Kylie Cosmetics, Good American, 818 Tequila, Poosh, Safely and other Kardashian brands, the new show offers a behind-the-scenes peek at “the empire that can be built by an influencer”, as Binkley puts it.
The Kardashians’ staying power in Hollywood is unmatched. This new show also helps them solidify their reign, remaining in the zeitgeist while giving fans the chance to feel like they’re getting the inside scoop as the ever-busy family members plot their next moves.
Will we still be keeping up with them in 20 years? Likely to some degree, Binkley predicts. They’re experts in finding new ways to keep fans watching. Even when the core six get tired (Kendall in particular is already leaning out of the spotlight), there’ll be a new generation to follow.
“Considering the number of years that the world has been fascinated with the Kardashians, I feel like we’ll see them growing grey and using walkers,” Binkley says. “That’s kind of bizarre if you think about this incredible longevity that they’ve had. We used to talk about how stars were getting too much attention, that they had to not be in the public’s consciousness every single day or we would get sick of them.
“But somehow that rule does not apply. There’s no ability for the Kardashians to be overexposed.”
It’s gone beyond that. They’re certainly famous for a lot more than ‘being famous’ now
CHRISTINA BRINKLEY, JOURNALIST