From a sex tape to THE TOP OF RICH LISTS

How the Kardashians turned a reality show into a money-spinning billion dollar family empire

Keeping Up With The Kardashians was a ratings winner right out of the gate when it premiered in October 2007 on cable network E!. It had been pitched by mom-of-six Kris Jenner to TV host and producer Ryan Seacrest who was looking to bring a fly-on-the-wall show to E! following the huge success of MTV'S The Osbournes that ran from 2002 to 2005. Kris persuaded him that she and her children - three daughters and a son with former O.J. Simpson defence attorney Robert Kardashian and two daughters with Olympic decathlete Bruce Jenner - would be a perfect fit.

A few months before the first episode was set to air, a sex tape featuring Kris' daughter Kim Kardashian was leaked, generating headlines and interest in the 27-year-old.

She had made the tape in 2002 with then boyfriend Ray J but the timing of its release five years later couldn't have been better timed. The publicity surrounding the sex tape considerably raised Kim's public profile; until then she was best known for being an assistant to Simple Life star and

hotel heiress Paris Hilton. The E! series made global stars of Kim and her sisters Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian as well as her halfsisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner. Throughout it all, Kris has managed her children's careers, taking 10 percent of their earnings in addition to her own fees from the TV show and its spin-offs.

While KUWTK may be coming to an end after 20 seasons, there's no doubt we haven't heard the last of the momager, her kids and grandkids.