The Kardashians are in Their Flop Era
Don't let all the Dolce & Gabbana partnerships fool you
On the surface it may seem like the Kardashians are at the peak of their careers. They’ve entered into every crevice of the market, squeezing the American people for all that they’re worth, they’ve birthed (or paid someone to) approximately one million babies who will all end up being supermodels and they’ve brought their reality show into the 21st century by moving from live television to streaming.
And yet, they haven’t been able to stay out of the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Their businesses are failing, they’re rapidly losing weight and their baby daddies are wreaking international havoc. My personal opinion is that Kanye West is both the best and worst thing that could’ve happened to this family. But now as we wade deeper into the uncharted waters of the post-Kimye era, their spectators, or rather subjects, are reminded of what they were before.
Before we ogled at Kim, we laughed at her. Before we purchased from her, we mocked her. For the most part, it was all in good fun. We made stickers with her crying face and started saying “Bible.” Her 72-day marriage and eldest daughters’ name dominated every tabloid. But then she became Mrs. West and the Kardashian name became a brand as opposed to a reality TV show family. Suddenly, we saw Kimmie at The Met Gala, hanging out with Beyonce and Jay-Z, at the White House and it completely changed the game.
Despite the fact that most people supported Kim divorcing Kanye, particularly after his 2020 Presidential campaign, if you can call it that, Kim made a few missteps that took her from Divorced Darling to Out-Of-Touch Starlet.
Her relationship with Pete Davidson
Miss Kim waited an appropriate amount of time before sparking her new relationship but it was so blatantly a calculated media spectacle. Suddenly the SNL appearance started to look like a staged meetcute instead of a bold venture into a new realm of entertainment. She talked incessantly about his “BDE” and he (allegedly) tattooed her children’s initials on his body. Then Pete announced his departure from SNL and it was all too perfect. Pop culture fanatics saw this relationship for what it really was: a publicity stunt.
Her Variety interview
This was pretty tragic for Kim. Not only was this statement insulting to women in business - the specific demographic she was asked to give advice to - but it was insanely tone deaf. “Get your ass up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days,” is not something businesswomen want to hear from a woman born into the 1% with multiple nannies and a famous ex-husband. She had an opportunity to provide real, helpful advice but instead chose to position herself as a self-made workaholic. Sure, Jan.
Dressgate
When Kim wore Marilyn Monroe’s dress to The Met Gala she sparked quite the controversy. Fashion aficionados were horrified, rightfully so. Considering Kim has tried for years to establish herself as a true fashion icon, she chose the wrong crowd to piss off.
Now, I’m not blaming the entire family’s fall from grace on Kimberly. None of these things alone would have caused us to bat an eye if it weren’t for the antics of her family members.
Astroworld
On November 5, 2021, Kylie’s Baby Daddy (Travis Scott) incited a riot during the first night of the 2021 Astroworld Festival, in Houston. Eight people died on the night of the concert, and two more passed away subsequently. Kylie was present the night of the tragedy and was pictured looking anxiously down at the crowd before the fatal crowd surge occurred. Travis largely disappeared from the spotlight for six months until his comeback performance at the Billboard Music Awards in May 2022.
In Season 1 of The Kardashians on Hulu, the family and/or production seemingly fudged a storyline about Kendall being in Miami when she was actually in Houston for the fatal Astroworld Festival. The family has not acknowledged this tragedy in any meaningful way and has mostly tried to distance themselves from it.
Tristan Thompson
I actually had to Google which team Tristan Thompson plays for because his real claim to fame is being a serial cheater. It seems like he is unemployed this offseason as he is listed as a free agent. A little background: Khloe and Tristan began dating while Tristan’s first baby mama, Jordan Craig, was pregnant with his eldest son, Prince. Prince was born in December of 2016, while Tristan and Khloe first appeared in public together in September of 2016. Unsurprisingly to the rest of the world, Tristan ended up doing the exact same thing to Khloe and was caught cheating days before True was born in April of 2018.
Tristan continued to cheat on Khloe with many women and let me tell ya, the man doesn’t discriminate. He famously made moves on former Kardashian family friend Jordan Woods and impregnated a Houston-based Instagram model the very day that Khloe threw him his 30th birthday party.
Ultimately this has not cast our royal family in a good light. Khloe repeatedly refers to True as an “only child” despite her having two (now 3) brothers. Tristan has a distant relationship with his oldest and has never met the child he conceived who was born in December of 2021, Theo. If family was truly important to the Kardashians, they would make more of an effort to ensure that True has a relationship with all of her brothers.
The Hulu Show
While it was a smart decision to take the show from E! to a streaming service like Hulu, fans have lamented about the quality of the show. The only tea they spill is the BTS of each person’s initial reaction to Tristan’s Trysts. Everything else, we’ve seen before... At least on Instagram.
Altogether, the Kardashians are flailing. They’ve left behind a trail of failed businesses and relationships and have lost touch with their audience. In the past, they used to understand better than anyone how to appeal to the masses and how to stay in the headlines without airing too much. Now, they’re struggling to do either.
Will the KarJenners return to reigning supreme over American pop culture? Or will they fade into oblivion in an Olsen twins, Nicole Richie, Victoria Beckham way? Only time will tell.