Kim Kardashian (born October 21, 1980, Los Angeles, California, U.S.) an American television personality and entrepreneur who garnered international fame for her personal life, much of which was chronicled on the popular reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2007–21).
Kim Kardashian was the second of four children: Kourtney was her older sister, and Khloé and Robert were her younger siblings. Her father, Robert Kardashian, achieved renewed national fame in 1994 as a member of O.J.
Simpson’s defense team, and her mother, Kris, who later became her manager after divorcing (1989) Robert when Kim was 10; she married (1991–2014) Bruce (later Caitlyn) Jenner — the Olympic gold medalist decathlete who now goes by Caitlyn — with whom she had two children, Kendall and Kylie.
The hot Internet chick Kim graduated from high school in 1998 and landed a job as an assistant to life Paris Hilton. She married (2000) music producer Damon Thomas while there, but the two divorced in 2004. Two years later, Kim opened DASH, a boutique in Calabasas, Calif., with Kourtney and Khloé; additional locations followed.
Early 2007 saw Kim being shamed as it was leaked that she had filmed a sex tape with her ex-boyfriend, R&B and hip-hop star Ray J, for which she sued the video’s distributor before coming to an out-of-court settlement.
That attention would translate into a reality TV series featuring the Kardashian family, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” which followed their day-to-day lives, including when Bruce Jenner later transitioned to living life as a woman.
The show premiered on the E! channel in October 2007, attracting good ratings. Each family member achieved varying degrees of fame, with Kim — who was most famous for her good looks and curvy figure — rising to pop culture sensation. While some mocked her fame (calling her famous for being famous), she cannily promoted herself — largely through social media — and built a tremendously successful brand at the same time.
Aside from endorsement deals, Kardashian also ventured into other businesses like a fitness DVD, a credit card, and different beauty products as well as a game app that allowed players to create a celebrity. In 2019, she introduced her shapewear company, Skims. Her popularity also earned her film roles — she made her big-screen debut in Disaster Movie (2008) — and other TV appearances.
Kim Kardashian is best known for appearing on the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2007–2013). In 2020, Kim and other family members signed a production deal with streaming outlet Hulu, while the year after, Keeping Up with the Kardashians came to an end. In 2022, a reality show featuring the family, The Kardashians, premiered on Hulu.
Kim Kardashian became engaged in the late 2010s in prison reform, advocating for the release of several prisoners. Most notably, in 2018, she helped win a presidential commutation for Alice Marie Johnson, who was serving a life sentence as a nonviolent drug offender. The TV documentary Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project was broadcast in 2020.
Kim Kardashian was a staple in the tabloids, and much focus went toward her relationships. She married basketball player Kris Humphries in 2011, which was taped and aired on E! —but 72 days later, she filed for divorce, which was finalized in 2013. In 2012, Kardashian started seeing rapper Kanye West, and their daughter, North (“Nori”) West, was born in 2013.
Kim Kardashian and West married in May 2014. The couple welcomed a second child, son Saint West, in 2015. Their daughter, Chicago West, and son, Psalm West, were born in 2018 and 2019, respectively, via a surrogate. Kim and Kanye divorced in 2021; their divorce was finalized in the following year.
