Kim Kardashian

Kimberly Noel Kardashian, also known as Kim Kardashian, is a popular American television personality and entrepreneur born on October 21, 1980, in Los Angeles, California.

She gained international fame through her personal life, which was extensively chronicled on the reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians that aired from 2007 to 2021.

Kim was the second child among her siblings, with Kourtney being the eldest, and Khloé and Robert as her younger siblings. Her father, Robert Kardashian, was a well-known member of O.J. Simpson’s legal team during his 1995 murder trial. Her mother, Kris, later became her manager and married (1991-2014) Olympic gold medalist Bruce (later Caitlyn) Jenner, with whom she had two children, Kendall and Kylie. In 1998, Kim graduated from high school and began working as an assistant to socialite Paris Hilton. During this time, she married music producer Damon Thomas in 2000, but the couple divorced in 2004. Two years later, Kim along with her sisters Kourtney and Khloé opened DASH, a boutique in Calabasas, California, which later expanded to several other locations.

In early 2007, a sex tape featuring Kim and her then-boyfriend R&B singer Ray J was leaked online, and she later sued the video’s distributor and received an out-of-court settlement. This attention helped the Kardashian family land their own reality TV show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which documented their daily lives and Bruce Jenner’s transition into a woman. The show premiered on the E! channel in October 2007 and became a ratings success, with all family members achieving varying levels of celebrity status. Kim, known for her striking appearance and curvaceous figure, became a pop culture sensation. While some criticized her popularity, claiming that she was famous only for being famous, her adept self-promotion and strong social media presence helped create a highly profitable brand. Along with endorsement deals, Kardashian was involved in several business ventures, including a series of fitness DVDs, a credit card, various beauty products, and a game app that allowed users to create a celebrity. In 2019, she launched the shapewear company Skims. Her immense popularity led to film roles, including her big-screen debut in Disaster Movie (2008), and appearances in other TV shows such as the spin-off series Kourtney and Kim Take New York (2011-12). In 2020, Kim and other family members signed a production deal with the streaming service Hulu, and the following year, Keeping Up with the Kardashians came to an end. In 2022, the reality series The Kardashians began airing on Hulu.

In the late 2010s, Kim became involved in prison reform and successfully helped secure the release of various incarcerated individuals. Notably, in 2018, she helped secure a presidential commutation for Alice Marie Johnson, a nonviolent drug offender who was serving a life sentence. In 2020, the TV documentary Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project aired.

Kim Kardashian was a frequent subject of tabloid coverage, and much attention was paid to her relationships. In 2011, she married basketball player Kris Humphries in a ceremony that was videotaped and later broadcast on E!, but just 72 days later, she filed for divorce, which was finalized in 2013. In 2012, Kardashian began dating rapper Kanye West, and their daughter, North (“Nori”) West, was born the following year. In May 2014, Kardashian and West were married, and they went on to have two more children: son Saint West in 2015, and daughter Chicago West and son Psalm West.