Kim Kardashian has been in the public eye for over 20 years, and it's time to share some facts about the successful busineswoman, who appears on The Kardashians. She was once America's biggest socialite, before her natural knack for reality television became renowned worldwide. Kim, who was introduced to the media as Paris Hilton's close friend and stylist, quickly became a cultural sensation in the mid-2000s, alongside the rest of the Kardashian-Jenner clan. As arguably the most well-known (and most polarizing) member of the Kardashian family, Kim has inspired dozens of iconic quotes, memorable moments, and hilarious memes.
That being said, her family members are a shining example of people who are "famous for being famous." Over the years, Kim has grown from a young Hollywood socialite into a television star. Kim's also a media mogul and prison reform activist. While Keeping Up With the Kardashians ended after 20 seasons in June 2021, it didn't take long for Kim to jump into Hulu's spin-off The Kardashians, which premiered in April 2022. With her personal and professional endeavors documented from an early age, Kim and her sisters are more than used to being in the spotlight. Between The Kardashians season 3 (it's already in production) and the controversial dissolution of her marriage to Kanye West, there is plenty to learn about who Kim is, and the impact that she's made on popular culture.
Kim Kardashian's Early Life
Kim was born in Los Angeles, California, on October 21, 1980. Like Kim, her mother Kris Jenner is a well-known socialite, media personality, and businesswoman; Kim's father, the late Robert Kardashian Sr., was a defense attorney who famously represented O.J. Simpson during his murder trial in 1995. Besides Kim, Kris and Robert had three other children: Kourtney Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, and Rob Kardashian Jr. Before Robert passed away in 2003, Kris married Olympic athlete Caitlyn Jenner in 1991. They had Kim's two half-sisters: models Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner.
As a teenager, Kim attended Marymount High School in Los Angeles, which is where she met Paris and Paris' best friend, Nicole Richie. After graduation, Kim began to work as a personal stylist. Also, Kim worked with Brandy, a successful R&B singer, and arguably the best person to portray Cinderella since Disney's 1950 film. Although these connections helped introduce Kim to Hollywood, it wasn't until Brandy's brother Ray J and Kim's sex tape leaked in 2007 that the Kardashian family became household names. Later that year, Kim and her family were offered the chance to star in a new E! series called Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and the rest is history.
Kim Kardashian's Business Ventures
While Kim is mostly known for the shenanigans and drama she's provided on TV, she's been running multiple businesses since the mid-2000s. Between 2006 and 2018, Kourtney, Khloé, and Kim operated Dash, a boutique that was heavily featured on Keeping Up With the Kardashians. In 2017, Kim launched KKW Beauty and KKW Fragrance, although the companies were shut down in August 2022, so that they could be rebranded. Two years after KKW Beauty and KKW Fragrance were established, Kim founded SKIMS, a shapewear line which Fortune valued at $3.2 billion in January 2022. Besides being involved in the mobile game "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood," and a recent private equity firm with Jay Simmons (SKKY Partners), Kim has collaborated with several high-end brands, including Balenciaga, Fendi, and Dolce & Gabbana.
Kim Kardashian's Relationships
Between Kylie's relationship with rapper Travis Scott, Khloé's problems with Tristan Thompson, and Kourtney's extreme PDA with husband Travis Barker, the Kardashian-Jenner family's romantic lives usually get plenty of media attention. However, the same cannot be said for Kim, who has been connected to several men over the years. Kim's first marriage was to Damon Thomas in 2000, and the pair eloped when Kim was 19, but divorced in 2003. While separated from Damon, Kim began to date Ray J, and that relationship lasted until 2006. Kim's second marriage occurred five years later, when she married NBA player Kris Humphries. However, despite their lavish ceremony in 2011, Kim's stint as Kris' wife ended quickly. In fact, she filed for divorce after only 72 days.
In November 2021, Kim confirmed her relationship with Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson. The month before, Kim was a guest on SNL, and performed an Aladdin skit with Pete that ended with a kiss. Although Pete got several tattoos in Kim's honor throughout their time together, the couple didn't even stay together for a year, splitting in August 2022.
Kim's short-lived marriage to Kris was followed by her relationship with Pete, but it's Kim's third marriage to Kanye that has continued to dominate headlines since they tied the knot in 2014. Kim and Kanye, who share children North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm West, were first rumored to have separated in January 2021, by CNN; Kim filed for divorce a month later, and while Kim was declared legally single in March 2022, their separation wasn't finalized until last November. Kanye's public feuds and controversial behaviors were extensive, and while Kim has no plans to get married anytime soon, after ending things with Pete last fall, Kim's ex-husband Kanye reportedly wed Bianca Censori in January 2023.
Kim Kardashians' Controversies
Although it's unfortunate that Kanye has descended from a respected Grammy Award-winning rapper to a proud Holocaust denier, Kim isn't exactly an angel either. Kim and Ray J's leaked sex tape was arguably the biggest scandal of 2007, but as time has gone on, criticisms against Kim have only continued to build. In fact, there are too many controversial moments to list entirely, although a few have stuck out more than others. Before SKIMS was given its name in 2019, for example, Kim originally called the brand Kimono, which received backlash in the United States and Japan.
Other controversial moments from The Kardashians star include an interview with Variety in which Kim told women to, "get your a** up and work," because, "no one wants to work these days," Kim's decision to wear a gown owned by Marilyn Monroe to the 2022 Met Gala, and her lavish vacation in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, were also panned.