As a fleet of squad cars continued to trail the Bronco for the next two hours, a national obsession with the double homicide case was born.Īs the trial progressed, the first iteration of reality TV began to emerge, its pulling back the curtain on the lives of celebrities more appealing - more compelling - than any scripted fiction that had ever come before. Some 95 million people watched as Simpson’s best friend, Robert Kardashian, read aloud what was widely considered to be a suicide note to the nation’s assembled media. Midway through the chase, footage from a press conference held earlier that day was broadcast. Above, seven helicopters swarmed, their live footage beaming across the country as viewers waited to see what would become of the former NFL star who had just been accused of killing his ex-wife, Nicole Brown, and her friend. In the backseat, OJ Simpson sat clutching framed family photographs, a gun pointed to his head. on June 17, 1994, a white Ford Bronco headed down the Santa Ana Freeway. And this route to stardom began with the first instance of her seizing and capitalizing on opportunity - a pattern that’s come to define their 13-year reign over pop culture.Īt 5:51 p.m. KUWTK was always a calculated business opportunity, the culmination of Kris Jenner’s lifelong desire for fame and prominence. They risk losing the ubiquity and connection to one another and their public that’s underpinned their success for so long. Without KUWTK, the family enters uncharted waters. The show was their secret weapon - a tool for promotion and personification, providing personal narratives and depth that influencers and even Hollywood A-listers could never achieve. They were able to then leverage this attention into billion-dollar businesses, the success of which was driven by the public’s sense of connection to them, of knowing them. The show allowed the family to establish themselves not just as celebrities but as characters with storylines that the media and fans hungrily devoured.
However, KUWTK did more than merely amplify their stardom - it shaped and defined it. But this exposure is their power - their visibility calcifies their prominence in the public consciousness and sustains their fame. One of the most enduring criticisms of the Kardashian/Jenners over the years has been that they’re too visible, too pervasive. “And I’m not going to be filming with some fucking cunt like Kim.”Īnd in that moment, Keeping Up With the Kardashians - one of the most culturally defining shows of the last two decades, and the centerpiece of the family’s billion-dollar empire - began to publicly implode. “I’m not going to live my life around people who make me feel bad on a daily basis,” Kourtney responded. Kim scraped her chair back from the enormous dining table, turned, and left the room shouting, “No one cares!” over her shoulder. I’m ashamed to be a part of people like that. “If I had enough money, I wouldn’t do the show!” Kourtney cried. Kourtney, sobbing and yelling through ragged breath from her car parked outside the house she’d just stormed out of, continued her tirade as Kim, Khloé, and momager Kris Jenner listened in, thick lashes batting, plump mouths forming ovals in surprise. She’d wanted the shoot wrapped by 4 p.m., and Kim was confused as to how the family member who “worked the least” could be “the most fucking entitled.” The fight ended with Kim telling Kourtney she was welcome to skip the shoot entirely since she was the “least exciting to look at” anyway. It was September 2017, and the pair had just erupted at each other over the scheduling of the family’s annual Christmas card shoot - a blowup that did nothing to ease months of tension over Kourtney’s perceived lack of work ethic. “But clearly there’s something else going on because you’re acting like a fucking lunatic.” “OK, well, if I said something that hurt your feelings, I’m sorry,” Kim responded with a barely suppressed eyeroll. “I don’t agree with who you are as a human being.” “You’re a very distraught and evil human being,” Kourtney Kardashian wailed through speakerphone at her sister Kim, her sobs filling Khloé’s huge marble kitchen as a camera crew looked on.