Kourtney Kardashian on How Filming KUWTK 'Became a Toxic Environment' After 14 Years

Kourtney Kardashian is prioritizing her own happiness.

In a cover interview for Vogue Arabia's July/August issue, the mother of three reflects on her decision to retreat from her famous family's reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Kourtney, 41, announced last fall that she had taken a step back from KUWTK to focus on her family, confirming the news during the first half of season 18, which aired earlier this year.

"I have been filming the show non-stop for 14 years," she tells Vogue Arabia. "I was feeling unfulfilled and it became a toxic environment for me to continue to have it occupy as much of my life as it was."

"Privacy is something I have come to value and finding that balance of private moments with being on a reality show is hard," she adds. "People have this misconception that I don't want to work, which isn't true. I am following my happiness and putting my energy into that which makes me happy."

@arvedphoto/Vogue Arabia

While she makes note of how grateful she is for the memories and opportunities that came with the show, which premiered on E! in 2007, she tells the publication that adjusting her work/life balance is her main focus now. The star is mom to sons Mason, 10, Reign, 5, and daughter Penelope, 7, with ex Scott Disick.

Kourtney Kardashian/Instagram

"I always try my absolute best when I'm with my kids not to be on my phone, to be present in what we're doing, and have those moments where you're looking in each other's eyes and connecting," she says. "It's so important. I usually take one day on the weekend when we have no plans, we hang out at the house in pajamas or sweats. We sleep in. I like to not be on a schedule on that day."

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@arvedphoto/Vogue Arabia

During the season 18 premiere of KUWTK in March, a confrontation between Kourtney and her sister Kim Kardashian West got shockingly physical. The argument stemmed from tensions over Kourtney's boundaries when it comes to filming. In a confessional during an April episode, Kourtney admitted she hit her breaking point during the argument.

“I don’t understand why there’s all this judgment about the way we each want to live our lives. We should be accepted for what we each want to do. It’s not a positive environment for me to want to be in every day when I feel like they’re so critical of me,” she said. “Every day I’m coming in, I’m like, ‘Why am I choosing to be in this environment?’ And I think I just reached my point of not being able to tolerate it anymore.”

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The episode concluded with her announcement that she had decided to "take a big step back from filming and really just pick and choose what I will allow cameras to follow."

Season 18 of Keeping Up with the Kardashians returns this September on E!