Kim Kardashian on Her First Job, Reality TV Fame, and the Paris Robbery
The Kardashian-Jenner family has been a part of our lives — and our TV routines — for fifteen seasons. Keeping Up With the Kardashians debuted on E! way back in 2007, but according to star sister Kim Kardashian West, she knew she and her family were destined for reality TV fame years before that.
Kim opened up to Weathsimple magazine in an essay about her financial life, and one of the many nuggets she revealed was that her reality TV dreams began when she was still in elementary school.
“When I was like 11, 12 years old and The Real World came out, I told my best friend, ‘Oh I need to be on a reality show,’” she remembered. “I was like, ‘We’re going to sign up for The Real World.’ And she was like, ‘Okay, well I’m not, but I’ll help you make your audition tape.’ And I was like, that’s it.”
It all came full-circle for Kim when her own show was launched, as KUWTK producer Jonathan Murray is also one of the creators of the pioneering MTV reality series.
Though Kim had a celebrity vision for her family from a young age, it didn’t mean she didn’t have to work. Both of her parents stressed the importance of working for the things you want and being responsible with money, something Kim says she carries with her today.
“I got a job when I was 16. It was at a clothing store,” she said. “I had crashed my car, and before I got another car my dad made me sign a contract that if I hit the car I was responsible for taking care of it. I had no money, so I had to go get a job, pay for it.” Her first job was at a trendy California clothing store called Body, which Kim remembered was similar to the Kardashian sisters’ now-closed boutique DASH. In addition to the store, she worked in her dad’s office and had an eBay business too.
“I always was working. I never asked people for money. That was never really my thing. I always just figured it out,” Kim said. “The way that my parents taught me was, ‘Hey, when you’re 18, you’ve seen this lifestyle, I’m sure you’re going to want to upkeep it. If you’re going to want to live this way you’re going to have to get a job.’” Clearly, Kim did figure it out and is now one of the most famous people in the world. With a successful TV show, a tech business, and a beauty line, there’s basically nothing Kim can’t do at this point.
Kim also opened up about how fame has changed her life, especially since the Paris robbery in 2016. She said the robbery lasted “probably seven or eight minutes,” and that the burglars knew what they were after — her jewelry. “I was specifically targeted and had been followed for like two years. I figured they had done their research through social media.”
Now, Kim tries to keep things more private, while still letting her fans and followers into her life. “I never say my whereabouts. And if I do, I make sure there is tons of security outside,” she explained. “I will do something, save it, and then post it when I leave. I think I really attribute that experience that I had in Paris to helping me shut down and completely not worry about the digital world and live in the moment and at home and with my kids and my family and my husband.”
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