Kim Kardashian is a famous American reality TV star, social media influencer, and entrepreneur. She was born on October 21, 1980, which means she is currently 42 years old and will be turning 43 very soon.
She rose to fame in 2007 with her family’s E! reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which follows the daily lives of the Kardashian-Jenner clan.
She also runs her own beauty and fashion brands, KKW Beauty, KKW Fragrance, and SKIMS. In this article, we will explore Kim’s early life, career, personal life, and notable events.
Early Life and Career
Early Life and Education
Kimberly Noel Kardashian was born in Los Angeles to Robert and Kris Kardashian. Her siblings are Kourtney, Khloé, and Rob. Her father defended O.J. Simpson in his murder trial, while her mother was a housewife who eventually managed her children’s careers. Kim attended Los Angeles’ Roman Catholic all-girls Marymount High. After graduating in 1998, she temporarily attended Pierce College.
Career Beginnings (2003-2006)
Kim’s first exposure to the media was through her friendship with Paris Hilton, a socialite and heiress. She appeared in several episodes of Hilton’s reality show, The Simple Life, between 2003 and 2006. She also worked as a stylist and personal assistant for some celebrities, such as Brandy and Lindsay Lohan. In 2006, she opened a boutique called D-A-S-H with her sisters Kourtney and Khloé in Calabasas, California.
Breakthrough (2007-2010)
Kim’s fame skyrocketed in 2007 when a sex tape she made with her ex-boyfriend Ray J in 2002 was leaked online. She sued the company that distributed the tape, Vivid Entertainment, and settled for $5 million. Later that year, she and her family launched their own reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, on E! network. The show became a huge hit and spawned several spin-offs, such as Kourtney and Kim Take New York and Kourtney and Kim Take Miami.
Kim also ventured into other businesses and endorsements during this period. She launched her own fragrance line, Kim Kardashian, in 2009. She also released a workout DVD series called Fit in Your Jeans by Friday in 2009. She posed for Playboy magazine in 2007 and was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2010.
Continued Exposure (2011-2016)
Kim continued to expand her empire and influence in the 2010s. She married NBA player Kris Humphries in 2011 in a lavish ceremony that was televised as a two-part special on E! network. However, the marriage lasted only 72 days before Kim filed for divorce. In 2012, she started dating rapper Kanye West, who later became her third husband. They have four children together: North (born 2013), Saint (born 2015), Chicago (born 2018), and Psalm (born 2019).
Kim also launched her own mobile game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, in 2014, which became one of the most successful apps of the year. She also published a book of selfies called Selfish in 2015. She appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine with West in 2014 and broke the internet with her nude Paper magazine shoot in 2014.
Business and Acting Ventures (2017-present)
Kim has been focusing more on her business and acting ventures in recent years. She founded her own beauty brand, KKW Beauty, in 2017, which offers cosmetics and fragrances. She also launched her own shapewear line, SKIMS, in 2019, which offers inclusive and comfortable solutions for women of all sizes.
Kim has also pursued her passion for acting and producing. She made guest appearances on several TV shows and films, such as Ocean’s 8 (2018), Drop Dead Diva (2012), and American Dad! (2014), and American Horror Story: Delicate (2023). She also executive produced a documentary series called The Justice Project (2020), which follows her efforts to advocate for criminal justice reform.
Personal Life
Relationships
Kim has had several high-profile relationships in her life. She eloped with music producer Damon Thomas when she was 19 years old in 2000, but they divorced in 2004. She dated singer Ray J from 2005 to 2007, with whom she made the infamous sex tape. She also had brief romances with football player Reggie Bush (2007-2010), model Gabriel Aubry (2010), and basketball player Kris Humphries (2011).
Marriage and Divorces
Kim married rapper Kanye West in 2014 in a lavish ceremony in Italy. They have four children together: North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm. However, their marriage was plagued by rumors of infidelity, mental health issues, and political differences. Kim filed for divorce from West in 2021, citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce is still pending as of October 2023.
Family Life
Kim is very close to her family, especially her mother Kris, and her sisters Kourtney, Khloé, Kendall, and Kylie. They often appear on their reality show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which showcases their personal and professional lives. Kim is also a devoted mother to her four children, whom she often posts about on her social media accounts.
Political Views
Kim has been vocal about her political views and causes. She supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. She also met with former president Donald Trump in 2018 and 2019 to discuss criminal justice reform and clemency for some prisoners. She has also donated to various charities and organizations, such as the Armenian Genocide Recognition and Education Center, the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, and the American Foundation for AIDS Research.
Notable Events
Paris Robbery
One of the most traumatic events in Kim’s life was the Paris robbery in 2016. She was staying at a luxury apartment in Paris during Fashion Week when she was robbed at gunpoint by five masked men who tied her up and stole $10 million worth of jewelry from her. She managed to escape and call for help after the robbers left. She later revealed that she feared for her life and thought she would be raped or killed during the ordeal.
Activism
Kim has been active in advocating for social justice and human rights issues. She has used her platform to raise awareness and funds for various causes, such as the Armenian genocide, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also helped free several people from prison who were serving excessive sentences for nonviolent crimes, such as Alice Marie Johnson, Cyntoia Brown, and Momolu Stewart.
Awards and Achievements
Kim has received many awards and accolades for her work and influence. She has won several People’s Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards, MTV Movie & TV Awards, and Webby Awards for her reality show and social media presence. She has also been honored by Time magazine as one of the most influential people in the world in 2015 and by Forbes as one of the highest-paid celebrities in 2020. She has also been recognized by Harvard Business School as one of the most successful entrepreneurs of her generation.
