When Kim Kardashian Said She's Family Empire's Brains, Not Kris Jenner: "Mom's Not the Puppet Master"

Kim Kardashian once disregarded her mother Kris Jenner and claimed credit for the Jenner family's everlasting fame and successful business dealings in a 2016 interview with Editorialist magazine. Kim revealed at the time, "It's so funny because I'll hear stories like, 'Kris Jenner is the puppet master, having all of her kids do this and that... And I'm like, 'If they only knew.' I'm the one that will be like, 'Kylie, do this. Kendall, you should do this.'"

As reported by the Daily Mail, she went on to explain the motivation for her decision to create her app and website. Kim explained, "I definitely see the shift from magazine to digital, and that's exactly what I envision. I did want my own avenue to tell my story, to show my fashion pics, to offer my beauty tips, my secrets. I was doing so many interviews with so many different magazines, and I would find that it wouldn't be written right or maybe the product was off or I didn't feel it was truly representing me." As part of the magazine's photo shoot, the reality queen wore a skimpy black one-piece and posted racy swimwear images on her website and app. Gilles Bensimon, a veteran fashion photographer who is well-known to viewers of America's Next Top Model, took the photos.

Despite Kim's assertions to the contrary, Kris was instrumental in her family's success in building an empire beyond anyone's wildest dreams. She revolutionized reality television with the debut of Keeping Up With The Kardashians on E! on October 14, 2007. It showed the family's struggles from the inside out and had some wild moments, including the season 18 opener when Kourtney and Kim got into an argument and Kim ended up bleeding. With a total of 285 episodes broadcast over 20 seasons, the program concluded in 2021. Forbes' second annual 50 Over 50 List celebrated women who demonstrate that success knows no age limits, and Kris was rightfully included on the list for turning her family into a household brand and her kids into entrepreneurs—all before she reached 50.

Nonetheless, Kris seems to have concluded that fame is not all that wonderful. In last year's episode of The Kardashians, Kris contemplated the cost of fame that she believes she imposed on her family. As reported by People, Kris told Kim at the time, "We’ve built this amazing life for ourselves and sometimes I feel like it can be a curse. Sometimes I feel like I've helped build something that can also be a burden. The haters, they’re so brutal sometimes. And I feel bad that I brought this element to our lives. It's hard, it’s a struggle." 

Kris then talked about feeling 'guilty' and added, "It weighs heavy on my heart a lot. Now sometimes I just feel guilty about the other side of the coin, that we’ve created this life, not only a big responsibility, but it also can be very negative." She went on to explain how the family had to deal with criticism every day. Kris stated, "I think that this life that we live, as beautiful as it, we get blamed for everything. Everything is our fault. I feel so bad for you guys that you have to bear that on certain days."