The Kardashian-Jenner family closed out another chapter of its reality TV journey on November 30, as The Kardashians aired its Season 4 finale (available to stream with a Hulu subscription). It was a pretty appropriate time to look back at where it all began, and Kim Kardashian seemingly still can’t believe how far they have all come in the past 16 years. She’s made no secret of how badly she wanted to be famous, and as she made viral comments about her level of celebrity, we looked back at what else Kim K has said about fame.
Kim Kardashian Says Her Family ‘Scammed The System’
The reflective conversation started on the episode “Buckle Up and Let's Go” as the family gathered to celebrate a big milestone for Scott Disick. The father of Kourtney Kardashian’s three oldest children hit the big 4-0, which made Kris Jenner reminisce about him being with them since “Episode 1, Season 1” of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Sure enough, Disick was just 24 years old when the E! reality show premiered, and thinking back on where they were then compared to now was incomprehensible to Kim Kardashian, who said:
We aren’t supposed to be here. You know? Like, how did we get in this cool party? We weren’t the cool kids. Like, how did we do it?
Is it possible that after all these years, Kim Kardashian still has a little bit of imposter syndrome? Scott Disick even called back to her first magazine cover — K9 Magazine — pointing out how much she’s accomplished since then, including becoming a lawyer, visiting the White House, having four children and starting a business that’s now worth $4 billion.
Kim Kardashian soaked in the fact that they had made it, telling those gathered at the birthday celebration:
We scammed the system. We did it. Whatever it is, we figured it out and we did it. We put in some hard work.
Scott Disick never imagined this future for them, saying that in 2007: “I was like, ‘This show’s going nowhere,’” but that was never going to be the case if Kim Kardashian had anything to do with it. She was hungry for wealth and fame, and she’s said as much several times over the years.
What Kim Has Said About Fame In The Past
Just last year Kim Kardashian spoke about her celebrity status on ABC News, admitting that she thought she was made for fame. She told Robin Roberts (via The Independent):
If you were to ask me years ago, when I first started my career, I would have done anything to be famous, I’m so open and honest about the fact that I love being famous. Some people are made for it better than others, I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel like I could handle it and if I didn’t feel like I was made for it.
Kim Kardashian has been accused of leaking her infamous sex tape with then-boyfriend Ray J back in 2007 as Keeping Up with the Kardashians was just starting, though she has adamantly denied those claims. Her momager Kris Jenner even took a lie detector test to set the record straight. However, Kardashian did admit in 2021 that she’d made sure to frequent places where she knew there would be paparazzi. During a KUWTK reunion, she said (via Cosmo):
I would stop off at Robertson's, I would stop off at the Ivy to pick up something to go, even if it was some bread to go. I think I can talk about it because it's so funny. I think people need to be more honest about those moments in life when you're just super desperate and want that.
In 2019 Kim Kardashian admitted in an interview for Vogue Arabia that it wasn’t just the fame she was after, either, but the fortune, saying:
Money was always the goal but I was obsessed with fame, like, embarrassingly obsessed… I do agree that fame can be addictive.
Going from being Paris Hilton’s closet organizer to the owner of a billion-dollar business does seem pretty surreal, so it’s kind of understandable why Kim Kardashian would refer to the family’s success as “scamming the system,” and she’s made similar comments in the past, explaining in 2022 why she had always viewed herself as an “underdog”:
Being on a reality show and that’s not respected. Feeling like I need to work harder to show you guys that I’m not the person you think.
As she said on The Kardashians finale, she put in that work, and now they not only get invited to the “cool party,” they’re often the ones throwing it. You can watch all four seasons of their current reality show on Hulu, and be sure to check out what else is new and coming soon to Hulu.
