Kimberly Noel "Kim" Kardashian (born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, reality television star, model and occasional actress. She is known for starring in Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the E! reality series that she shares with her family, and its spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York.

 

Prior to the development of her career as a reality television star, Kardashian gained notoriety as the subject of a sex tape that subsequently resulted in a court awarding her $5 million. She has been involved in the production of several lines of clothing and fragrances. In 2010, she was the highest earning reality star, with estimated earnings of $6 million. In August 2011, Kardashian married basketball player Kris Humphries in a widely publicized ceremony. In October 2011, Kardashian filed for divorce.

 

Life and career

Early life

Kardashian was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of attorney Robert Kardashian and his wife Kris Kardashian (née Houghton). Her father was a third generation Armenian American. Her paternal great-grandparents, Sam and Harom Kardaschoff, were ethnic Armenian Molokan Jumpers from Karakale, Kars, Russian Empire (now Turkey). They migrated to the United States in 1913, just before the Armenian Genocide.Her mother is of Dutch and Scottish descent.

 

Kardashian has two sisters, Kourtney and Khloé, and one brother, Robert. She has stepbrothers Burton Jenner, Brandon Jenner, and reality TV star Brody Jenner, step-sister Casey Jenner, and half-sisters Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner.She graduated from Marymount High School in 1998.

 

In 2000, Kardashian married music producer Damon Thomas; their relationship ended in divorce in 2004. Subsequently she dated R&B singer Ray J, NFL star Reggie Bush and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin. She also dated model Gabriel Aubry.

 

2003–07: Controversy and reality television

In February 2007, a home sex video that she made with singer Ray J in 2003 was leaked.Vivid Entertainment bought the rights for $1 million and released the film as Kim Kardashian: Superstar on February 21. Kardashian sued Vivid for ownership of the tape. In late April 2007, Kardashian dropped the suit and settled with Vivid Entertainment for $5 million.

 

Kardashian was a friend of Paris Hilton, who introduced her to the socialite scene. Her first acting role was in the television series Beyond the Break. In October 2007, along with her two sisters, mother, brother, half-sisters, and stepfather she starred in the E! television series, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. As of September 2012, the series has aired 89 episodes over seven seasons. On April 24, 2012 E! signed a new three year deal worth $50 Million with the Kardashian family that will keep the series on the air through the ninth season.The series' success has led to three spin-offs of which Kim has appeared in each: Kourtney and Kim Take New York, Khloé & Lamar and Kourtney and Kim Take Miami.

 

2007–12: Modeling and retail

Kardashian co-owns a clothing boutique called DASH with her sisters Kourtney and Khloé with locations located in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami.In December 2007, Kardashian posed nude for Playboy. In February 2008, Bongo Jeans announced that she would be their face model.She has also modeled for Carl's Jr., Sugar Factory lollipops, and various other products.

 

Kardashian starred in the 2008 disaster film spoof Disaster Movie as Lisa, and appeared in the How I Met Your Mother episode "Benefits". She also appeared on the Season 3 premiere of the series 90210 with her sisters Khloé and Kourtney; they all played themselves.Kardashian was a guest hostess of WrestleMania XXIV and appeared as a guest judge during Cycle 13 of America's Next Top Model. On December 16, 2009, Kardashian made a guest star appearance on CBS's CSI: NY with Vanessa Minnillo. In 2009 she had a cameo as club bouncer in the 2009 porn film spoof Deep in the Valley.

 

Kardashian was one of 13 participants on the seventh season of Dancing with the Stars.She was partnered with Mark Ballas and was the third contestant voted off the show on September 30, 2008, finishing in 11th place overall. Sanford Siegal, the creator of the Cookie Diet, sued Kardashian, claiming she defamed him on Twitter. According to Siegal, Kardashian tweeted in October 2009 that he was "falsely promoting" that she was on the cookie diet. Siegal filed a claim in a Florida state court claiming the statements are false and defamatory. He also alleges that Kardashian was on QuickTrim's payroll when she posted the tweet. Kardashian's tweet appears to stem from an article on CookieDiet.com, that named Kardashian as one of many celebrities who saw positive results on the diet. Kardashian sent a cease-and-desist order to Siegal, demanding the link be removed.

 

Kardashian has released five fragrances, "Kim Kardashian" in 2009, "Gold" and "Kim Kardashian Love" in 2011, and "Glam" and "True Reflection" in 2012.In March 2009, Kardashian launched an endorsement with ShoeDazzle shopping,of which she is the co-founder and chief fashion stylist.The following month on April 9, 2009, Kardashian released a workout DVD series, Fit In Your Jeans By Friday, with trainers Jennifer Galardi and Patrick Goudeau.In September 2009, Fusion Beauty and Seven Bar Foundation launched "Kiss Away Poverty", with Kardashian as the face of the campaign. For every LipFusion lipgloss sold, $1 went to the Foundation to fund women entrepreneurs in the US.In 2011 Kardashian and her sisters opened their Kardashian Khaos store in Las Vegas.

 

She has also been featured on numerous magazine covers including Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmo, Marie Claire, Allure, and People MagazineFamous Cupcakes, a Los Angeles bakery, created a vanilla cupcake mix for Kardashian. The cupcake flavor is called Va-Va-Va-Nilla. Kardashian has also created jewelry along with her sisters, Khloé and Kourtney. They produced a collection for Virgins, Saints, and Angels in 2010.

 

Again with her sisters, Kardashian has released various clothing lines. One called K-Dash was to be sold on QVC in 2010 and in the same year they produced a range for Bebe. Together with her sisters she has created a new collection called the Kardashian Kollection, which encompasses everything from clothing and bedding to plus sizes and eye wear. In 2012 it was launched internationally.In addition, Kardashian and her sisters created a sunless tanner called Kardashian Glamour Tan in 2010. On July 1, 2010, the New York City branch of Madame Tussauds revealed a wax figure of Kardashian.

 

2010–present: Marriage and other projects

In November 2012 Kardashian and her sisters launched Khroma Beatuy, their line of cosmetics. Kardashian is the producer of The Spin Crowd, a reality television show about Command PR, a New York City public relations firm, run by Jonathan Cheban and Simon Huck. The show follows them as they settle into their new offices in Los Angeles. Kardashian is friends with both, specifically Cheban, and frequently appears on her reality shows. She also appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on September 12, 2010.She also appeared in and was the subject and judge of a task on the ninth episode of Season 10 of The Apprentice in 2010; the two teams had to create an in-store display for her new perfume line, to be sold at Perfumania.Kim, Kourtney, and Khloé wrote an autobiography entitled Kardashian Konfidential, which was released in stores on November 23, 2010 and was a New York Times bestseller.

 

In April 2010, Kardashian sparked controversy over the way she held a cat for a photograph.The same year, animal rights organization PETA criticized Kardashian for repeatedly wearing fur coats, and named her as one of the five worst people or organizations of 2010 when it came to animal welfare.

 

In December 2010, Kardashian filmed a music video for a song titled "Jam (Turn It Up)". The video was directed by Hype Williams; Kanye West makes a cameo in the video.Kardashian premiered the song during a New Year's Eve party at TAO Las Vegas on December 31, 2010.The song was produced by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. When asked if an album is in the works, Kardashian replied, "There's no album in the works or anything—just one song we did for Kourtney and Kim Take New York, and a video Hype Williams directed, half of the proceeds we're giving away to a cancer foundation, because The-Dream's and one of my parents passed away from cancer. It's just all having fun—with a good cause".Jim Farber, writing for the Daily News, called the song a "dead-brained piece of generic dance music, without a single distinguishing feature," and suggested that the single made Kardashian the "worst singer in the reality TV universe."

 

Kardashian's 2010 earnings were the highest among Hollywood-based reality stars, being estimated at $6 million.

 

Kardashian has supported the recognition of the Armenian Genocide on numerous occasions and has encouraged Barack Obama and the United States government to consider its acknowledgement. On April 21, 2011, a few days before the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, she wrote about the issue on her blog in an effort to put it under spotlight and also sent a tweet to her fans urging its recognition.

 

Kardashian began dating NBA player Kris Humphries of the New Jersey Nets in October 2010. They became engaged in May 2011, and married on August 20, 2011, in Montecito, California. A two-part TV special showing the preparations and the wedding itself aired on E! in early October 2011, amidst what the Washington Post called a "media blitz" related to the wedding. After 72 days of marriage, Kardashian filed for divorce from Humphries on October 31, 2011, citing irreconcilable differences. After filing for the divorce, Kardashian asked the court to order Humphries to pay his own legal expenses. On December 1, 2011, Humphries filed his response to Kardashian's petition, requesting an annulment on the grounds of fraud or if the court will not grant an annulment, a decree of legal separation rather than Kardashian's requested divorce.

 

Several news outlets have surmised that Kardashian's marriage to Humphries was merely a publicity stunt to promote the Kardashian family's brand and their subsequent television ventures.Her former publicist has also claimed that her short-lived wedding was indeed staged and a ploy to generate money. Kardashian has since filed suit against him, saying his claims were untrue.A widely circulated petition asking to remove all Kardashian related programing off the air has been followed since their split. In March 2012, Kardashian and her sisters Kourtney and Khloe were named in a $5 million class action lawsuit against QuickTrim, the weight loss supplement they endorse.The complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses the Kardashians (along with QuickTrim’s manufacturer, Windmill Health Products; the retailer GNC; and others in the sales and marketing chain) of false and deceptive marketing of the diet aid. The plaintiffs, hailing from several states, brought claims under their respective states’ consumer protection laws.

 

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	Kim Kardashian: Superstar	Herself	Adult film
2007–present	Keeping Up with the Kardashians	Herself	TV series
2008	Dancing with the Stars	Herself	TV series
2008	Disaster Movie	Lisa Taylor
2009	CSI: NY	Debbie Fallon	TV series (1 episode: "Second Chances")
2009, 2010, 2013–present	Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami	Herself	TV series (5 episodes)
2009	America's Next Top Model	Herself	TV series (1 episode: "Interview 101")
2009	Deep in the Valley	Summa Eve
2009	How I Met Your Mother	Herself	TV series (1 episode: "Benefits")
2009	Beyond the Break	Elle	TV series (4 episodes)
2010	90210	Herself	TV series (1 episode: "Senior Year, Baby")
2011	Khloé & Lamar	Herself	TV series (3 episodes)
2011–present	Kourtney and Kim Take New York	Herself	TV series (18 episodes)
2011	America's Next Top Model	Herself	TV series (1 episode: "LaToya Jackson")
2012	Drop Dead Diva	Nikki LePree	TV series (4 episodes)
2012	Last Man Standing	Herself	TV series (1 episode: "Tree of Strife")
2012	30 Rock	Herself	TV series (1 episode: "Live From Studio 6H")
2012	Punk'd	Herself	TV series (1 episode)
2013	The Marriage Counselor	Ava