How Did Kim Kardashian Became Famous?

Kim Kardashian never went to college. She dropped out of high school. She has never released a music album. She is not an actress.

So, how did Kim Kardashian became famous? Well, many people will tell you that she is “famous just because she is famous”.

Kim Kardashian is everywhere and she is heavily diversified. She published books, has appeared on the cover of Vogue, launched an app, started in a popular reality TV show, has a clothing line, a perfume, and much more.

With more than 106 million followers on Instagram, she is one of the most popular celebrities in Hollywood.

Many people say that the answer to how did Kim Kardashian became famous should be looked in her sex tape. But she is not famous only because she made a sex tape that was leaked on the internet.

The fact of the matter is that Kim has managed to overcome the violation and refuses to disappear in a society that has tried to belittle and shame her for more than 10 years. That right there is more than enough to be famous.

The reason why Kim is famous is because she is a marketing genius. She never went to college or got a BA in marketing, but she is a marketing genius. And the product she markets is herself.

She also has famous connections thanks to her father, who was a big-shot lawyer in LA, part of OJ Simpson case. Kim attended pre-school with Paris Hilton, and for her 14th birthday, she held a party at the Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch.

Her rule for marriage? If you do not succeed at first, try, and try again. Third luck is the charm for Kim.

She first got married at the age of 20, when she eloped with music producer Damon Thomas. They divorced after four years. In 2011, she married NBA player Kris Humphries, and divorced him after only 72 days. She married Kanye in 2014, after few years of dating.

Kim’s timeline to stardom

If you want to know the answer to the question how did Kim Kardashian became famous, you need to look at the timeline of her rise to stardom. Here are some important dates.

June 1994 – Her family name becames publicly known as her father Robert Kardashian is one of the defenders in the OJ Simpson case. Her father was a close friend with the former NFL player.

2000 – Kim marries music producer Damon Thomas.

October 2004 – At the age of 24, she starts her career as a fashion stylist to the stars. Her career rises when she is hired by Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton.

June 2006 – She lands her first role as an actress, for a cameo in Beyond the Break.

June 2006 – Kim is featured in several episodes of The Simple Life, a show following Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie.

July 2006 – She opens her first luxury clothing store along with her sisters Khloe and Kourtney in Calabasas, California. The store sells clothes, lingerie, and accessories from different labels.

February 2007 – Her famous sex tape leaks online. The sex tape features Kim and Ray J, with Porn company Vivid Entertainment buying the rights. The sex tape leaks via TMZ, and is later released as a 41-minute home movie, called “Kim Kardashian, Superstar”. Kim initially sues to prevent the movie from being released, but then settles the suit for $5 million

October 2007 – Her reality show “Keeping up with the Kardashians” airs for the first time on E!

December 2007 – Following the motto that sex sells, Kim poses nude for Playboy. In the interview, she says “I am proud to show people who I am”

October 2010 – She releases her first signature perfume, titled “Kim Kardashian”

January 2011 – She stars in the new reality show, Kourtney and Kim Take New York, and the episode follows the sisters moving to NYC to open their third store

March 2011 – She releases her first and only music video for the single Jam

February 2012 – Kim joins Instagram, and starts building her army of followers. They greatly improve her image as a celebrity. Kim now has more than 106 million followers

June 2013 – The reality show Keeping up the with the Kardashians, the show airs its 100th episode, and is now in the eight season

June 2014 – She launches her video game for both iPhone and Android phones. The game, titled “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood”, makes more than $1.5 million in the first five days of release

Some Quick Facts

Just so you get an understanding how famous Kim is, let’s look at some facts. It does not matter how Kim Kardashian became famous, now that is she is a celebrity, she is reaping the benefits. And looking at these numbers, you would love to became famous as well.

1. Kim is the highest paid reality star in TV history. According to Forbes, her net worth is estimated at $45.5 million. That is only $5 million drop from her record high in 2016 at $51 million, despite a robbery

2. Her reality TV show, Keeping up with the Kardashians, is the longest running reality TV show in history. The show runs for more than a decade. Kim is executive producer and focal point of the show

3. Her wedding day with Kris Humphries is still the most watched day in E! programming history. Remember, she was married to Kris for only 72 days

4. Keeping up with the Kardashians has aired more than 200,000 minutes of program till now

5. Kim Kardashian has no taboo topics. She allowed her fertility struggles to be documented that the audience saw even the vaginal examinations, IVF treatments and much more

6. Kim is one of the rare celebrities that is not afraid to post nude selfies on Instagram and other social media

7. After she was criticized for her nude selfies, she took a stand a posted an essay in which she wrote “The body-shaming and slut-shaming, it’s like, enough is enough. I will not live my life dictated by the issues you have with my sexuality. You be you, and let me be me”

8. Kim was one of the first celebrities to harness the power of social media. She joined Twitter in early 2009, and used it for self-promotion, connectivity with fans, and focus groups for projects

9. Her mobile game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood has been downloaded more than 45 million times, played for over 5.7 billon minutes, and generated $160 million

10. When she released her personalized emojis, Apple Store crashed

11. Kim and Kanye are the first interracial couple that has appeared on the cover of Vogue. It is just one example how she is constantly breaking barriers

12. She donated the money from her single Jam (Turn it Up) to cancer research

13. Every year, Kim Kardashian donates 10% of her earning to charity

14. She also donated the value of the gifts she received from her wedding to Kris Humphries (estimated at over $200,000) to the Dream Foundation