Keeping Up With The Kardashians first aired in 2007 and since then has launched the Kardashian-Jenner clan to worldwide success. Even though it can be said that all the cast members are stars in their own right, it was always assumed by audiences that Kim Kardashian was always meant to be the main star of the show.
However, in recent years it has come to light that Kim wasn't actually meant to be the main star of the show and that E! wasn't even keen to commission the show if two of the family members didn't sign up, even though Kim was always for starring in a reality TV show.
Not All The Kardashians Were On Board At First
Where the cameras followed their every move and all the family seemingly completely okay with this (apart from when Rob slowly started to disappear from the show after season seven), it's hard to imagine that any of them were never okay with everything about their lives being broadcast to the world.
The most consistent cast members of the show have been Kris Jenner and three of her daughters, Kourtney, Kim, and Khloé Kardashian. Even though towards the end of KUWTK, Kourtney appeared to no longer want to do the show anymore, it might be surprising for fans to hear that two of those cast members didn't want to appear on the show in the first place.
In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Khloé revealed that she and Kourtney initially weren't too keen on having cameras following their every move; which caused E! to say that unless the two sisters were onboard with the show then they weren't going to commission it.
Those who have watched the show since it first started will remember that it often featured two of the family's clothing stores, Smooch and DASH. Both Kourtney and Khloé were regularly seen working in both stores and it often caused arguments between all three sisters over the amount of effort each one was putting into their work.
However, it was due to these stores that were why Kourtney and Khloé were reluctant to star on KUWTK in the first place. Khloé said in the interview that because the two sisters were so committed to working in their stores that they didn't want being on the show to take away from that.
Airing this worry to the show's producers, they reassured her and Kourtney that they would be able to film inside the stores for the show, and therefore, the girls were able to do both.
Both agreed, and it's just as well they did because, without them, so many iconic moments of the show would never have existed.
KUWTK Wasn't Necessarily About Kim
Despite the show seemingly not initially being planned to go ahead unless all the family members were on board, while this makes sense as the show was meant to be about all the family members, the show seems to have a particular focus on Kim, particularly in the earlier seasons.
In fact, before the opening titles have even started, the very first episode starts with a scene with Kim being the main subject. The show opens with Kim being teased by her family when she's about to go on a photo shoot, showing the family drama viewers could expect to see throughout the rest of the series.
Even after the opening titles have ended, the show still has a keen focus on Kim because the next scene is Kim and Kris discussing the possibility of Kim appearing on The Tyra Banks Show. This also causes more family drama as the other family members start role-playing how they think the interview would go.
However, what this shows is even though it appears that Kim ended up being the leading star of the show, the show wouldn't have been at all possible without any of her family members; which appears to be better demonstrated in later seasons as they all seem to have an equal share of the limelight.
It was also Kourtney that helped to change the face of the show after she became pregnant with her son Mason, with scenes depicting the pregnancy starting in season four. Her pregnancy gave the family and the show more to talk about and could also entice viewers about massive moments that were going to happen, and it was during this period that their ratings improved massively.
This set the stage for other 'storylines' within the show, such as Khloé's wedding to Lamar Odom and Kim's wedding to Kris Humphries, and these, including Kourtney's pregnancy, were also incorporated into various magazine deals and photo shoots to help drum up more interest and viewers for the show.
When you take these factors into consideration, coupled with the fact that Khloé was known for being the sister who didn't hold back from airing her true thoughts and feelings, leading to many iconic lines in the show, it's pretty clear to see that while Kim may have been seen as the star of the show, it was actually her sisters that helped pave the way for the show's success.
What's Next For The Kardashians?
Whilst KUWTK may have come to an end in 2021 after twenty seasons, the family still seems to be going from strength to strength and still has a very strong presence on social media and in the mainstream media.
In fact, after deciding to end the show and seeing the outpouring and love from their fans, the family decided to revive the show under a different name, The Kardashians, in 2022, and it's now available on Hulu and Disney+.
So whilst KUWTK may no longer be with us, the Kardashians are still as present as ever and are still giving viewers plenty of iconic moments to watch on their new show.
