12 January 2024 , 09:00
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The Kardashian-Jenner clan skyrocketed to fame in the early 2000s and have fought their way to become one of America's most famous families over the last two decades.
Along the way, they've been involved in a number of controversies and their family drama has been shown to fans on the hit Hulu reality show The Kardashians. Before moving into showbusiness, Kim Kardashian made a name for herself when a sex tape was leaked which she made with her ex-boyfriend Ray J.
More drama followed as the Kardashians navigated their way through life. Khloe Kardashian found herself at the centre of a relationship scandal when it was revealed her boyfriend Tristan Thompson had cheated on her. Here, we've taken a look at some of the most explosive scandals to have surrounded the famous family.
Kim's sex tape
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Kim Kardashian made a sex tape with her ex-boyfriend Ray J (WireImage)
The tape was then leaked (Wireimage)The Kardashian family was thrown into the spotlight when Kim's sex tape with her ex-boyfriend Ray J was leaked. Speaking about the tape in the first ever episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kim said she made the tape because she was "horny and felt like it."
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Fans have long speculated that Kim's mum Kris Jenner was behind the leak and Ray J has added fuel to the rumours. During an Instagram live in 2022, he insisted Kris was behind the leak and picked out which version was going to be released. Kris has vehemently denied the claims.
'Fake' wedding
Kim was very briefly married to Kris Humphries (E!)Kim tied the knot with Kris Humphries on August 20, 2011, in a lavish ceremony that was broadcast as part of KUWTK. The couple had been dating for several months prior to their engagement and were married for just 72 days before Kim filed for divorce.
She cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the breakup. However, they were accused of using the marriage as a publicity stunt. Divorce documents obtained by The Daily Mail showed Kim was paid $1.1million (£864,000) for People magazine's access to exclusive engagement photos and $1million (£785,000) for airing the wedding on KUWTK.
Kim insisted the marriage was real and said differences didn't begin to show until their honeymoon. Kris also said the relationship was "100% real".
Tristan Thompson cheating
Tristan Thompson had an on-off relationship with Khloe Kardashian (GC Images)
He cheated on her while she was pregnant (Getty Images for Klutch Sports G)Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson began dating in September 2016, going Instagram official four months later. Khloe announced her first pregnancy in September 2017, but trouble hit when Tristan was seen kissing other women in a club just before Khloe gave birth. One woman even said she slept with him.
Despite the drama, Khloe chose to stay with him. But in 2019, things ended when Tristan kissed Kylie Jenner's best friend Jordyn Woods. Tristan worked hard to get Khloe back, and by August 2020, they were together again.
Rumours were swirling that the pair were planning to have a second child together. However, they split in December 2021 after it was revealed Tristan had cheated on Khloe again, this time having a son with personal trainer Maralee Nichols.
In July 2022, Khloe and Tristan shared the news that they were expecting their second child together as exes. On August 5, they welcomed a baby boy named Tatum.
Cultural appropriation
Kim Kardashian has been accused of cultural appropriation (GC Images)
She's also been accused of Blackfishing (@KimKardashian/Twitter)Kim is worth billions of dollars and she made a lot of her money by setting up her own businesses. In 2017, she launched KKW Beauty, but the launch was surrounded by controversy.
Some of the pictures she used for the promotional material showed her with a darker skin tone than she usually has. Fans slammed the reality star online and accused her of Blackfishing.
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Kim insisted this wasn't her intent with the photos. "I would obviously never want to offend anyone. I used an amazing photographer and a team of people. I was really tan when we shot the images, and it might be that the contrast was off," she told The New York Times later that month.
She added: "Of course, I have the utmost respect for why people might feel the way they did. But we made the necessary changes to that photo and the rest of the photos. We saw the problem, and we adapted and changed right away. Definitely, I have learned from it." However, the drama didn't stop there and she was slammed for cultural appropriation when she released Kimono, her shapewear brand that has since been renamed SKIMS.
Sister Kendall Jenner was also accused of cultural appropriation after launching her 818 tequila brand. In adverts for the brand's launch in 2021, Kendall could be seen riding a horse through a field wearing jeans, an open button-up shirt, a cowboy hat and her hair in two braids.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, one person slammed the look as "tone deaf" and "migrant worker chic". Another said: "Listen to us Mexicans when we tell you that this is wrong. [It] is our culture and we don't want a white woman profiting from our culture."
Khloe slammed for ableism
Khloe made light of OCD (khloekardashian/Instagram)Khloe has also faced her fair share of criticism and was called out by fans after creating a YouTube series about organisation, which she called Khlo-C-D. The title was a play on her name and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
OCD is a mental health condition in which a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. Fans were furious that Khloe had tried to downplay the disorder. "OCD is one of the top 10 most debilitating illnesses. You have a huge talent for organizing. You do beautiful work. But, that's not OCD. You have a huge platform. Use it to bring awareness," one person wrote on social media. Another said: "Please reconsider this title. It's harmful to those of us who live with OCD every day."
Extreme diet
Kim squeezed into Marilyn Monroe's dress for the Met Gala (AFP via Getty Images)
She had to undergo an extreme diet (Getty Images for The Met Museum/)When Kim attended the 2022 Met Gala, she stepped out wearing Marilyn Monroe's iconic gold dress, but her outfit almost didn't happen. She admitted that she had to lose 16lb in three weeks in order to fit into the gown and decided to turn to extreme dieting.
"It was such a challenge, it was like a role. I was determined, I was determined to fit in it. I would wear a sauna suit twice a day, run on the treadmill, completely cut out all sugar and all carbs, and just eat the cleanest veggies and protein. I didn’t starve myself, but I was so strict," she told Vogue.
Riverdale star Lili Reinhart later took to her Instagram story to slam Kim for promoting a dangerous mindset about weight loss. "To walk on a red carpet and do an interview where you say how starving you are… because you haven't eaten carbs in the last month…all to fit in a f***ing dress? So wrong. So f***ed on 100s of levels," she wrote.
The actress added: "To openly admit to starving yourself for the sake of the Met Gala. When you know very well that millions of young men and women are looking up to you and listening to your every word. The ignorance is other-worldly disgusting."