Kris Jenner discusses greed, work ethic, Bruce Jenner & Costco with the NYT

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Lucifer sighed as he got yet another text from his most devoted minion. “What is it now?” he muttered to himself. “Christ, she wants a profile in the New York Times?!” Lucifer gently massaged his horns. This was going to be a tough one.

But Lucifer managed to get it done. The New York Times Magazine profiled Kris Jenner, all by herself. No kids, no lover, no husband. It is all about Kris and how great Kris is and how she’s a brilliant businesswoman and manager. I sat here and read the whole thing and… it wasn’t terrible. I mean, Kris Jenner is an awful person generally speaking, but she has a few admirable traits. She’s incredibly organized, almost to an OCD-level. She’s also really, really good with money and money management and The Hustle. So… props to her, I guess. You can read the full NYT piece here. Here are some of the moments I found interesting:

She met Robert Kardashian when she was 17 and he was 28. He pursued her then but she wanted to explore the world. They met again a few years later and she married him when she was 22. He filed for divorce when she was 30 because she had an affair with a soccer player (and he found out about it). He cut her off financially.

Robert Sr. only agreed to a quickie divorce when Bruce Jenner came to him and asked him for one on Kris’s behalf. Bruce told Robert that they didn’t want his money.

Kris took over Bruce’s management as a motivational speaker and Olympic athlete for hire. Kris says, “It was a mix of blood, sweat and tears, enthusiasm, determination and just never sleeping and getting the word out there.” Soon Bruce was making a lot of money with Kris’s help.

Why she thought a reality show about her family would resonate: “Like, there’s the little girls, and there’s the older girls, and then there’s my son. Everybody thinks that they could create a bunch of drama in their lives, but it’s something that I felt I didn’t even have to think about. It would be natural.”

Kim’s sex tape & how it affected KUWTK: “That was a smaller seed than people seemed to think.”

All of the promotional & endorsement work for her children: “It doesn’t mean that we’re always looking for more or that we’re greedy. There’s a lot of people that have great ideas and dreams and whatnot, but unless you’re willing to work really, really hard, and work for what you want, it’s never going to happen. And that’s what’s so great about the girls. It’s all about their work ethic.”

Bruce’s transition: “At the end of the day, I just want him to be happy. He’s going to find his happiness, and he’s going to have his journey.”
She loves Costco: “Costco is a passion,” she told me. “Costco is like a massage.” She wanted to pick out the salmon with the herb butter on her own. She wanted to feel around for the best avocados. She did not trust anyone else to check the date stamp on the oatmeal-raisin cookies to see which were baked most recently. “They have the most amazing dog beds,” she said. “Don’t even get me started.” And the specials! “During the summer, there’ll be a fabulous surfboard. I don’t surf, but I’ve got to buy a surfboard. I mean, that’s how crazy I am.”

How controlling she is: “I guess if I get a little weird about something that isn’t the way I want it, and I complain, then it’s called controlling. I like everything a certain way. I’m not somebody who can just lay back and let it happen. That’s never going to happen for me. And I think that’s what’s gotten me to where I am in life, at the same time. I can’t turn it on and off.”

[From The NY Times]

The New York Times didn’t really press her about some issues, nor did it really seem like the editors were trying to build in some condemnation. Well, okay, they do compare the Kardashians to metastasized cancer at one point. But it was said more like… wow, the landscape of celebrity has changed so much and the Jenner-Kardashians clan plays the game really well. Basically, Lucifer did a solid for his main homegirl.

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Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

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63 Responses to “Kris Jenner discusses greed, work ethic, Bruce Jenner & Costco with the NYT”

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  1. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    What bothers me about this and the Kardashians in general is this – yes, they hustle and work hard. But what are they achieving or creating with their work? Celebrity and money. That’s all. Most people work to make money, and there’s nothing wrong with that. You have to eat. But they aren’t contributing anything to the world or even to their own spirits by what they do. They aren’t doing something they love, or making something useful, or creating beauty, or helping others, or anything real. It’s all for fame and money, and that seems so empty to me. I don’t want to live in a world where people are famous for no reason other than they are willing to degrade themselves to any extent for publicity. Why are we rewarding that?

    • Judyk says:

      Mansions for teenagers who didn’t even finish high school…isn’t that what life is all about.

      Great post.

    • BengalCat2000 says:

      You said it all GNAT. I cannot understand this family. They are celebrated for their lack of education, willingness to film every minute detail of their lives, lie about multiple plastic surgeries and promote a child sleeping with a loser. Someone is buying into their crap because they are never going away.

    • Kiddo says:

      They are promotional; a promotion for a promotion. An ad advertising an ad, a commercial for a commercial. A robo call, redialing 30 times a day, with no one on the line, and nothing to sell. They are stucco on a facade, with no building inside. They are an irritating jingle of a repetitive chorus that never leads to a bridge. They are the tax bill that collects when the property has already defaulted. They are a toll on a bridge that goes nowhere.

      • mimif says:

        I feel like there should be some 🎶🎶 with your post, or perhaps a little leprechaun, or maybe Bob Dylan. It’s so ironically catchy.

      • Indira says:

        This is very Chuck Palahaunik esque. Love it!

      • cakecakecake says:

        Well said @Kiddo

        I’ve run out of comments on this vile, lying circus act.

      • MtnRunner says:

        mimif, have you seen the numbers the Dragonflies posted on the last Hiddles thread? You HODOR lovers have competition…

        It’s on, girl. IT’S ON!

      • mimif says:

        Ha! Yes, the one where he’s dating an Olsen? I saw the ticker and did have a little giggle…but Monday will be OURS after Kaiser’s recap! (Actually, not sure we have much more to discuss on the GoT threads, we’ve beat that couch dead like a mountain climber.) 😉

      • TeaAndSympathy says:

        Great post Kiddo! Abstract, yet spot on. It reminds me of the Bad Religion song, “Incomplete”…
        “I’m a lock without a key
        A city with no door
        A prayer without faith
        A show without a score.
        I’m a bad wink, a nod, a shiver, an untold story, sex without fury, a creeping gray misery –
        I. Am. Incomplete…”

    • Nicolette says:

      Perfect comment. Your description of this family is spot on.

    • fee says:

      Well said….posing buck naked, over and over again. Fame for accomplishing what? Selling their names on products. I love how they and all other celebrities decide to write a book, or lend their name to clothes perfume…and they call themselves authors or designers,lol.

    • judyjudyjudy says:

      I hear ya, but they wouldn’t be famous and continue to be famous if people weren’t following them and spending money on them with every single click of an article or blog post. They make a lot of money for other talentless people too. Frankly, it’s genius. I don’t watch the shows, I don’t read much about them, and yet they are inescapable and here I am commenting. Hate em all ya want, they win.

      • Kiddo says:

        In this case, it’s clicks for CB. Unless CB has some agreement whereby they collect money based on clicks. There’s nothing genius about it. It’s attention via the lowest common denominator coupled with never ending promotion. The motivation to look is the same for people rubbernecking at an accident scene, or watching a dramatic couple’s argument in a supermarket.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        I agree that they have a following. That’s what bothers me the most. They win as far as they are concerned, because they are getting what they value most – money and attention. But I think their success is bad for everyone else because we are creating this false sense of what’s important in life. People envy them. I wouldn’t trade places with them for anything in the world.

      • TrustMOnThis says:

        Kiddo, they DO make money for the site via the ads. And I’m sure CB & co look at their stats. Why do you think three of the scant weekend stories offered are about them? No one likes them but they bring in the dosh.

  2. mimif says:

    Great post, GutenNamen, well said.

    I’m blaming my insomnia for a) even bothering to read this article and b) agreeing with Kris that Costco really does have fabulous dog beds.

  3. Ana says:

    The beginning is so funny. And I guess GNAT’s comments said it all. These people not only contribute nothing to society but damage it in the process. Although they are also a symptom of our current times. They are both cause and consequence in my eyes.

    Costco is cool. That’s the only thing I agree with. But the membership is too high for a place I would sporadically go to.

    Now on the she’s almost OCD part…yeah I wish it was so. I have OCD and I am actually quite disorganized and have been trying to be better at it. OCD doesn’t equal being super organized like so many people believe.

    • BengalCat2000 says:

      @ Ana, I have OCD as well and am very disorganized. It’s mostly the same racing thoughts over and over again. I’m on meds but it’s still pretty awful.

      • Ana says:

        I can totally relate. I have the same issues as you. It truly is hard, which is why I believe we should be proud of ourselves. 🙂

      • BengalCat2000 says:

        You are right Ana! We live with our illness and thrive! One cool thing is that I remember dates with total recall. Tell me your birthday and I’ll remember it forever. 😊

      • Lady D says:

        I can remember numbers. I’m especially good with phone numbers. I can remember my phone # when I was 7, and our street address at 15. Every phone # I’ve ever had. I also know my son’s, my ex, and mine, SS numbers, medical card numbers, birth certificates, DL’s, etc. Ditto bank account #’s and PINS. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember names if my life depended on it. When I worked selling advertising, I was always grateful when the business owner had business cards on the counter, otherwise I was hooped when it came to remembering their names.

    • Ana says:

      @Bengal

      Jealous! I am bad with birthdates, thank God for Facebook 😉

  4. NewWester says:

    What is going on around Kris Jenner’s eyes?
    Kaiser, that is about the funniest beginning to a post I have read in ages!
    “Lucifer sighed as he got yet another text from his most devoted minion” I was laughing so much I am in pain!

    • Nicolette says:

      Her face is just beginning to look downright evil. Whatever lurks within this woman is starting to show on her face.

      • Ana says:

        Yep. I was looking at the pictures again and thinking that she totally gives me narcissist vibes. She scares me.

      • Sea Dragon says:

        “Downright evil”
        That’s exactly what I thought when looking at her. It’s in the eyes. Maybe it’s the tox altering her natural features, her eye makeup, a combination of the two or it’s real. She’s a scary woman.

      • jwoolman says:

        My first thought when looking at the pics was that Kris is looking especially demonic in them.

      • shanti says:

        I thought that too.. all she needs are the horns .. she is evil looking…really wish this family would go away… All of them !!!!

    • Sea Dragon says:

      So embarrassing. I know it doesn’t matter to anyone else but I’m compelled to say it anyway. I’ve been half asleep while commenting lately and I’m repeating words I just read. Next time: caffeine.
      Something different- those earrings are atrocious.

    • bondbabe says:

      That header pic scares me!!! Evil incarnate….

  5. dragonlady sakura says:

    Lucifer better watch his back! Kris has already conquered the living world, the underworld has to be next.

    • NewWester says:

      He is just waiting for a good buyout package so he can retire. He knows better than go up against Kris

    • Nicolette says:

      She has sold the souls of not only herself but her entire family, and will likely do the same with her grandchildren. She’s been working hard for that seat on the throne.

  6. RJ says:

    Shame on the NYT for legitimizing this brand of do nothing, famous for nothing else than being famous type of “celebrity”. We ignored Paris Hilton and she {sort of} went away, can’t we do the same with these mediawhores?

  7. Lilacflowers says:

    Her daughter is about to flunk out of high school and she’s home-schooled. Somebody’s “work ethic” is not up to par.

    • katP says:

      yes, but she’s raking in that $$$, perhaps for PMK that’s more important than silly education

      • Lilacflowers says:

        But PMK won’t be around forever. That girl is ill-prepared for life and a 17 year old’s job is to finish high school, not rake in money. Both parents have failed miserably

  8. minx says:

    Hideous woman, inside and out.

  9. eknasok says:

    NYT and plain tittytainment.

  10. Chrissy says:

    What’s happened to the NYT? They’ve sure covered some crap lately. Between Nick Loeb and this hideous family, I guess times are tough for the newspaper industry. So much for a well-respected newspaper! Yuck.

  11. Michelle says:

    This woman is 59 years old and she looks about 75… this is the result of continually messing with your face through the years beginning at a young age. Kylie should take note since she is 17 and looks 30.

    So Robert Kardashian was 11 years Kris’ senior? Makes a lot more sense now as to why no one in this family sees a problem with Kylie being 17 and Tyga being 25. It’s funny, because I’m sure they all consider Kris and Robert’s relationship to be a success story, but Kris cheated on her older husband with a man her own age. Maybe if she had been with a man her own age from the start, her relationship would’ve faired better.

    As for the NY Times acknowledging this family: Kim was included in Time magazine’s 100 most influential people, as well as some other honor for strong or important women. This is really just the aftermath of the public keeping these people famous, which kind of forces the media to take them somewhat seriously. We’re nearing the 10 year mark that their TV show has been around and it remains one of the most popular things out there. It is ridiculous, but their fans are rabid; Kim put out an app and it has made millions, Kim put out a book with pictures of herself in it and people are actually buying it. Anything with their names or faces on it is actually marketable. As long as the public continues to support these people and keep them around, the media is only going take them more and more seriously because it’s profitable and because they are clearly what people like since they’ve been around this long.

    The huge problem with this family that I personally feel more people should be outraged about is that their fan base is young and their message is awful. They get praise for being beautiful, having cartoonishly “curvy” bodies that aren’t even natural, and they’re now being praised for being incredibly smart business women all because they’ve managed to become and remain rich and famous for doing absolutely nothing. For their young, teenaged, impressionable fan base, the message is “You don’t need an education. You need to be beautiful, with a store bought body, and the only things that matter in life are what you look like and that you find a way to get famous and rich doing nothing.” Sadly, there are people out there who believe this is the ideal life. There are legions of young girls who are huge fans of these people despite the fact that they’ve contributed nothing to society. Everything this clan stands for his abhorrent and they are truly terrible people.

    • Marie-France says:

      @Michelle: + 1000. In my opinion, this woman is a hustler. Oprah is an example of a business woman. I bought Time magazine with Kanye K on the cover for my husband and when I was going to pay for it, the cashier asked me if I was really sure. He thought Time Magazine embarrassed themselves. Unfortunately, I think that you are 100% correct that if someone is profitable, the media will kiss their ass (you said it with nicer words, though). Regardless if you are a film maker with incest and pedophiliac tendencies, a person with no talent but endless needs of attention or whatever. It´s sad.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Michelle, well said and I couldn’t agree more, especially as to the horrible example they set of a “dream life.”

    • Green says:

      I honestly think the Kardashians have contributed to the brain-shrinking of millions of young people around the world. All you’ve got to do is pout, pose, and take a selfie and you’re expressing yourself and affirming yourself as a self-actualised individual, right? Their fame has been built on social media, so it’s not just their “fault” but also Zuckerberg et al’s “fault.” Social media plus the mass availability of quality clothing and other accessories / ecommerce. Wear the brands, drink your organic smoothies, and take that darned selfie with your paleo-friendly dinner as a humbrag to boot. It’s really the idiocracy, and no one but the big corps is profiting from this cultural abomination.

  12. Kattttt says:

    I honestly truly thought that the header picture was Kim when I first saw this post. I was like, ‘That’s not Kris!’ Then I looked harder. Wow, I don’t know who that’s worse for – Kim or Kris.

  13. L says:

    PULL THE LEVER, KRONK!

    ^^ all I can see & hear whenever these pictures show up.

    • jennabean says:

      Lmao i see mr.Burns in a female form. I would love to see her do the finger thing ..exxcelent.

  14. Jen43 says:

    Oh, that picture is scaring me.

    I think what disturbs me about this family is the sleaze factor. I put them in the same category as Bob Guccione or Larry Flynt. I don’t care that they have contributed nothing positive to society; I care they are role models to a generation of young girls who wish they could live like the Kardashians. Maybe role model is too strong a word. It just irritates me that they have built an empire on a garbage dump and the pile just gets bigger.

  15. PennyLane says:

    Worst. Mother. Ever.

  16. H says:

    The statement that sticks out to me is : “That’s what so great about the girls,” leaving out her son in the equation. Meaning Rob is a loser and has no “work ethic” like her “girls,” or money cows. We need to Free Rob from that nightmare of a family.

  17. Green says:

    “She’s also really, really good with money and money management and The Hustle”

    It’s amazing how good with money you can get if you just dropped the ethics, any sense of propriety and modesty, and intelligence. Kris and her family know the Idiocracy – they’re the true leaders of it – and have this now-not-so-niche market cornered. HBS will do a case study on this amazing business woman soon.

    And don’t you ever mistake hard work for posing, ever! All those freaking selfies? That’s bloody hard work and an incredible “work ethic,” okay?!

  18. saras says:

    I agree with all and any derisive comments about this firm-ary. Here is some hope: 1 They will eventually be so disfigured from unnecessary cosmetic surgery we will never see them unless its M.J. mask style. 2 With the way they blow money they will be broke sooner than later (all the articles, paps, awards, and buying their own stuff for numbers is extremely expensive)  3 They are so disgusting as human beings that already Kardashianlike is an insult.

  19. Adrien says:

    All I can say is Adam Lambert doesn’t look well on the photos above.

  20. Katie says:

    I find her statements about her children having plenty of drama in their lives for a reality show to be very telling. She can say all she wants about not exploiting her kids but she just pretty much said that is exactly what she is doing. Those poor kids, especially the you get girls, never had a chance

  21. ashley says:

    I saw a really interesting comment on the nytimes site that said:
    “Every American family dynasty whose name you know ( Rockefeller, Getty, Bush, etc ) started somewhere. Yes, many were titans of industry. But this is the Information Age. Or maybe even the Social Age. And her method of climbing to the top involves just as much hard work, scrappiness, ingenuity, and yes stepping over other people. It also involves serious social, media and networking skills. Ok, it’s not building railroads or infrastructure. But it creates jobs. And it’s very likely her descendants, some of whom will be educated in elite private schools, will take a different path afforded to them by their wealth and they too will become philanthropists, have names on plaques and wings in colleges or hospitals. It is in every way exactly what America is and has always been about, wether [sic] you like it or not.”

  22. Alldamnday says:

    This article was and is my last straw with the NYT Magazine. They rolled out a format change this year, dropped a bunch of well-loved sections, and have published some embarrassingly boring articles. I flipped to the middle of this issue looking for the cover story, and was dismayed to find this “profile” piece instead. No thank you!

  23. Nibbi says:

    First, she’s starting to look hilariously a lot like the Grinch.

    Second, “work hard”… the use of this term confuses me. Perhaps they do work hard, in the sense of getting up super early and always having tv cameras around and having lots of cosmetic procedures done during the course of a day. I’d actually believe that Kim has a more punishing daily schedule than me between all the makeup artists and the promotional crap to pose for. But… doing what, though? Having a busy schedule isn’t the same as “work.” What do they ‘produce,’ besides crap for us to snark about?
    I feel like at most they could be called entertainers, though that doesn’t seem to fit well either as that category usually factors in some sort of talent.