Kanye West gifted Kim Kardashian a hologram of her father for her b-day

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Kim Kardashian lost her father, Robert Kardashian Sr., when she was 23 years old. She was incredibly close to him. In interviews, she always sort of makes it sound like she was the one who had a special bond with her dad, unlike her siblings. I know Kim’s an a–hole about a lot of different things, but she genuinely misses her father and she thinks about all the time. So her husband Kanye West decided to organize a special gift for her 40th birthday: a Hologram Robert Kardashian. The hologram definitely falls into the “creepy/unsettling” side of the uncanny valley. Here are both videos posted by Kim:

Good gift? Creepy gift? Thoughtful or nah? I think Kim was genuinely moved, and probably the whole family was too. It was FOR Kim, not the whole world. I mean, Hologram Kardashian is not going on tour with Hologram Tupac. It was just for family. But yeah… as an outsider, it’s a bit creepy! Kanye also wrote the monologue, right? He gave himself a lil’ compliment.

People also had some jokes about how maybe Kanye didn’t really get a hologram, maybe he just hired David Schwimmer to play Robert Kardashian again, like Schwimmer played him in American Crime Story.

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59 Responses to “Kanye West gifted Kim Kardashian a hologram of her father for her b-day”

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  1. Laalaa says:

    For a girl whose dad died when she was 8, this would be an amazing gift. Creepy for sure, but what I would do to be able to “see” my dad again..

    • AnnaKist says:

      I’m glad you said that; it’s what I was thinking. My daughter was 9 when we lost her dad. She’s an adult now, and this year was the first year that she didn’t have an intense crying episode on his birth and death dates. I think she’d also find this creepy.

    • Arpeggi says:

      I’m sorry for your loss. My dad died when I was 7 and my 1st and only thought when I read that was “OMG, I’d never want someone to do that to me, it’s so creepy and weird!”. I’d be angry honestly. I think reactions will hugely vary from one individual to another so you’d really need to know the person before ever thinking doing that

    • Miffy says:

      I lost my mother when I was 17 and I’d be furious if my partner made her in to a spectacle like this. Especially if my partner had the resources to actually do/make something that could actually be really special and intimate.
      This kinda sums up their marriage though, he didn’t appear to take part in any of the birthday celebrations but swings in at the end with a massive attention diverting gesture.

  2. (TheOG) Jan90067 says:

    I read on Twitter last night that Krazy Kanye made the hologram say something about what a genius he (KK) is!! What next level of fVckery is that?? LOLOL

    Today is my birthday; I don’t need a private island party with 30 guest, or a hologram, or any sycophants piling around me for what I can give them. All I want *other than this plague to be over and my family together) is a Biden/Harris Landslide!

    • MerlinsMom1018 says:

      On a happier note
      HAPPY BIRTHDAY🎂 have a safe celebration!!!!
      (It’s my brother’s birthday too!!!)

    • Tiffany :) says:

      Yes, he was scripted to say something like “You have married the most, most, most, most, most genius man in the whole world, Kanye West.”

      The thing that makes it so awful is that Kanye wrote the script. The first thing he says to Kim is that she is beautiful, like when she was a child. It is so sad how the entire family sets the standard that beauty is the most important quality for a woman to have.

      Happy birthday, OG!

  3. Scarlett says:

    My dad died 10 years back, and on some level because of the suddenness of it, I am yet to come to terms with it. Yes the hologram is creepy/weird….but I would give anything to be able to “see/hear” my daddy again.

    Not going to lie, I am 100% jealous that she got this gift.

    • Thirtynine says:

      I’m reading this through tears, as another one who would give anything for one more day with my dad. I appreciate the gift, and am glad Kim liked it and it was meaningful to her, but I don’t think I would for myself. I want my dad, with his own words, I think I’d even rather just watch video or even see photographs of him as he really was. Just my feelings- but if Kim liked it, I’m happy for her.

  4. Case says:

    I haven’t lost a parent, so I can’t say. I feel like seeing a departed loved one acting so unnatural would be unsettling rather than comforting, though.

  5. Anilehcim says:

    Not going to lie, when I first saw it, I got a little choked up just because I can imagine a person who lost their parent would be so moved being able to see them like that again. I was quickly repulsed when Kanye had the hologram refer to him as the “most, most, most genius man in the world.”

    This fam is really starting to show their privilege and just how out of touch with reality they are. By all means, spend your money however you want to, but why do they want so badly to share it with everyone and show everyone what they’ve got? The tweets showing her private island birthday were disgusting, and this is pretty showy as well. It was yet another tone deaf action from these insanely wealthy idiots that our society created; thanks for sharing your private island trip and your hologram video of your dad when millions are out of work, broke and trying to figure out how to make ends meet, and facing homelessness due to the eviction that awaits them once the mandate preventing it inevitably gets lifted.

    I’m sure all of the people who lost their parents to Covid–the ones who couldn’t be there and have to live with the ugly reality that their loved ones died alone in a hospital–really loved seeing Kim have this moment. Their need to constantly rub it in the face of their fan base is truly disgusting.

    History will not look at these people favorably, even if Kim buys her law degree and makes a mockery of it by skirting law school and gets people freed from prison. They’ve done a lot more harm than good for our society as a whole.

    • SomeChick says:

      She can hire tutors but she can’t buy her way through the California Bar exam, which is notoriously tough to pass. Many, many people have to take it more than once to pass. If she does pass, she’s earned it through a lot of study. We will see what happens there. The proof is in the pudding!

  6. Phyllis says:

    My dad died 5 years ago and just the other night he was in my dream and I got a BIG hug from him…it was the best thing in the world! Would I love to see my dad like this? Yes…just to hear him tell me he loved me and that everything would be ok would be amazing😭

  7. SM says:

    Creepy as F*. I mean to each their own… form of grief, remembrance, etc. But this seems like a violation of the memory by substitute. And again. This is just my opinion. Me and my childhood friend have lost our fathers, she, when she was 16 and I was 14, me – 3 years ago. Since they both were close friends and colleagues, we decided to visit the summer spot, both our families would spend entire summers at when we were little. There is so much that resides in that place. We went back there a couple of years ago, but it was completely changed and both of us, me and my friend just wanted to leave because it wasn’t the same as in our memory. We felt we needed to get out in order to save our memory from being violated by something foreign and changed. But having in mind none of the members of this family even have the faces they had when Robert was alive, maybe artificially is what bonds them.

  8. julia says:

    I can’t say I like any of them, but as someone who also lost their father when she was 23 and was the “daddy’s girl” out of five, this gift would touch my heart. Minus all the idiotic stuff Kanye made her father say about him.

  9. SO Dumb says:

    These people. Disgusting during a global pandemic but it’s all money you dumb fans gave them so 🤷🏽‍♀️

  10. MegJ says:

    My parents are both gone and I would find this creepy, it’s a mash up of his words or something, but they aren’t his thoughts, he’s a puppet of Kanye. I wouldn’t find this endearing at all.

    • ChillyWilly says:

      That’s how I feel as well. I lost my only sibling when he was 29. As much as I would love to see my brother again, it’s not him. It’s fake. Kanye is putting words into his mouth. It’s creepy.

      • ME says:

        I agree it’s creepy. I lost my dad a long time ago and if someone gifted me a hologram of my dad saying things he didn’t really say, I would NOT be ok with it. That is NOT him, those are NOT his words. Kim is just trying to get people to stop talking about how out of touch she is for having a bday party on a private island. Now it’s all “poor Kim misses her dad”. This family never stops with the tricks.

    • lucy2 says:

      It’s not a like a lovely compilation of home movies or something, where it’s actually him and his thoughts and words. This is…not that, and I find it very creepy and wrong.

    • Miffy says:

      This.
      Having your dead parent reanimated by Kanye West for Kanye West’s version of him seems a little Black Mirror.

  11. Kyla says:

    I lost both of my parents by the time I was 35. I don’t have any siblings or even any first cousins. I would give just about anything to be able to “see” my parents again in a three dimensional form and not just as a photograph. To have my family back even for a moment. I’m actually a little emotional even thinking about what that would feel like.

    • ChloeCat says:

      Kyla, I’m in the same boat as you, both parents gone by 35. I’m feeling oddly emotional about this as well. Hugs to you.

  12. Kristin says:

    Overall I think Kanye is pretty creepy, but I absolutely adore my father and if I were to lose him at a relatively young age I would LOVE the opportunity to see him again, even in the view of a hologram. So I’m going to have to say that this gift is extremely kind and thoughtful and for once in his life, he made something all about what his wife might like as opposed what he might want. So I think it’s lovely.

  13. Amelie says:

    While a bit science fiction-y and on the creepy side, I think most of us would love to get some kind of “message” like this from a dearly departed loved one. I’m not sure I would want to share that with the world though, because it’s so personal and it would mean so much only to me. It’s clear Kim really appreciated this gift and was elated to see her dad this way, even if it wasn’t real. However, having her dad say “you are married to the most, most genius man” took me out of the fantasy and realized it was a fabrication of Kanye’s design. Which then took the specialness out of the whole thing and just made it morbid.

    I have to ask, is that Robert Kardashian’s normal speaking voice? Or was an actor hired that resembled his speaking voice? I’m wondering how they managed to get the voice and all the movements too. Again, another actor doing all the motions with those funny looking dots to capture the movements of Robert Kardashian’s body? I’m very interested in knowing how they actually made this.

    • February-Pisces says:

      I think it’s an actors voice because it sounds nothing like him. I think the voice kinda ruins it.

  14. Pulplove says:

    The hologram is the cover, the true revelation is that all their roads and means lead to glorifying themselves. Please pass me the bucket…

  15. Seraphina says:

    I have to say, this is unsettling on so many levels. This is not her father but someone else voicing what they THINK would be his thoughts. Just weird. No thank you.

  16. Nikki* says:

    My sister gave me a recording of my Grandpa without telling me what it was, in front of the entire extended family on Christmas Day. . I put it on expecting a mix tape, heard my grandpa talking and singing, and I immediately burst into tears and spent the next hour of our Chriistmas get together sobbing in my bedroom. I haven’t been able to listen to it since either. To each his own, but at least PREPARE someone if you do something like this!!

  17. Ariel says:

    I would never judge her for loving this.
    My dad died suddenly, and though it was long ago (2001) i still get mad at movies where people talk to their ghost relatives/loved ones, and the ghosts talk back.
    B/c in real life, you can talk to your ghosts all you want- you never get to hear them answer you.
    So i hope all his kids had good feelings about that.

    That being said- Kanye is disgusting. If Robert Kardashian were alive, i have to think he would think Kim could do so much better than a mentally ill narcissist for a husband.

    • CuriousCole says:

      Ariel, I agree with absolutely everything you said. I lost my dad in 2004, the anniversary of which was just two weeks ago. Watching shows like Charmed and Supernatural, those characters that got to speak with their dead parents, it was brutal on me for so many years. It made me furious, caused me anguish – I’ve never heard anyone else voice the same experience before. Thank you for sharing that, it means something to me.

  18. Lemons says:

    It’s a nice gesture, and I could see why the family appreciated this.
    The hologram itself moves so unnaturally, though. Hopefully, once this type of technology is available to the public, these kinks will be worked out.

  19. SusieQ says:

    My dad died 3 years ago when I was 31. He was my best friend in the world, and I probably clocked more time on this earth with him than anyone else. I have recordings of my dad speaking and playing the theater organ, and I also have video. But as much as I loved my dad and miss him, a hologram would be a bridge too far. I would have nightmares for life!

  20. LOL says:

    I’m sorry but that was creepy as hell and all the speech from some voiceover actor makes it further creepier.

  21. SmalltownGirl says:

    I lost my father when I was 20 and I would kill to see/hear him again. The hologram is kind of creepy but at the same time so special.

  22. MrsPanda says:

    The fake-smile vanishing at 0.55 creeped me out a bit! I found it insincere and spooky, but I can imagine it gives solace and made them feel good, which is the main thing. I think as AI improves and holograms become more lifelike, the law will need to catch up and we should be able to sign a ”no hologram” clause in our Will! I wouldn’t want my image used after my death, to have me saying things I wouldn’t usually say (eg Kanye is a genius) hahaa. But that part made me giggle, funny that Kanye threw it in.

  23. Insomniac says:

    If it made her happy, that’s all that matters, but brrr. This is a Black Mirror episode waiting to happen.

  24. Beachbelle says:

    The lesson here is that no matter how much privilege, money, or access you have, you don’t get to have them back. Hug your kids, tell them you love them and how proud of them you are. Call your parents, tell them what they mean to you. Don’t leave anything on the table, don’t leave with regrets.

  25. Liz version 700 says:

    My dad died in 2017. I still have days where I just cry for no reason missing him. I have to fall in the creepy side over this. If the hologram was more like a picture it would be cool, but programming it to preach about Kanye is just creepy. Like dad is taken over by body snatchers.

  26. Renee says:

    It seemed sweet until he talks about her “peefee” and how Kanye is the “most most most most genius” then I said hell no! Of course he had to make it about him.

  27. February-Pisces says:

    I have mixed feelings about this. Even though I do think it would be so special to see someone you lost again, your also not really seeing them. I think Kanye did have good intentions, but I do think it’s creepy that the hologram said that Kanye was a genius, considering it was actually made by him. self compliments are not cool Kanye. The voice sounded nothing like him which kind of ruins the whole illusion. Maybe if the hologram was of some video footage of Robert come to life, maybe that would have worked better.

  28. Cacec04 says:

    This is an amazingly thoughtful (albeit creepy) gift. However, I lost my father 20 years ago and even just watching this the end made me sad. To me it would feel like I got to see my father and then lost him all over again. That’s just me though, I’m sure others would maybe feel different.

  29. MerlinsMom1018 says:

    My Dad has been gone18 years and I STILL find myself reaching for the phone sometimes just to talk to him. Not gonna lie, I am a card carrying Daddy’s girl to this day
    When he was still relatively healthy (he passed from cancer) he and my Mom sat down with a tape recorder and he just talked. Talked about anything and everything. It was a lasting gift to us. I have that tape and have played it for my grandchildren who never got the chance to know him.
    I’m no fan of the Kardashian’s and even less of Kanye, but it was a sweet (creepy) gesture and he gets a thumbs up from me

  30. Suz says:

    Everyone grieves differently. I lost my dad at 18 and while I can look at photos of him, I can’t bring myself to watch old videos of him. I think hearing his voice would be too much for me to handle. It sounds like Kim liked this and that’s fine. I wouldn’t be fine with it.

  31. NYStateofMind says:

    This is beyond thoughtful and amazing. Love it.

  32. Delphine says:

    I saw this last night and immediately thought it was morbid and creepy. Then I watched it and yeah, it totally creeped me out. The line about Kanye being genius was so tacky and terrible. I can see how Kim and fam would be moved by it but I felt really weird and uncomfortable watching it. Like they should have kept it private for themselves.

  33. nic says:

    I think they used AI to put together his mostly courtroom speeches or something because his gestures and tone make sense for a courtroom but not for a personal message.

    • Jules says:

      Doesn’t surprise me that they are pushing an AI agenda, because they are nothing but artificial.

  34. Awkward symphony says:

    Nothing says out of touch with reality like hosting a lavish party in a island during a global pandemic. To top it off her estranged husband “gifts” her a creepy hologram of her late father praising him like a god!! What a weird family

  35. Thirtynine says:

    This will sound strange, but I feel sort of comforted by all of you sharing how much you miss your fathers. Its a terrible ache in my heart every day, but I don’t feel quite so alone with it now. Thanks.

  36. Holly says:

    Tacky, disturbing, and clearly more about Kanye’s unaddressed grief about his own mother.

  37. Eenie Googles says:

    As someone with a dad who died when I was young —HELL NO this is weird.
    I don’t want someone pretending to be my dad making up words and projecting them through a hologram that looks like him. That’s creepy.

  38. Lea says:

    My first thought was that the result is actually amazing. I didn’t know it was possible to make an hologram so realistic. I also thought it was actually really thoughtful of Kanye – despite the fact that he made the hologram say that he was a most, most, genius man, he also made it say a bunch of very nice things about Kim (that she was a wonderful mother, that it was amazing that she was becoming a lawyer, etc). He also didn’t forget to mention her siblings so that they would be included in the gift.

    That being said. I think the Kardashians have sort of built their brand on the fact that they have lost their father, but Robert Kardashian’s last wife said in a book that they were actually not there for him when he was sick and that he was very lonely in his final days.

  39. Ms. Ann Thropic says:

    I’m another who lost her dad and was devastated. Publicizing/posting this gift is very insensitive, it’s exclusive and it’s scary.

    1. AI is fucking scary, imagine the possibilities
    2. What a horrible way to show how rich and connected they are, very “Let them eat cake”
    3. I hope we are seeing the demise of these people, they have ruined an entire generation of young people with these displays of unattainable wealth and unattainable beauty.
    4. I think Kanye is definitely genius 🤭

  40. Halloweenisascam says:

    They were all close to their dad and by all accounts he was a decent guy who was very jaded by end of OJ trial and knew the truth. He raised Khloe as his own even though apparently he knew Alex Roldan is likely her father.

    Anyway, I’m sick of these influencers and their extravagant lifestyles and over-the-top consumption. Reading about how we’ve eliminated 68% of wildlife on Earth since 1970 and then watching their hundreds of millions of follows aspire to the same overconsumerist lifestyle – I’m over it all! Don’t get me wrong; I love modern conveniences and don’t have some utopian vision of living in a straw hut with no running water but seriously…