The Kardashian family, also referred to as the Kardashian–Jenner family, is an American family prominent in the fields of entertainment,

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

, fashion design, and business. Founded by

Robert Kardashian Robert George Kardashian (February 22, 1944 – September 30, 2003) was an American attorney and businessman. He gained recognition as O. J. Simpson's friend and defense attorney during Simpson's 1995 murder trial. He had four children with hi ...

and

Kris Jenner Kristen Mary Jenner ( Houghton , formerly Kardashian; born November 5, 1955) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She rose to fame starring in the reality television series ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' (2007� ...

(née Houghton), it consists of their children Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian, as well as their grandchildren. After Robert and Kris' divorce in 1991, Kris married Olympic decathlon champion Caitlyn Jenner with whom she had two daughters: Kendall and Kylie Jenner. Notable extended relatives include Kendall and Kylie's half-siblings (through Caitlyn and her marriage to actress Linda Thompson),

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name * Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales * Brandon, ...

and

Brody Brody ( uk, Броди; russian: Броды, Brodï; pl, Brody; german: Brody; yi, בראָד, Brod) is a city in Zolochiv Raion of Lviv Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is located in the valley of the upper Styr River, approximately ...

Jenner. Kourtney previously dated American entrepreneur

Scott Disick Scott Michael Disick (born May 26, 1983) is an American media personality and socialite. He is most famous for starring as a main cast member on ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' and its spinoffs. Disick's popularity on ''Keeping Up with the ...

; they have three children. In 2022, she married

Travis Barker Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Transp ...

. Kim was married to American rapper and record producer

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the e ...

; they have four children. Khloé previously dated Canadian basketball player

Tristan Thompson Tristan Trevor James Thompson (born March 13, 1991) is a Canadian-American professional basketball player who last played for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won the 2016 NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavalie ...

; they have two children. Rob previously dated American rapper and model Blac Chyna; they have one child. Kylie is in a long-term relationship with American rapper and singer Travis Scott; they have two children. Robert initially received attention for being one of

O. J. Simpson Orenthal James Simpson (born July 9, 1947), nicknamed "Juice", is an American former football running back, actor, and broadcaster who played for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. Once a popular fig ...

's lawyers during the O. J. Simpson murder case, but the family parlayed Kim's 2003 sex tape with singer

Ray J William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American singer, actor, and television personality. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother of recording ar ...

, ''

Kim Kardashian, Superstar ''Kim Kardashian, Superstar'' (also known simply as ''Kim K Superstar'') is a 2007 pornographic film featuring American television personality Kim Kardashian and singer-actor Ray J. It depicts the pair having sexual intercourse in October 2003 wh ...

'', into a reality-TV and business empire. They have since been referred to as "America's most famous family" by '' Glamour'', "one of the most influential family 'dynasties' in the world" by ''

Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German pub ...

'', and the biggest

influencers An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer, social media personality, internet personality, or simply influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability through the Internet. The rise of social m ...

of the 2010s by '' Vogue''. They are the focus of the book ''Kardashian Dynasty: The Controversial Rise of America's Royal Family'' by Ian Halperin. Best known for its involvement in reality television shows, the family's longest running show was ''

Keeping Up with the Kardashians ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' (often abbreviated ''KUWTK'') is an American reality television series which focused on the personal and professional lives of the Kardashian–Jenner blended family, airing between 2007 and 2021. Its pre ...

'' (2007–2021). Spinoffs included ''

Kourtney and Kim Take Miami ''Kourtney and Kim Take Miami'' (previously titled ''Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami'') is an American reality television series. It premiered on E! on August 16, 2009, as the first ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' spin-off. The series origina ...

'' (2009–2013); '' Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami'' (2009–2013); ''

Kourtney and Kim Take New York ''Kourtney and Kim Take New York'' is an American reality television series that premiered January 23, 2011, on E! and ran for two seasons. The series followed sisters Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian as they opened a Dash boutique in New ...

'' (2011–2012); ''

Khloé & Lamar ''Khloé & Lamar '' is an American reality television series that debuted on E! in the United States and Canada on April 10, 2011. The series is the third spin-off of the show ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' and features reality star Khloé ...

'' (2013); ''

'' (2014–2015); ''

Kourtney and Khloé Take The Hamptons ''Kourtney and Khloé Take The Hamptons'' is an American reality television series that premiered on E! on November 2, 2014. The series is the fourth spin-off show of ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'', following ''Kourtney and Kim Take Miami'', ...

'' (2014–2015); ''

Dash Dolls ''Dash Dolls'' is an American reality television series that premiered on the E! cable network, on September 20, 2015. The show is a spin-off of ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians''. The series features a group of young female employees, referre ...

'' (2015) and ''

Life of Kylie ''Life of Kylie'' is an American reality television series starring businesswoman and reality star Kylie Jenner and her best friend at the time, Jordyn Woods. The eight-part half-hour series premiered on August 6, 2017, on the E! cable network ...

'' (2017). In 2022, the family debuted their new series ''

The Kardashians ''The Kardashians'' is an American reality television series which focuses on the personal lives of the Kardashian–Jenner family. The new show comes off the heels of their last show called ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'', which conclude ...

''.

Family background

Robert Kardashian Sr. is the son of Helen and Arthur Kardashian. All four of his grandparents were

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

who emigrated from the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. T ...

to the United States in the early 20th century, originating from the towns of Karakale and

Erzurum Erzurum (; ) is a city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010. The city uses the double-headed eagle as ...

in modern-day Turkey. The family left the Russian Empire before the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through th ...

began in 1915. Kardashians Sears

Reception

The family and media give Kim the credit for helping them start their careers. The family has been criticized as being

famous for being famous ''Famous for being famous'' is a term for someone who attains celebrity status for no clearly identifiable reason (as opposed to fame based on achievement, skill, or talent) and appears to generate their own fame, or someone who achieves fame thr ...

. In late May 2020, ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' released an investigation into Kylie's finances, alleging she misrepresented her billionaire status. Writers Chase Peterson-Withorn and Madeline Berg stated, "...white lies, omissions and outright fabrications are to be expected from the family that perfected—then monetized—the concept of 'famous for being famous.'" Even with the family's mainstay show ''Keeping up with the Kardashians'', some have said the family has "no real skills beyond 'being famous for being famous.'" ''Vogue'' stated the Kardashians have "...proved that although they were 'famous for being famous' in the 2000s, in the 2010s they became a cultural force to be reckoned with." They were given keys to Beverly Hills on September 2, 2010, intentionally arranged to match the area's zip code of 90210. The family are often critized for blackfishing and cultural appropriation of

African-American culture African-American culture refers to the contributions of African Americans to the culture of the United States, either as part of or distinct from mainstream American culture. The culture is both distinct and enormously influential on Amer ...

Family trees

Kardashian family tree

*Tatos Saghatel Kardashian†, Hamas Shakarian† ** Arthur Kardashian†, Helen Arakelian† ***

† ( February 22, 1944), formerly married to Kris Houghton ( November 5, 1955) ****

Kourtney Kardashian Kourtney Mary Kardashian (born April 18, 1979) is an American media personality and socialite. In 2007, she and her family began starring in the reality television series ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians''. Its success led to the creation of ...

( April 18, 1979), formerly partnered with

( May 26, 1983), later married to

( November 14, 1975) *****Mason Dash Disick ( December 14, 2009) *****Penelope Scotland Disick ( July 8, 2012) *****Reign Aston Disick ( December 14, 2014) ****

Kim Kardashian Kimberly Noel Kardashian (formerly West; born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the sex ...

( October 21, 1980), formerly married to

( June 8, 1977) *****North West ( June 15, 2013) *****Saint West ( December 5, 2015) *****Chicago West ( January 15, 2018) *****Psalm West ( May 10, 2019) ****

Khloé Kardashian Khloé Alexandra Kardashian (; born June 27, 1984) is an American media personality and socialite. Since 2007, she has starred with her family in the reality television series ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians''. Its success has led to the cre ...

( June 27, 1984), formerly partnered with

( March 13, 1991) *****True Thompson ( April 12, 2018) ***** nknownThompson ( July 28, 2022) ****

Rob Kardashian Robert Arthur Kardashian (born March 17, 1987) is an American television personality. He is known for appearing on ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'', a reality television series that centers on his family, as well as its spin-offs. In 201 ...

( March 17, 1987), formerly partnered with Blac Chyna ( May 11, 1988) *****Dream Renée Kardashian ( November 10, 2016) ***Barbara Kardashian Freeman† ***Thomas "Tom" Kardashian, Joan "Joanie" Roberts (formerly Esposito)

Kardashian–Jenner family tree

*William Hugh Jenner† Esther Ruth McGuire **

Bruce Jenner Caitlyn Marie Jenner (born William Bruce Jenner; October 28, 1949) is an American media personality and retired Olympic Games, Olympic Olympic medal, gold medal-winning Decathlon, decathlete. Jenner played college football for the Graceland ...

( October 28, 1949), formerly married to Kris Kardashian ( November 5, 1955) ***

Kendall Jenner Kendall Nicole Jenner (born November 3, 1995) is an American model, media personality, and socialite. She is a daughter of Kris Jenner and Caitlyn Jenner, and rose to fame in the reality television show ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians.'' ...

( November 3, 1995) ***

Kylie Jenner Kylie Kristen Jenner (born August 10, 1997) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She starred in the E! reality television series ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' from 2007 to 2021 and is the founder and owner of ...

( August 10, 1997), partnered with Travis Scott ( April 30, 1991) ****Stormi Webster ( February 1, 2018) ****Wolf Webster ( February 2, 2022) **Burt Jenner† (1958-1976) Sources for family trees:

References