After nearly a year away, the Kardashians are making their return to reality TV, this time dropping the “Keeping Up” moniker and making their streaming debut on Hulu.
But following 20 seasons, 15 years, brand empires for all six women and billionaire status for two of them, why come back at all?
“I think once we announced that we were going to be stopping our show, just different offers came in from different streaming services, and that was really intriguing to us and just seemed different,” Kim Kardashian told The Hollywood Reporter at the show’s Los Angeles premiere event on Thursday. “We wanted to do something different, but right away we were like, ‘We miss this. Who were we kidding, we should be doing this.’ We got a year off from filming, and I think that was really beneficial for our souls just to really soak it up. But the filming this time is different, and I just love it.”
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Of the decision to depart E! and land at Hulu while fielding plenty of other offers, it appears there was no other choice than the House of Mouse. “Hulu and the whole Disney family — who says no?” said Kris Jenner. “It’s a dream come true. I never thought that I would be working as part of the Disney family.”
This season, which began shooting in fall 2021, will follow a time of huge change for the famous family, as they not only reopen their lives to cameras but see Kim going through a divorce with Kanye “Ye” West and starting a new relationship with Pete Davidson; Kourtney falling in love with, later engaged to and now not-yet-legally marrying Travis Barker; Khloe once again navigating her relationship with Tristan Thompson; and Kylie pregnant with her second child.
As for how the show decides what to allow onscreen and what to keep private, “I think we have a no-boundaries kind of theory in filming, even though we do have some boundaries,” Kim explained. “We kind of film everything, but our boundaries also change. Some seasons, in the past, we’re like, ‘OK I’m not going to show this,’ and then you’re like, ‘You know what? This is awesome. I’m glad we filmed that, I am going to show that.’ I think it just changes all the time.”
Though Kourtney was wanting out of filming by the end of their E! deal, she is front and center in the new show, as Kris said that if one of the family members truly didn’t want to participate in the show any longer, “I would like to think that it’s all for one and one for all, and when somebody’s really unhappy, then we decide.”
So how many seasons will they allow the cameras to roll this time? “Another 20, why not?” Kris offered up, suggesting they hit 40 total seasons for a “nice even number.” Kim is in agreement. “I hope another 20, right? If we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it.”
Inside the premiere, held at Hollywood’s Goya Studios, Kim, Kris, Kourtney, Khloe and Kylie (sans Kendall) were joined by their children, close family friends and show guest stars Jonathan Cheban, Malika Haqq, Khadijah McCray, Barker and Davidson, who received cheers from the screening audience when his name was mentioned in the show’s first episode.
Ahead of the screening, though, Walt Disney TV chairman Dana Walden recalled the road to landing the family’s coveted deal after getting a call from their agent that they were looking for a new home.
“That seemed almost too good to be true. We were definitely interested,” said Walden, who later started conversations with Kris, “the mom you want and the best friend everyone wishes they had.”
“It’s incredibly rare in the world we live in to find people who are willing to be vulnerable and authentic, and especially true for people who are living their lives in the public eye, but that’s exactly who this family is and why they have such a remarkable bond with their audience,” the exec continued. “It’s their superpower — along with their ridiculous good taste, the most beautiful homes you’ll ever see and a plane or two that I may hijack.”
Kris then briefly took the stage to announce, “Guys, we did it!” adding, “When we started having conversations about doing another show, we knew it would have to be the right fit to really recommit ourselves, and we found it.”
The Kardashians begins streaming on Hulu April 14.
