Kim said that the “attitude” in her answer was triggered by the question that she was asked immediately before. But the Variety journalist who conducted the interview has “reviewed the raw footage” and disputed her claims.
Earlier this month, Kim Kardashian sparked fierce backlash when she was asked to offer advice to “women in business.”
Dimitrios Kambouris / WireImage,
The billionaire star was accused of failing to acknowledge her privilege as she boldly claimed that “nobody wants to work these days.”
“You have to surround yourself with people that wanna work,” Kim added, as her family nodded in agreement. “Have a good work environment where everyone loves what they do, because you have one life. No toxic work environments.”
Just hours after the interview went live, that clip went viral and Kim was soon trending on social media as viewers criticized her for being “out of touch” and branded her comments “offensive.”
Many people were quick to point out that while Kim has undeniably worked hard and utilized her Keeping Up With the Kardashians success in the best possible way, she was born into immense privilege that gave her a pretty good head start when it came to being a successful business mogul.
NBC Newswire / NBC Newswire / NBCUniversal via Getty Images
In case you didn’t know, Kim, and her siblings Kourtney, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian, are the children of Robert Kardashian, who was a high-flying lawyer and part of O.J. Simpson’s attorney “Dream Team” back in the ‘90s.
The siblings were born and raised in an affluent part of Beverly Hills, and while they may have astronomically more wealth now than they did then, they certainly weren’t anywhere near working class before starting their businesses.
One critic tweeted at the time: “It’s probably true that the Kardashians work hard, and Kim seems to have the most hustle of the bunch. But to ignore the pre-career privilege — a famous, uber-rich father & vast LA network that included Paris Hilton at her peak of fame — is tone deaf at best, offensive at worst.”
It’s probably true that the Kardashians work hard, and Kim seems to have the most hustle of the bunch. But to ignore the pre-career privilege — a famous, uber-rich father & vast LA network that included Paris Hilton at her peak of fame — is tone deaf at best, offensive at worst. https://t.co/0EFAfoqNxS
Twitter: @geeta_minocha
“It’s easy to work hard when you work for pleasure rather than survival, when you’re free to take a vacation or a mental health day whenever you like, without the worry of losing your home, or going hungry, or losing your children because you can’t provide for them,” another echoed.
It’s easy to work hard when you work for pleasure rather than survival, when you’re free to take a vacation or a mental health day whenever you like, without the worry of losing your home, or going hungry, or losing your children because you can’t provide for them @KimKardashian https://t.co/CqUduKCHRN
Twitter: @adamson_wood
Kim finally addressed the ongoing fallout from her comments during an appearance on Good Morning America on Monday, where she claimed that her quote was taken out of context.
She also said that her “tone and attitude” when answering the question were actually due to her being riled up by the question she was asked “right before,” which she claimed was about accusations that she and her family are only “famous for being famous.”
In the Variety interview, Kim had asserted in response: “Who gives a fuck. We focus on the positive. We work our asses off. If that’s what you think, then sorry. We just don’t have the energy for that. We don’t have to sing or dance or act; we get to live our lives — and hey, we made it. I don’t know what to tell you.”
Speaking to Robin Roberts, Kim explained on GMA: “That statement that I said was without questions and conversation around it, and it became a soundbite really with no context.”
EXCLUSIVE: Kim Kardashian responds to backlash over women in business comments: “It wasn’t a blanket statement towards women … it was taken out of context, but I’m really sorry if it was received that way.”
@robinroberts
https://t.co/kWY5S6eOU4
Twitter: @GMA
“In that soundbite, I came off of the notion in the question right before, which was, ‘After 20 years of being in the business, you’re famous for being famous,’” she continued.
“And my whole tone and attitude changed with the previous question that went into that question about ‘What advice would you give to women?’”
Kim added that she had intended for her advice to come across as “having a social media presence and having a reality show does not mean overnight success,” but apologized for causing offense as she clarified that she respects working women.
But those who work at Variety have disputed Kim’s claims. The magazine’s chief correspondent, Elizabeth Wagmeister, who conducted the interview, hit back at Kim’s suggestion that her comment was given with “no context,” and claimed that the “famous for being famous” question had actually been asked after the “women in business” one.
Elizabeth retweeted her coworker, Variety’s editor-at-large Kate Aurthur, who’d written: “Every outlet going with Kim Kardashian saying her comments were ‘taken out of context,’ please do refer to the video for @EWagmeister’s story, which provides the context to the question, which was: ‘What’s your best advice for women in business?’”
Every outlet going with Kim Kardashian saying her comments were “taken out of context,” please do refer to the video for @EWagmeister’s story, which provides the context to the question, which was: “What’s your best advice for women in business?” 👀👀👀
Twitter: @KateAurthur
Another person agreed, replying, “like…. it’s clearly in context. she might have been more heated than normal if that preceding question was what she claims, but… that’s not the same thing.”
@KateAurthur @mylestanzer @EWagmeister like…. it’s clearly in context. she might have been more heated than normal if that preceding question was what she claims, but… that’s not the same thing
Twitter: @JarettSays
Elizabeth retweeted this message and added: “It’s not what she claims. I just reviewed the raw footage. The question was very direct: ‘What would be your advice for women in business?’”
It’s not what she claims. I just reviewed the raw footage. The question was very direct: “What would be your advice for women in business?”
The question about being famous for being famous came after that question, actually. https://t.co/ZZx1l0k1k2
Twitter: @EWagmeister
“The question about being famous for being famous came after that question, actually,” she added.
Many people were surprised by the revelation, with one person saying of Kim: “She’s a grown woman, she needs to own her mistakes and grow from them.”
It’s not what @KimKardashian #gaslighting the public. She’s a grown woman, she needs to #own her mistakes and #grow from them https://t.co/6W6Cd05ayj
Twitter: @ohforsketesake
Another supported Variety and shared their confusion at Kim’s reaction as they wrote: “How [do] you lie on the whole company like they don’t have receipts?”
How you lie on the whole company like they don’t have receipts? 😂 https://t.co/E6b5rSdJgN
Twitter: @sophroga
Kim has not yet responded to the comments from Variety’s journalists.