Beginnings (2003–2006) By 2003, Kardashian was working as a
personal stylist to the R&B singer and actress
Brandy, the sister of
Ray J. Later, the siblings' mother (and manager) Sonja Norwood, alleged that in 2004 she had authorized Kardashian to make "one and only one" purchase on her
American Express credit card and that nevertheless Kardashian and her sisters Khloé and Kourtney had incurred over $120,000 in
unauthorized charges to that card. Norwood also alleged that the bulk of the charges were attributable to purchases made at Kardashian's family-owned boutique in 2006 and 2007, after Kardashian was no longer employed by Norwood's daughter. Norwood further alleged that, at the request of her children, she did not file criminal charges, instead presenting her allegations personally to Kardashian, and that Kardashian apologized and promised to repay the debt. In 2008, when no payments had been made, Norwood filed a lawsuit. Kardashian has denied all these allegations. In 2009, the parties reportedly reached a confidential settlement and the lawsuit was dismissed. In 2006, Kardashian began working as a stylist for
Paris Hilton, a childhood friend of hers. She appeared in several episodes of the reality series
The Simple Life and was frequently photographed accompanying Hilton to events and parties. Sheeraz Hasan, a PR strategist working with Hilton, had previously met Kardashian and her mother Kris Jenner in 2005, and stated in a 2020
20/20 television special that Kardashian was "ready to do whatever it takes" to create a successful brand. Rick Mendozza, a freelance photographer on assignment for the tabloid
TMZ, remarked in the same interview that, when Kardashian accompanied Hilton to nightclub Hyde, which was a
Hollywood hotspot at the time, he continued to get assignments from tabloids to get photographs of Kardashian for the next three years. In 2021, Kardashian said that Hilton "literally gave me a career. And I totally acknowledge that."
Breakthrough (2007–2010) in 2007 In February 2007, a
sex tape made by Kardashian and singer
Ray J in 2003 was
leaked on the internet and gained national attention. Kardashian filed a lawsuit against
Vivid Entertainment for distributing the film as
Kim Kardashian, Superstar. She dropped the suit 3 months later and
settled for a reported 5 million, giving Vivid permission to market and sell copies of the tape. Sales from the film reportedly generated nearly US$1.5 million in revenue in the first six weeks. Several media outlets later criticized her and her family for using the sex tape's release as a publicity stunt to promote their forthcoming reality show. In October 2007, Kardashian and her mother Kris Jenner, her step-parent Caitlyn Jenner (then Bruce Jenner), her siblings Kourtney, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian, and half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, began to appear in the reality television series
Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The series proved successful for
E!, and led to the creation of a number of spin-offs, including
Kourtney and Kim Take New York and
Kourtney and Kim Take Miami. The flagship series concluded in June 2021 after 294 episodes. Kardashian posed in a nude pictorial for the December 2007 issue of
Playboy, and appeared on the cover of the November 2010 issue of Romanian
Playboy, promoting a pictorial titled "Poezia Unui Fund Bombat" (The Poetry of a Bulging Ass). She made her feature film debut, opposite
Carmen Electra, in the disaster film spoof
Disaster Movie (2008), in which she appeared as a character named Lisa. In 2008, she was a participant on
season seven of
Dancing with the Stars, where she was partnered with
Mark Ballas. She was the third contestant to be eliminated. In September 2009, Fusion Beauty and
Seven Bar Foundation launched "Kiss Away Poverty", with Kardashian as the face of the campaign. For each LipFusion lipgloss sold, 1 went to the Foundation to fund women entrepreneurs in the United States. In October, she launched her first fragrance, self-titled "Kim Kardashian". That year, she also released a workout DVD series, became a guest host–judge of
WrestleMania XXIV on ''
America's Next Top Model, and guest-starred in How I Met Your Mother, Beyond the Break'', and
CBS's
CSI: NY. in 2010 By 2010, Kardashian had ventured into several new endorsement deals, including endorsing various food products for
Carl's Jr. On July 1, 2010, the New York City branch of
Madame Tussauds revealed a wax figure of Kardashian. Kim, Kourtney, and Khloé wrote an autobiography titled
Kardashian Konfidential, which was released in stores on November 23, 2010, and appeared on
New York Timess
Best Seller List. In December 2010, she filmed a music video for a song titled "
Jam (Turn It Up)". The video was directed by
Hype Williams;
Kanye West makes a cameo in the video. Kardashian premiered the song during a New Year's Eve party at TAO Las Vegas on December 31, 2010. The song was produced by
The-Dream and
Tricky Stewart. When asked if an album was in the works, Kardashian replied, "There's no album in the works or anything—just one song we did for
Kourtney and Kim Take New York, and a video Hype Williams directed, half of the proceeds we're giving away to a cancer foundation, because The-Dream's and one of my parents passed away from cancer. It's just all having fun—with a good cause". Jim Farber, writing for the
Daily News, called the song a "dead-brained piece of generic dance music, without a single distinguishing feature", and suggested that the single made Kardashian the "worst singer in the reality TV universe". In 2010, Kardashian also served as producer for
The Spin Crowd, a reality television show about a New York City
public relations firm run by
Jonathan Cheban and
Simon Huck, appeared on
season ten of
The Apprentice, and guest starred with Khloé and Kourtney as themselves on the season three premiere episode of the series
90210.
Continued exposure (2011–2016) In 2011, Kardashian released her third fragrance, "Gold", In 2012,
E! renewed
Keeping Up with the Kardashians for two additional seasons, in a deal reported to be worth $50 million. That year, Kardashian released her fourth fragrance, "True Reflection", which she worked with the company Dress for Success to promote, and her fifth fragrance, "Glam", which was made available through
Debenhams. In
Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (2013), a romantic drama produced, written, and directed by
Tyler Perry, Kardashian obtained the role of the co-worker of an ambitious therapist. While the film was a moderate box office success, with a worldwide gross of US$53.1 million, critical response was negative and Kardashian won the
Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress. ,
Australia, in September 2014 Kardashian released
Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, a
mobile game for
iPhone and
Android, in June 2014. The objective of the game is to become a Hollywood star or starlet. The game supports a
free-to-play model, meaning the game is free to download, but charges for in-game items. It was a hit, earning 1.6 million in its first five days of release. Kardashian appeared on the cover and in a pictorial in
Papers winter 2014 issue, photographed by
Jean-Paul Goude. On the cover, her nude
buttocks are featured above the caption: "
Break the Internet", which generated considerable comment in both social and traditional media. A
Time magazine writer commented that, unlike previous celebrities' nudes that represented the women's rebellion against repressed society and "trying to tear down" barriers, Kardashian's exhibition was "just provocation and bluster, repeated images that seem to offer us some sort of truth or insight but are really just self serving. We want there to be something more, some reason or context, some great explanation that tells us what it is like to live in this very day and age, but there is not. Kim Kardashian's ass is nothing but an empty promise." However, the stunt "set a new benchmark" in social media response, and
Papers website received 15.9 million views in one day, compared with 25,000 views on an average day. Kardashian released a portfolio book called
Selfish, a 325-page collection of self-taken photos of herself, in May 2015. It received positive reviews from critics, with Kat Brown of
The Telegraph describing it as "unexpectedly revealing" and "oddly moving". That year, she was also the cover model for the August issue of
Vogue Spain, and released an
emoji pack for iOS devices called
Kimoji. By November 2016, as per
CBC Marketplace and interviews with celebrity endorsement experts, Kardashian was reportedly paid at least US$300,000 for each post that she made on
Instagram,
Facebook and
Twitter, endorsing beauty products like waist trainers, teeth whiteners as well as Coca-Cola and well-known charities.
Business Insider later estimated her fee to be around US$720,000 per
Instagram post. Even though engagement data indicates that her posts are worth slightly less, her regular features in the news allow her to demand a premium above any calculated Instagram
sponsored post price.
KKW Beauty, KKW Fragrances, and Skims (2017–2019) With sisters
Kourtney and
Khloé, she launched the fashion boutique chain
Dash with an initial store in Calabasas, California. In 2017, Kardashian launched both her beauty and fragrance lines, KKW Beauty and KKW Fragrance. Kardashian and
Laverne Cox co-executive produced the
Lifetime reality competition series,
Glam Masters, which premiered in February 2018. The eight-episode series revolved around aspiring beauty bloggers who competed for the title of "Glam Master"; prizes for the winner included collaborating with Kardashian on a makeup line for KKW Beauty and the opportunity to join her "glam squad". Kardashian and the series' winner, Argenis Pinal teamed up on an
eyeshadow sticks line for KKW Beauty, named "Créme Color Sticks". She made a cameo appearance in the heist film ''
Ocean's 8'', which was released on June 8, 2018. Kardashian's next project was the
hidden camera-
prank reality series, ''
You Kiddin' Me. Co-executive produced by Kardashian and Lionsgate Television, the web series premiered on Facebook Watch in September 2018. She appeared alongside her sisters and mother Kris Jenner in the premiere episode of the series. In November, Kardashian and Kris appeared in the NBC special, A Legendary Christmas with John and Chrissy''. In May 2019, Kardashian appeared in the music video for DJ duo
Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and
Paris Hilton's single, "
B.F.A. (Best Friend's Ass)". After announcing a new range of shapewear called Kimono in June, Kardashian was heavily criticized over the name of the brand, which critics argued disrespected Japanese culture and ignored the significance behind the
traditional outfit. Following the launch of the range, the hashtag #KimOhNo began trending on
Twitter and the mayor of
Kyoto wrote to Kardashian to ask her to reconsider the trademark on Kimono. In response to public pressure, she announced that she would change the name. However, Japanese trade minister
Hiroshige Seko stated that he would still be dispatching patent officials for a meeting at the
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and that Japan would keep an eye on the situation. In August 2019, she rebranded the shapewear company to the name "Skims". Co-founded by Kardashian, British businesswoman
Emma Grede, and Swedish entrepreneur Jens Grede,
Skims launched the following month as a
DTC operation via its webstore and shortly after, was made available via multiple retail websites. The brand has been recognized and praised for its inclusive sizing and apparel shades; its
celebrity branding—including musicians, actors, and athletes—has received significant media attention and achieved prominence in
popular culture. Since its launch, Skims has expanded to a variety of loungewear, swimwear, activewear, women's apparel, menswear, and
unisex clothing. In February 2020, the brand entered its first retail partnership with luxury store chain
Nordstrom. Starting in 2021, it has opened various
pop-up stores in the United States, Europe and Asia. Beginning in 2024, Skims has opened several retail stores across the US and the UK, with 22 outlets in the former. Under a deal, it provided Team USA-branded athleisure to the
US Olympics team's female athletes at the
2020 Summer Olympics and
Paralympics. This partnership continued with multiple iterations of the
Winter Olympics, the
Summer Olympics, and the
Paralympics throughout the 2020s decade.
2022 Winter Olympics, the
2024 Summer Olympics and
Paralympics, and the
2026 Winter Olympics and four capsule collections released in collaboration with the
US Winter and
Summer Olympics delegations. Skims has released collaborations with various brands and fashion houses including
Fendi,
Dolce & Gabbana,
Roberto Cavalli,
Swarovski, and
The North Face. In 2023, it entered a multiyear partnership as the official underwear partner of the
NBA,
WNBA, and
USA Basketball. In 2025, the company and
Nike introduced an activewear brand named NikeSkims—a joint operation. For her work on Skims, Kardashian received the Brand Innovator award at the 2021
WSJ. Innovator Awards and the Innovation Award at the 2023
CFDA Awards. The company appeared in
Times list of 100 Most Influential Companies of 2022, and , is valued at US$5 billion. As of 2024, Skims has generated "around $1 billion" in net sales.
The Kardashians and acting ventures (2020–present) On April 5, 2020, the documentary
Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project premiered on
Oxygen, starring and executive produced by Kardashian. It follows her journey advocating for
criminal justice reform and highlights
mass incarceration in the US. In September, she made a cameo appearance in the
YouTube Originals documentary,
This is Paris. In December 2020, it was announced that Kim, the Kardashian–Jenner sisters, and their mother Kris Jenner had signed a multi-year exclusive global content deal with Disney-owned
Hulu. A reality television series titled
The Kardashians premiered in April 2022, co-produced by the sisters and Kris with British production company
Fulwell 73. Described as a "premium version" of
Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the program had the most-watched series premiere for Hulu in its first three days in the US, and was the most-watched
Star Originals series on Disney+ and Star+ across global markets. , it is the most watched unscripted series in Hulu history. Kardashian appeared in the
Van Jones–led documentary,
The First Step, which focuses on criminal justice reform; it premiered at the
Tribeca Film Festival in June 2021. In July and August, she appeared in the premiere episodes of
Martha Stewart's reality series,
Martha Gets Down and Dirty; and Paris Hilton's cooking show
Cooking with Paris, on
Discovery+ and
Netflix. Kardashian voiced Delores, a
poodle, in the Canadian animated film
PAW Patrol: The Movie, released on August 20, 2021. Courtney Howard of
Variety stated that Kardashian and the supporting cast handled the film's "sillier moments". She reprised her voice role in the film's sequel,
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, released on September 29, 2023. In October 2021, Kardashian hosted
Saturday Night Live and in her monologue, she made fun of her estranged-husband
Kanye West, her mother's ex-husband
Caitlyn Jenner, her sisters,
O. J. Simpson, and many others. In January 2022, in a class-action lawsuit filed against the
cryptocurrency company EthereumMax that alleged the company is a
pump and dump scheme, Kardashian was named as a defendant, along with former professional boxer
Floyd Mayweather Jr., former
NBA player
Paul Pierce, and other celebrities, for
promoting the EthereumMax token on their various
social media accounts. In October 2022, the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced that Kardashian had agreed to pay a $1.26 million fine, to not promote cryptocurrency assets for three years, and to cooperate with an ongoing investigation without admitting or denying wrongdoing for failing to report receiving a $250,000 payment to promote the EthereumMax token. In December 2022,
Central California U.S. District Court Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald dismissed the lawsuit on the basis that the claims were insufficiently supported given heightened
pleading standards for fraud. In April 2022, Kardashian founded Skky Partners, a private equity firm, with a former partner of the
Carlyle Group. Her mother, Kris Jenner, is also a partner at the firm. In December 2024, Kardashian stepped down as a managing partner and took on the role of senior operating advisor, whilst Jenner exited the firm. In July 2022, she made her
Paris Fashion Week modeling debut on the catwalk for fashion house
Balenciaga. The following month, Kardashian and
Beats Electronics launched a collaborative range of
true wireless earbuds in an
earth tone palette inspired by her "signature minimalist style". In September,
Dolce & Gabbana debuted its spring-summer 2023 collection, which Kardashian creative directed—taking after the fashion house's archive "with a retrospective of [the years 1987–2007]"—by leaning into an alter ego of "a sensual Italian mob wife". Under an exclusive deal with
Spotify, she hosted and co-produced the eight-episode podcast
The System: The Case of Kevin Keith with network
Parcast. Premiering in October 2022, it outlines the discrepancies of Keith's case, in which he was convicted of triple homicide in 1994 in
Ohio. Kardashian co-led the twelfth season of
American Horror Story, subtitled
Delicate, alongside
Emma Roberts. Her first scripted television role, she played Siobhan Corbyn, the protagonist's best friend and publicist. The season is based on Danielle Valentine's novel
Delicate Condition; it was divided into two parts, which premiered in September 2023 and April 2024 on
FX. Production for the season temporarily halted due to the
2023 Hollywood strikes. Kardashian's performance received positive reviews from critics. Anthony D'Alessandro of
Deadline Hollywood called her "perfect" for the role of Siobhan Corbyn; whilst Coleman Spilde of
The Daily Beast found Kardashian to be "the best part" of the season. In August 2024, Kardashian signed a first-look TV deal with
20th Television to develop and produce scripted programming content. The first project under this deal is the series
Group Chat, based on
La La Anthony's 2014 book
The Love Playbook: Rules for Love, Sex and Happiness. Intended for Hulu, Kardashian will executive produce the series alongside Kenya Barris and Anthony, the latter who will star in the project. She again collaborated with Beats Electronics to release the "Beats x Kim" collection, a trio of
Beats Studio Pro headphones in nude tones. On December 23, 2024, Kardashian released a cover version of "
Santa Baby", produced by her brother-in-law
Travis Barker, the husband of her sister
Kourtney. Her first new music release since her 2011 debut single "
Jam (Turn It Up)", its accompanying music video featured a cameo appearance by
Macaulay Culkin. Kardashian co-executive produced and led the legal drama series, ''
All's Fair, created by Ryan Murphy; it premiered on November 4, 2025, on Hulu in the US and Disney+ elsewhere. She starred as Allura Grant, a divorce attorney and owner of an all-female law firm, alongside Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts, Teyana Taylor, Sarah Paulson, and Glenn Close. The series received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics. Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter'' wrote that the series was "brain dead" and described Kardashian's performance as "stiff and affectless without a single authentic note" while Ed Power of
The Telegraph called the program "a crime against television". ''All's Fair'' had the most-watched scripted Hulu series premiere of the past three years prior to its debut. It was renewed for a second season. In December 2025, Kardashian and
battle royale game
Fortnite launched her in-game bundle of cosmetics and outfits ("skins") as part of its Icon Series. Kardashian will co-produce and star in the eponymous role—among a female ensemble cast—in the
Netflix comedy film
The Fifth Wheel, directed by
Eva Longoria and written by
Paula Pell and
Janine Brito. She has committed to co-produce and star in an untitled
Amazon MGM Studios thriller movie written by Natalie Krinsky "with [her] in mind". Kardashian will also co-produce Amazon MGM's untitled live-action
Bratz film; she is in talks to play the film's antagonist, as of June 2025. == Public image ==