Kim said the “attitude” in her answer was triggered by the question she was asked immediately before. But the Variety journalist who conducted the interview “reviewed the raw footage” and denied her claims.
Posted 4 hours ago
Earlier this month, Kim Kardashian sparked backlash when asked to offer advice to “women in business.”
Dimitrios Kambouris / WireImage,
The billionaire has been accused of not acknowledging her privilege when she boldly claimed that “nobody wants to work these days”.
In a filmed interview with Variety, Kim said sternly, “I have the best advice for women in business. Get your ass up and work. It seems nobody wants to work these days.”
“You have to surround yourself with people who want to work,” Kim added as her family nodded in agreement. “Have a good work environment where everyone loves what they do because you have a 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 slammed her for “being out of touch” and branded her comments “offensive.”
Many people were quick to point out that while Kim worked hard and capitalized on 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 to be 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 attorney in the ’90s and part of OJ Simpson’s “Dream Team” attorney.
The siblings were born and raised in an affluent part of Beverly Hills, and while they’re astronomically wealthier now than they were then, they certainly were nowhere near working-class before starting their business.
One critic tweeted at the time: “It’s probably true that the Kardashians work hard and Kim seems to be the most rushed of them all. But ignoring pre-career privilege — a famous, overflowing father and a massive LA network that included Paris Hilton at the height of her fame — is deaf at best, insulting at worst.”
It’s probably true that the Kardashians work hard and Kim seems to have the most hustle of the group. But to ignore pre-career privilege — a famous, overflowing father & the vast LA network that included Paris Hilton at the height of her fame — is deaf at best, abusive at worst. https://t.co/0EFAfoqNxS
“It’s easy to work hard when you’re working for pleasure, not survival, when you’re free to take a vacation or mental health day whenever you want without having to worry about that.” you lose your home, starve or lose your children because of this you can’t take care of them,” reiterated another.
It’s easy to work hard when you’re working for pleasure, not survival, when you’re free to take a vacation or mental health day whenever you want without worrying that you will be Losing home, starving, or losing your kids because you can’t take care of them @KimKardashian https://t.co/CqUduKCHRN
Kim finally addressed the lingering fallout of her comments during an appearance on Good Morning America on Monday, where she claimed her quote was taken out of context.
She also said that her “tone and attitude” in answering the question was actually because she was annoyed by the question she was asked “shortly before,” which she claimed was about allegations that she and her family are just “famous for being famous.”
In an interview with Variety, Kim replied, “Who cares? We focus on the positive. We work our ass off. If that’s what you think, then I’m sorry. We just don’t have the strength for that. We don’t have to sing or dance or act; we can live our lives – and hey, we did it. I don’t know what to tell you.”
Speaking to Robin Roberts, Kim explained on GMA, “That statement I said was without questions and conversation, and it became a soundbite really without context.”
EXCLUSIVE: Kim Kardashian responds to backlash over women in business comments, “It wasn’t a blanket statement to women…it was taken out of context, but I’m really sorry if it was taken that way.” @robinroberts https://t .co/kWY5S6eOU4
“In that Soundbite, I got off the idea in the question right before that, which was, ‘After 20 years in the business, you’re famous for being famous,'” she continued.
“And my whole tone and attitude changed with the previous question, which turned into this question about ‘What advice would you give women?’ received.”
Kim added that she intended her advice to come across that “a social media presence and a reality show doesn’t happen overnight,” but apologized for causing offense when 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, countered Kim’s suggestion that her comment was given “out of context,” claiming that the question “famous because she’s famous” was actually about the “women in business.” had been set”.
Elizabeth retweeted her colleague, Variety’s Editor-in-Chief Kate Aurthur, who had written, “Any outlet going with Kim Kardashian saying her comments were ‘taken out of context’ please reference the video for the story by @EWagmeister, which it provides context to the question that asked, “What is your best advice for women in business?”
Any outlet that Kim Kardashian says her comments were “taken out of context,” please reference @EWagmeister’s story video, which provides context to the question, which read, “What’s your best advice for.” Women in business?” 👀👀👀
Another person agreed, replying, “Like… it’s clearly related. She might have been more heated than usual for asserting that previous question, but… it’s not the same.”
@KateAurthur @mylestanzer @EWagmeister like….it’s clearly in context. she might have been more heated than usual for asserting that previous question, but… it’s not the same
Elizabeth retweeted this message, adding: “It’s not what she says it is. I just watched the raw footage. The question was very direct: ‘What advice would you give to women in business?’”
It’s not what she claims. I just watched the raw footage. The question was very direct: “What advice would you give to women in business?” The question about being famous for being famous actually came after this question. https://t.co/ZZx1l0k1k2
“The question of being famous to be famous actually came after that question,” she added.
Many people were surprised by the revelation, with one person saying of Kim, “She’s a grown woman, she needs to admit her mistakes and grow from them.”
It’s not what @KimKardashian #gaslighting does in public. She is a grown woman, she has to #admit her mistakes and #grow from them https://t.co/6W6Cd05ayj
Another supported Variety and shared his confusion at Kim’s reaction as they wrote: “How [do] They lie about the whole company like they don’t have receipts?”
How do you lie to the whole company like they don’t have receipts? 😂 https://t.co/E6b5rSdJgN
Kim has not yet responded to Variety’s journalists’ comments.
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