Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian is very familiar with reality television, but will she and partner Mark Ballas be able to dance their way to the championship on this fall’s “Dancing with the Stars?”
Kimberly Noel Kardashian was born on October 21, 1980 in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of attorney Robert Kardashian (who returned to the courtroom after 20 years to represent O.J. Simpson in his murder trial) and socialite Kris Houghton. Kim’s parents divorced when she was nine and two years later, Kris married former Olympian Bruce Jenner. The marriage brought together quite an extended family which includes Kim, her two sisters (Kourtney and Khloe), her brother (Robert), her three stepbrothers (Burton, Brandon, and Brody Jenner), her stepsister (Casey Jenner), and her two half-sisters (Kendall and Kylie Jenner).
While still attending high school, Kim began working for her father’s music marketing company, Movie Tunes. The death of her father made her vow to follow in his entrepreneurial footsteps. When Kim helped her godmother, Bernadette Leonard (wife of boxing champ Sugar Ray Leonard) organize her closet, she was inspired to go into the business of organizing, overhauling, and designing closets. Among her more famous celebrity clients are Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kenny G, Serena Williams, and Cindy Crawford. She also expanded her work to include fashion stylist. She and sisters Khloe and Kourtney opened their own clothing store named Dash in Calabasas, California.
It was only natural that Kim would eventually take up acting. She appeared on an episode of “The Simple Life” alongside Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. However, her next appearance caused a much bigger stir. In 2007, a homemade video of her and then boyfriend Ray J, an R&B singer and younger brother of Brandy, was leaked. Vivid Entertainment distributed Kim Kardashian Superstar, but Kim started a lawsuit to claim ownership of the video. The lawsuit was eventually settled out of court, with Kim receiving $5 million dollars.
Next up for Kim was guest appearances on a few television shows such as “Sunset Tan,” “Phenomenon,” “The Chelsea Handler Show,” and “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee.” Kim’s production company Kimsaprincess Productions LLC released her workout video The Kim Kardashian Workout: For Your Mind, Body, and Spirit in 2005. The video is five minutes long and features celebrity trainer Kathy Kaehler. It is available for download from Kim’s website www.kimkardashian.com. Parts of the proceeds go to benefit the Westside Guild of Ararat Home, an Armenian assisted living facility and AFESIP, which fights against sex slavery trafficking.
Her big television break would come when E! decided to film a reality show about the extended Kardashian/Jenner family. “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” follows the daily lives of the family. It began filming in 2007 and is now in its second season.
As for Kim’s personal life, she married music producer Damon Thomas in 2000, but the couple divorced in 2004. She has also been romantically linked to Nick Lachey, Benji Madden, Nick Cannon, Ben Roethlisberger, Evan Ross, Fabolous, Joe Francis, and Marques Houston. She is currently involved in a relationship with NFL player Reggie Bush.
Read these other great entries