As well as masterminding each of her six kids‘ careers, Kris Jenner has also made sure E! keeps renewing its Keeping Up With The Kardashians contract again and again. The show started in October 2007 and it’s still running 13 years and 18 seasons later (with season 19 currently being filmed). So what’s the secret to the show’s phenomenal success? We reckon some of these rules might have something to do with it…
1. Everyone has to sign an NDA
This one probably won’t come as much of a surprise, but non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) are dished out to everyone who takes part in filming both on and off camera.
In September 2019, while live-tweeting the show, Kim confirmed their existence with this tweet: “Btw NDA’S for all!!!! #KUWTK.”
2. You also need to sign a waiver to let KUWTK use your pictures, apparently
Last year, fans noticed that Tristan Thompson‘s face had been blurred out of some of the photos that were being shown. Khloe eventually responded to those baffled fans, telling them: “We obviously didn’t do anything. He might not have signed a waiver to show those images. Why would I want to blur his face? I’m not hiding his identity LOL #KUWTK.”
3. Kris keeps her floors looking brand new by making producers wear covers on their shoes
In a 2015 New York Times article, the writer visited Kris Jenner’s Hidden Hills mansion and wrote that “a production assistant in surgical shoe coverings handed out microphones.” We totally get it, Kris.
4. Kris gets her makeup done professionally each time they shoot KUWTK
In the same NYT article, the writer revealed the momager has her make-up done professionally every time they shoot the show, but that “she gets it done quickly because she’s so busy: It takes only an hour.” Um, an hour.
5. Kim spends roughly two hours in hair and make-up
When Kim broke the internet with *that* Paper magazine cover, she also revealed she spends roughly two hours in hair and make-up a day.
“There’s nothing we can do that’s not documented,” she said, “so why not look your best and amazing?”
6. After Kris, Kim basically runs the show
When it comes to who creates the most drama or alerts producers to anything big going down, you guessed it – it’s usually Kim.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kim revealed: “I think if you ask the crew, I probably produce the most because I know what my sisters might not be sharing.
“So I’ll tell them, ‘Go over to Kourt’s house right now. Something is going on.'”
7. Kim asks producers to delete footage if she doesn’t like how she looks
“I mean, believe me, I’m not going to lie, there’s been times when I’ve walked away from the camera and I’ve got a big bump in my hair and I’m like, ‘Take that out, my hair looks like shit.’ I’m too vain to leave really ugly, ugly angles in,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
They also edit out any footage that’s too emotional.
“The most difficult thing [to film] was probably Caitlyn’s transition and just seeing my mom and Khloe having such a hard time,” Kim added to the publication. “We never really edited content before, but we did edit a bit of Khloe‘s reaction just because she was so upset.”
8. They film 10-12 hours a day
Filming days can be long (especially when you add on that two hour glam time). According to the same NYT piece, “at any given moment, there are one or two cameras on some combination of Kardashians and Jenners.
“They are there 10 to 12 hours a day each day that Keeping Up With the Kardashians is shooting, more if a plotline warrants it, which, between the regular season and the spinoffs, is basically always.”
9. They have to pay for the holidays you see on screen
In an episode from season 18, Kourtney kicked off about having to pay a big bill for a trip that featured on the show.
She asked her sisters: “Why am I being sent this other huge bill? Why isn’t production chipping in if we’re using it for the show?”
10. Production crew are paid really well
A well-placed KUWTK source reportedly told OK! magazine that the crew were very well paid because “E! knows what a tough job they have and how much they put up with.”
11. And they’re all very trustworthy
In a 2018 interview with the Huffington Post, Kris said all her employees “have our back”.
“Unfortunately, there are some bad people out there who have not good intentions. And, you know, I obviously can’t control that,” Kris shared. “But to the best of my ability, we try to have people on our team who have our back, who we feel that we can really trust.”
12. They often film intimate scenes on iPhones
Former exec producer for KUWTK, Jeff Jenkins, revealed sometimes there’s just one person filming scenes from an iPhone.
“There are days when there might be 30 crew people at a location to cover an event and there are days where there may be one person with an iPhone covering something incredibly intimate,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.
13. Brand new iPhones were dropped off weekly during quarantine
Quarantine hasn’t stopped the Kardashian-Jenners from filming the E! show. KUWTK executive producer Farnaz Farjam revealed the usual production crew couldn’t film because of California lockdown rules, so Kris came up with a way the sisters could capture their own footage.
A photographer and a tech person (wearing full hazmat suits) visited each of the sister’s homes to kit them out with proper lights and tripods for their iPhones so they could shoot their confessionals.
“It’s less fly-on-the-wall, because we have to give them direction and they have to be more informative with us… But because this is the Kardashians and they’re entertaining regardless, it will be a fun watch for people,” Farnaz told Elle.
She added that a show runner, wearing protective gear, visits their home once a week to collect the iPhone and drop off a new one.
14. Kanye West is exempt from filming
Kanye West made it clear from the get-go he never wanted to be on camera. “Kanye was like, ‘I’m not a part of the show. That’s not what I do. I have my own career and life,'” Kim told The Hollywood Reporter. “He’ll really surprise you though. He’ll be like, ‘I’m not filming’ and then randomly show up.”
15. But he does have some input when it comes to creative direction
“He’s a real creative force, clearly, and had thoughts on marketing, thoughts on presentation of the show, on the opening title sequence,” E! president Adam Stotsky told the New York Times last year.
16. They use other people’s home to film exterior shots
While they film inside their homes and shoot exterior shots from the back, they rarely show the front of their homes.
“So is it true that yall used a fake house for your reality show?” Kim was asked by a fan.
She explained: “When we film inside, that’s obviously our real home… My old home in Beverly Hills was really my home and I would get people showing up at all hours ringing my gate & had to call the police on several occasions.”
17. Kris Jenner is a PR mastermind
Ever noticed a juicy Kardashian-Jenner story drop online just before a new season is set to air? Like when TMZ reported Kylie Jenner was pregnant just days before the 10th anniversary special? Is that a coincidence or is that Kris Jenner working her momager magic? We’ll let you decide.