Kim Kardashian’s Reason for Parting Ways with Assistant Revealed

Just days after news broke that Kim Kardashian had decided to part ways with her assistant Stephanie Shepherd, the reason for the break in the relationship is being revealed.

“Kim made a decision to let Stephanie go,” a source close to the Kardashian family told PEOPLE. “She was a good assistant but when Stephanie wanted to transition into a larger role with Kim’s brand and businesses, it just didn’t work. Kim gave her the chance but after a short period of time it became clear that Stephanie just didn’t have the knowledge to take on a role like that. Kim made an executive decision to part ways.”

Shepherd began working for Kardashian in 2013, right before North West was born. While the two were reportedly close, it’s alleged that a rift in their relationship was created after Shepherd was profiled by Refinery 29’s “celebrity inner circles series” in May 2017.

In a recent episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, fans caught a glimpse of that tension when Kardashian spoke to her sister, Kourtney Kardashian, about Shepherd.

“Just a heads up, we were talking and she was saying that she didn’t know what she wanted to do in life,” Kourtney said. “She feels, like, maybe she’s in a place in life where she’s unfulfilled, job-wise.”

“I do think it’s, like, inappropriate for her to talk to you and not to me,” Kardashian responded. “I mean, don’t you think that’s just, like, a little bit unprofessional?”

It is alleged that while Shepherd’s relationship with Kardashian has hit a bit of a rough patch, she still remains close with the other sisters.