Kim Kardashian Talks Being ‘Desperate’ for Fame in New Personal Interview

Kim Kardashian knew from an early age that she wanted to be a notable face in Hollywood. Since her debut on the E! Network in 2007, Kardashian has created the blueprint for how one can use their celebrity to transition them into being a billionaire. She did so for not just herself, but also her family, launching several businesses and a brand that’s unmatched. It was all a strategically mapped-out plan.

In a recent interview with Bari Weiss, Kardashian remembered the moment she realized she wanted to be in the spotlight. “I was so desperate to be famous. In 2007 that was the ultimate goal,” she said. “I had an apartment on Robertson. I mean, you couldn’t get more desperate than that. But it’s so fun to look back at that time in my life. It was so much fun and it was so innocent.”

On what her attraction was to fame, Kardashian explained that she doesn’t quite know but sums it up to the access that comes along with being a public figure. “I don’t even know if I had a thought of what fame was. I mean, probably the power. I think it seemed glamorous and fun,” she said. “I’m not one of those people that thinks: ‘Oh my God, with fame comes all of these hardships.’ My life is so amazing and awesome and a lot of it came from the spotlight.”

She does admit that it hasn’t been easy living in the public eye. Especially as the majority of her life has played out on reality television and she’s gotten tons of bad press along the way. “I know that a lot of negative things come from the spotlight, but I don’t choose to ever focus on them, so I don’t ever regret my path or being famous,” Overall, Kardashian says her journey has been worth it. “I’m not a complainer. I do think that challenges have come into my life because of the lack of privacy, but I still think that overall, our life is pretty blessed because of everything that we’ve worked hard for. I’ll never complain about it.”

In her E! True Hollywood Story episode, Kardashian spoke about the lengths she went to make paparazzi notice her. She surrounded herself with the Hollywood “it girls” of the time, including Paris Hilton. Kardashian credits Hilton for helping her navigate through the scene during the early days of her fame rising. 

“I remember we were sitting in her SLR Mercedes…and at that point, the paparazzi would lay on the ground to try and get a picture of you, up your dress, and she said, ‘OK. We need to make sure you don’t give them that,’” Kardashian explained of Hilton. Hilton also put Kardashian in several episodes of her popular reality series, The Simple Life. “She was such a great mentor for me. I really am grateful for my experiences with her…She’s a huge, huge reason for my success.”