Less than two weeks later, Shepherd posted a quote to her Instagram story that many think may be about her former employer.
"Self care isn't always Lush bath bombs & $20 face masks. Sometimes, it's going to bed @ 8PM or letting go of a bad friend. It's forgiving yourself for not meeting your impossible standards & understanding you are worth it. Self care isn't always a luxury but a mean[s] for survival," she wrote on her Instagram story.
Shortly after the two ended their professional relationship, an insider opened up to PEOPLE about the reason.
“Kim made a decision to let Stephanie go,” the insider said. “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,” they continued, adding that while Shepherd and the rest of Kardashian West’s family remain close, “she and Kim aren’t really speaking.”
Another source said that Shepherd's failure to keep things purely professional with the Kardashians was the reason for her firing.
“Steph was very friendly with Kim’s family — she was almost part of the family,” the source said.
“Kim needed an assistant where the relationship is more professional,” they continued. “It’s very difficult to work with friends, so Kim decided to hire someone else. The bottom line is that Steph was hired as an assistant, and Kim wanted to keep it like that. They are not friends now.”
Shepherd's own increasing fame also reportedly added to their rift.
“Steph went from being an assistant to being a celebrity,” the source added. “For a regular girl, she has a huge social media following. She loves the attention, but it took away from her job. There was a feeling that being Kim’s assistant, Steph should stay more in the background. But Kim is the one who helped her get the followers by posting pictures with Steph.”
