Kris Jenner Defends Daughter Kendall’s Birthday Party From Backlash Amid Pandemic: ‘We Were Really Responsible’

Kris Jenner is coming to her daughter Kendall Jenner‘s defense after the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star faced backlash over her 25th birthday party. Held on Halloween night at Harriet’s Rooftop at 1 Hotel in West Hollywood, the party drew a large number of attendees, many of whom were seen not wearing face masks or social distancing in video and photos shared to social media, things that were in violation of recommendations from of both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health officials amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking during an interview on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live on Monday, Jenner attempted to quell the backlash that has since arisen, assuring listeners that her daughter took coronavirus guidelines seriously. According to Jenner, all attendees — the likes of which included her famous sisters Kourtney, Kim and Khloe Kardashian as well as Kylie Jenner, singer The Weeknd, rapper Saweetie, and Doja Cat, among many others — “got tested before they walked in the door.” After being tested, “they had to wait, you know, a half hour until … the results were in.” Jenner added that “everybody was tested a few days before Halloween” and said that “we are really responsible and we make sure that everyone in our family and our closest friends are tested religiously.” She said that those in her family “do what we can, we try to follow the rules.”

Entertainment Tonight had previously reported that “every person entering the venue — whether an employee or party guest — had to have a rapid COVID-19 test with a negative result on site before going upstairs to the party,” though that report did little to sway some on social media, who criticized Jenner for throwing a large birthday bash in the middle of a pandemic. The party came just a day after the U.S. reported 99,321 new daily cases of coronavirus. Nationwide, deaths have surpassed the 230,000 mark. Jenner, however, insisting that they took multiple precautions, said they “can’t control” the response they get online.

“We’re dealing with lots of people that have different opinions and all we can do is live our lives the best way we know how and be responsible and do the right thing. And we’re doing that,” Jenner said. “I’m very sensitive to what’s going on. Believe me, you know, I’ve tried so hard.”

The backlash to Jenner’s party followed a similar backlash that her older sister Kim Kardashian faced after revealing that she had treated her family to a private island getaway for her 40th birthday. That party was defended by Khloe Kardashian, who said, “I think there’s so many frustrations going on for everybody. But also it’s her 40th. This is something that she wanted to do for us. It was such a nice thing.”