Kylie Jenner Defends Her ‘Self-Made’ Billionaire Title After Backlash

Kylie Jenner is defending her label as the youngest “self-made” billionaire ever after being accused of building her Kylie Cosmetics empire off the fame of her Keeping Up With the Kardashians family.

In a new interview with Interview Germany, Jenner spoke out about the designation awarded to her by Forbes earlier this month, unseating Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

“There’s really no other word to use other than self-made because that is the truth,” the 21-year-old told the outlet. “That is the category that I fall under.”

Acknowledging that she did have an elevated platform due to her family’s incredible fame, Jenner claimed to have been cut off from family money when she was still a teen.

“I am a special case because before I started Kylie Cosmetics, I had a huge platform and lots of fans,” she said. “I did not get money from my parents past the age of 15. I used 100 percent of my own money to start the company, not a dime in my bank account is inherited… and I am very proud of that.”

In July 2018, Forbes predicted that Jenner was on-track to unseat Zuckerberg for the esteemed title, with Kylie Cosmetics alone being worth an estimated $900 million earlier this month.

Jenner told the outlet that while she always “believed” in her company from its launch in 2015 with the original Kylie Lip Kit, the level of success was a bit of a shock.

“I never thought that this could happen. I believed in Kylie Cosmetics but I didn’t even know what I was getting myself into,” she confessed. “It feels amazing, it’s wild, and being the youngest ever to do it is a blessing. I now want to focus on giving back to people and doing things that I’m passionate about.”

Moving forward now that her billionaire status has been cemented, Jenner added that she hopes she’s remembered as a woman who “pushed boundaries, inspired them, worked incredibly hard, set trends, and made history with my business — all at a young age.”

“I hope to inspire other young women to know that there are no limits and to work hard for what you believe in,” she added.

Also in the interview, Jenner talked about becoming a mother at just 20, welcoming baby Stormi in February 2018 alongside rapper boyfriend Travis Scott.

“I always knew I wanted to be a young mother. I remember people used to ask, ‘Are you ready for this?’ And I always knew I was ready but you don’t know what that love and that feeling is like until after you have a child,” she explained of her decision to get pregnant.

“She really comes before me so that is a lot to take in at a young age but I feel like I was definitely made for this and she has changed my life for the better. The way that I look at things is a lot more positive and I really feel like my life didn’t start until I had her,” she added.

Keeping Up With the Kardashians returns to E! on Sunday, March 31 at 9 p.m. ET.

Photo credit: Getty / Dia Dipasupil