Kylie Jenner Walks Back Defense of ‘Self-Made’ Billionaire Label

Kylie Jenner has walked back her comments on the outrage over Forbes calling her a “self-made” billionaire.

The internet was in an uproar earlier this month when Forbes named Jenner the youngest-ever self-made billionaire. While there was little disputing that Jenner had crossed the $1 billion threshold, fans took issue with the “self-made” label. Jenner defended herself at first, but in a new article in Saturday’s New York Times, she admitted that her critics have a point.

“I can’t say I’ve done it by myself,” Jenner said. “If they’re just talking finances, technically, yes, I don’t have any inherited money. But I have had a lot of help and a huge platform.”

Jenner has starred on her family’s reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians since she was a preteen. The exposure has led to a massive make-up empire, modeling opportunities and other endorsement deals. Still, she pointed out that the future is never certain, and even she does not get something for nothing.

“I didn’t expect anything. I did not foresee the future,” Jenner said. “But [the recognition] feels really good. That’s a nice pat on the back.”

Jenner also admitted that she owes a lot of her success to social media. She and her sisters are some of the most-followed people on Instagram, and while many businesses see the platforms as a kind of wild west of marketing, Jenner is a shining example of just how right it can go.

“It’s the power of social media,” Jenner told Forbes. “I had such a strong reach before I was able to start anything.”

When the backlash first started, Jenner defended her “self-made” title pretty strongly. Speaking with reporters from Interview Germany, she emphasized that “not a dime” of her money was inherited.

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

In February, Jenner also told reporters from Paper Magazine that, because of her huge platform and early success, her parents cut her off at age 15, hoping to teach her the value of responsible money management.

“My parents told me I needed to make my own money, it’s time to learn how to save and spend your own money, stuff like that,” she said. “What I’m trying to say is I did have a platform, but none of my money is inherited.”

Jenner will be back on TV this weekend with the premiere of Keeping Up with the Kardashians Season 16. The new episode airs at 9 p.m. ET on E!