Inside Robert Kardashian And Priscilla Presley's Relationship
Since becoming a public figure, Priscilla Presley has been known as Elvis Presley's wife — even though the two split up back in 1973. As the 2023 biopic, "Priscilla" (based on Priscilla's own 1985 book, "Elvis and Me") reveals, Elvis was and is still a big part of the actress' life. But there's much more to Priscilla Presley than her affiliation with Elvis, and her relationship with Robert Kardashian in the mid-1970s is one example of this.
Robert Kardashian, for his part, is mostly well-known for being the late patriarch of one of the world's most famous families, though he died in 2003 before the Kardashian clan fully rose to fame. The Armenian-American attorney was also well-known for his involvement in the infamous O.J. Simpson trial, in which he served as part of the defense team.
The pair didn't last as Kardashian would go on to marry the future "momager" and ultimate businesswoman, Kris Jenner. Here's inside Robert Kardashian and Priscilla Presley's fascinating relationship.
Robert Kardashian and Priscilla Presley met in 1975
When Priscilla Presley and Robert Kardashian met in 1975, both were just out of complex relationships. Priscilla's divorce from Elvis Presley was finalized in 1973, but the two were still in contact. Robert Kardashian was dating Kris Jenner — his future wife — on and off when he began dating Priscilla.
Despite the complicated dynamics Robert Kardashian and Priscilla Presley, both 30, found themselves in, they connected romantically and began dating one another. Sparks flew after Robert's older brother, Tom Kardashian, introduced the pair. Tom knew Priscilla because he was dating Joan Esposito, the former wife of Elvis' road manager and the former Miss Missouri beauty queen.
Although there's little information on their first meeting, we're guessing it was intense from the start. According to Jerry Oppenheimer, author of "The Kardashians: An American Drama," Robert and Priscilla were "intimate virtually from the moment they met, and it was love at first sight, insiders observed" (per Page Six).
Their relationship was serious
Since Robert Kardashian and Priscilla Presley met at a time when they were both in between serious relationships, it may have seemed like dating could be a sort of rebound or a casual fling. But though their relationship only lasted about a year, it was evidently quite serious.
According to Joni Migdal, a friend of Robert Kardashian who spoke with Jerry Oppenheimer for his book "The Kardashians: An American Drama," the attorney was head-over-heels for Presley. "Priscilla made Robert very happy," Migdal shared (per Page Six). "He wanted to marry her and have children with her. That was definitely his hope, his plan."
As for Presley herself, it's unclear whether she was as committed as Kardashian to long-term love. Migdal told Oppenheimer that Presley liked Kardashian's "magnetic personality" — but not necessarily his looks. "Robert wasn't particularly attractive, but he was funny, personable, and very nice. Pricilla liked that about him," Migdal said (per the Daily Mail). Though Priscilla Presley initiated the divorce from Elvis Presley, she remained in contact with him throughout her relationship with Kardashian, which may explain part of why she was less committed.
Robert's brother, Tom, also wanted to date Priscilla
A little jealousy can be normal in romantic relationships, but when it came to Robert Kardashian and Priscilla Presley, the jealousy may have hit a little harder. Tom Kardashian, Robert's brother, who introduced Presley and Robert, reportedly had feelings for her, too. Family friend, Joni Migdal, told Jerry Oppenheimer for his book "The Kardashians: An American Drama" that the brothers had a bit of a tiff over who would get to be with Presley. "It was Priscilla who decided to date Robert, angering Tommy, and igniting his jealousy and envy," Migdal said (via Page Six).
However, it seems that Tom Kardashian got over his jealousy pretty quickly. He went on to marry Joan Esposito — "Aunt Joan" on "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" for those who watch the show — and the pair had two children together. Though Tom Kardashian seems to keep his life pretty private, from what we can see, he and Joan Esposito are still together today.
Elvis Presley interfered with Robert and Priscilla's relationship
Most people know that Elvis and Priscilla Presley had a complicated relationship. What some may not realize is that their complex relationship continued years after the two divorced.
Even though Elvis was dating other women while Priscilla was dating Robert Kardashian, Elvis still called Priscilla frequently. Some insiders suggest that Elvis was calling because he and Priscilla had a daughter together, and he was concerned about her being parented by unfamiliar men. In any case, Elvis' controlling behavior crossed a lot of boundaries, and it appears that Priscilla didn't necessarily know how to handle his persistence. In one case, Elvis called while Priscilla and Kardashian were being intimate, but instead of ignoring the call, Priscilla picked up the phone and "put the bedside receiver on the pillow between her and Robert and allow him to listen in on the King's intimate conversations with his ex-wife," an insider told Jerry Oppenheimer for his book (per Page Six).
A friend of Robert Kardashian, Larry Kraines, spoke with him at the time he was dating Priscilla, and though Kardashian had nothing but good things to say about Priscilla, he often complained that Elvis wouldn't "stop controlling her."
Robert was easily influenced by Priscilla
When two people get into a relationship, it often doesn't take long for them to start rubbing off on one another. There's even a name for this phenomenon: the chameleon effect. You've probably noticed that in couples or pairs of best friends, they share similar mannerisms and may even dress and speak the same.
Such was the case for Priscilla Presley and Robert Kardashian, with Presley's magnetic personality driving changes in Kardashian. "Priscilla really changed a lot of my brother's thinking of how he should dress, how he should even drive, and what he should do — and she changed him easily because she was so attractive and so she had an influence on him," Robert's brother, Tom Kardashian, told Jerry Oppenheimer for his book "The Kardashians: An American Drama" (per Page Six).
To some, Priscilla Presley may sound more controlling than part of a chameleon-effect couple. However, people who knew her and Robert Kardashian didn't see her that way. Kardashian's friend, Larry Kraines, told Oppenheimer that "Priscilla couldn't have been sweeter, couldn't have been nicer." Kraines added that, despite her fame, she was also very down-to-earth. "We went to football games, Sunday football games regularly. We went to dinner. She was such a normal person, you'd never know who the hell she was — that she had been Elvis f***ing Presley's wife," Kaines reflected per the Daily Mail.
Kris Jenner was jealous of Priscilla
We're guessing you already know that Robert Kardashian went on to marry Kris Jenner after things ended with Priscilla Presley, eventually having Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian. But what you may not know is that Robert Kardashian and Priscilla Presley started dating when he and Kris Jenner were on a break. And Kris was apparently jealous of Presley. "She [Priscilla] was gorgeous, of course, petite and perfect and beautiful and famous. I would see pictures of her and just die," Jenner wrote in her 2012 book "Kris Jenner . . . And All Things Kardashian."
These days, it's hard to imagine Kris Jenner feeling anything but confident and in charge, but it seems that her weakness was the man she loved. Even her friends knew she was hurt by Robert Kardashian and Priscilla Presley's relationship. Cindy Spallino, a friend of Jenner's at the time, said in Jerry Oppenheimer's book that Jenner "talked nonstop" about Robert (per the Daily Mail). "I knew she wanted to marry him, but I also knew from her that Priscilla Presley was there in the background," said Spallino. "She told me he was very funny, very charming, very classy, just rock solid." Fortunately for Jenner, in just a few short years, she'd have him back.
Priscilla wasn't interested in the traditional housewife role
If you've read any of Priscilla Presley's books or seen Sofia Coppola's movie, "Priscilla," you may already know that Priscilla followed many of Elvis Presley's whims; she wore clothes he wanted her to wear and did her hair and makeup in ways that he approved. Knowing this, one may assume that she would be comfortable in a sort of submissive housewife role in future relationships — but this was quite the opposite. It seems that, as she got older, she became more aware and resistant to these controlling — and, in some cases, abusive — tactics by Elvis and other men.
So it makes sense that things started to sour between Priscilla Presley and Robert Kardashian when she felt like he was trying to turn her into a "domesticated Armenian housewife," as described by Kardashian's friend, Joni Migdal, to author Jerry Oppenheimer (via Page Six).
Apparently, Robert Kardashian repeatedly asked her to cook for him, and once she did, he acted less than grateful. "Priscilla once tried to make dinner for Robert because he kept asking her, so Priscilla said that one night she cooked asparagus, and she made this and she made that, and she went out of her way to make it perfect, and he HATED it," recalled Migdal. "She said that after that meal, he never suggested that she make dinner for him again." We're guessing she wouldn't have cooked for him again, even if he had asked.
Priscilla didn't want to remarry
Although their relationship was serious, Robert Kardashian and Priscilla Presley had a few bumpy patches. Though Kardashian wanted to marry Presley, the feeling was not mutual. According to Kardashian's friend, Joni Migdal, who spoke with Jerry Oppenheimer for his book "The Kardashians: An American Drama," Presley told Kardashian, "Look, I'm not going to marry anyone until Elvis dies" (per Page Six).
Priscilla Presley, for better or for worse, has maintained an everlasting loyalty to Elvis Presley. She said in an interview in 2022 that she never wanted to remarry because "no one could ever match" Elvis (via Today). "To be honest with you, I never wanted to marry after him. I never had any desire," she said, noting that she didn't think he would be happy with her if she did remarry. "I just don't think that he could handle that." Fifty years later, Priscilla Presley has stayed true to her word. Though she's had several relationships since being with Elvis Presley, she has never remarried.
The pair split for a few reasons, including Elvis
Though there's not a ton of information about why Robert Kardashian and Priscilla Presley ultimately broke up in 1976, it seems like it may have boiled down to control. Presley didn't like that Kardashian wanted her to be a traditional, cooking, doting housewife; and it seems likely that he wasn't a big fan of the way Elvis Presley still held some level of control over Priscilla — and thus, over his and Priscilla's relationship.
Elvis' calls and constant communication with Priscilla likely put quite a strain on the relationship. According to a friend of Robert Kardashian's, Larry Kraines, Priscilla was "really terrific and nice, but this guy Elvis doesn't stop controlling her, didn't want her going with anybody because they had Lisa Marie, and Elvis was very involved in that" (via the Daily Mail). Elvis' possessiveness got to Kardashian with Kraines adding, "Robert was very bothered by all of that. So one thing led to another and I guess Robert just felt that he couldn't take the pressure that Elvis was putting on Priscilla and he basically broke it off."
Though it seems undeniable that Elvis Presley had something to do with their breakup, it's hard to say for sure whether Robert Kardashian or Priscilla Presley initiated the end of their relationship.
Though they broke up, their love for one another never went away
Robert Kardashian and Priscilla Presley weren't together that long – only about a year. During their courtship, Presley was still in contact with her ex-husband, and Kardashian was on a break from Kris Jenner, whom he would go on to marry. Even though their relationship may have appeared to be a blip in both of their dating histories, it's safe to say that the two had real love for each other.
This was especially evident in 2003 when Kardashian was faced with a sudden and unexpected battle with esophageal cancer. At this time, he was divorced from Kris Jenner, and she and her family were blindsided and devastated by his illness. Evidently, Presley was too. Although she and Kardashian had been split up for almost 30 years, according to sources in Jerry Oppenheimer's book, Presley called Kardashian to tell him that she loved him. This sentiment apparently brought tears to Robert Kardashian's eyes, suggesting that he still held a soft spot for her in his heart. Just a few months after he was diagnosed, Robert Kardashian died in September 2003.