How Much Did The Kardashians Get Paid To Be On Keeping Up With The Kardashians?
Whether you detest the show or consider it one of your guilty pleasures, "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" is a reality show that everyone knows and often has strong opinions about.
The series, which premiered on E! in October 2007, typically stars Kris Jenner along with daughters Kourtney, Kim, and Khloé Kardashian and Kendall and Kylie Jenner (via Us Weekly). Kris' son Rob Kardashian appeared in a few seasons as did her ex, Caitlyn Jenner. When the show began they were still married. Over the years, fans have witnessed a lot including Kris and Caitlyn's divorce, Kim's marriage and divorce from Kris Humphries, and then her relationship with Kanye West. We've also seen the ups and downs of Khloé's marriage to Lamar Odom and subsequent divorce, and Kourtney's tumultuous relationship with Scott Disick.
In the first season of their new Hulu series "The Kardashians," we're privy to new relationships including Kim's romance with Pete Davidson. According to Vulture, though Davidson doesn't appear in the latest season, Kim refers to him a few times while discussing her "Saturday Night Live" appearance and the kiss they shared in a skit. We have yet to witness Kourtney's marriage to Travis Barker on the show, but fans are holding out hope that it might come into play.
Fans have also been able to keep up with the Kardashian and Jenner's babies over the years
Of course, with so many couples kickstarting their lives together, babies were sure to follow. Aside from the slew of relationship drama, extravagant celebrations, and ongoing tensions, fans also got to witness the family grow. Kris Jenner became a grandma several times over; all of her grandchildren up to now have been born since the show began airing (via Elle).
Kim Kardashian and her ex-husband, Kanye West, are parents to North, Chicago, Psalm, and Saint. They have the most children out of all the siblings (via PopSugar). Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick co-parent three children together and were the first to become parents. Their children are Mason, Penelope, and Reign. Longtime fans likely remember how Kourtney actively played a part in the delivery of her firstborn in Season 4 (via People).
Kylie Jenner and her boyfriend Travis Scott have two children, Stormi and a son that we do not know the name of yet (via CBS News). Rob and Khloé Kardashian each have one child. Rob and his former fiancé Blac Chyna have a daughter named Dream. Khloé and Tristan Thompson share a daughter named True. As of now, Kendall Jenner remains the only sibling that is childless.
With fans heavily invested in the lives of the family members, it has led to major success for the show.
The main cast of Keeping Up with the Kardashians was thought to make nearly $1 million an episode
No one could have guessed back in 2007 that a peek into the life of the Kardashian family would generate such a captivated audience let alone propel the family into the spotlight as much as it did.
In 2017, a full decade after the show began, the Kardashians signed a contract to extend the original series. According to W Magazine, the contract signed with E! was for $30 million a season. In 2021, they changed networks and signed on for two seasons of their new show "The Kardashians" to stream on Hulu. Time reports that the contract was for close to $100 million. Though this may seem like an incredible about of money, Hulu certainly got a good return. In fact, the series allegedly crashed Hulu when it premiered.
A spokesperson for Hulu told Variety, "'The Kardashians' is the most-watched series premiere on Hulu in the United States, and on Disney+ and Star+ among Star Originals, across all global markets to date."
When all the seasons and shows have been tallied up, the main family members who regularly appear are thought to make around $930,000 per episode of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" (via Cheatsheet). When Jenner was asked by Variety why she wanted the show to keep going, she answered, "Well, money always matters. I think that anybody would be foolish to say that money doesn't matter anymore."