Kim Kardashian is the daughter of Kris Jenner and Robert Kardashian, the late Hollywood lawyer famous for serving on OJ Simpson’s defense team. She was once none other than Paris Hilton’s stylist. Years later, she and her bombshell of a body are notorious for being rich and doing virtually nothing. From Mrs. West to mom, she is called many things, but check out how Kim K. makes her money.
1. Keeping Up
Kim and the rest of the klan thought it would be a good idea to start a reality show about their seemingly brash yet affluent lifestyles. The TV hit has helped Kim and the rest of the girls gain fame and fortune. Although some other filming shots may have sparked society’s interest in the coke-bottle-shaped Kardashian, the reality series instigated her empire.
Forbes listed her as the top-earning reality star with a fortune of $51 million in 2016. In the fall of 2017, E! celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
Kim K. has made a buttload of money from the show. The reality-star-slash-executive-producer earned a fresh $15 million salary from the most recent season. She even gets a $5 million bonus for every time her rapper husband Kanye West makes an appearance according to Mirror.
This rich Kardashian also has some acting credentials under her belt that goes beyond the reality show. Kim was paid for appearing on a few episodes of Drop Dead Diva along with Tyler Perry’s film Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor.
2. Staying Mobile
Probably the best-known Kardashian and likely the richest, Kim has the mobile app world at her fingertips. In 2014, she launched her game Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. With over 45 million downloads, it has generated $160 million in revenue. She was able to pocket at least $45 million of that according to Forbes. Let’s not forget about her Kimoji emoji app that has also raked in millions of dollars. Those in-app purchases are where it’s at!
Kim told Forbes, who named her No. 42 on the Celebrity 100 list in 2016 that, “Contracts and deals have evolved as social media's come so much into play. There's a lot of value on social media, and people really get that.“
The reality star also had some smart business advice citing: “When you get upfront money, that's great. But if you believe in yourself, you should definitely make sure that you get as high a percentage of the revenue as possible.“
3. Publishing Books
Since Kim K. is the queen of selfies, it was only right that she published a book made of just her selfies and title it Selfish. The publication includes many never-before-seen pictures of herself from ultra-sexy shots to fun photos.
Kim Kardashian is viewed as the modern-day Marilyn Monroe and the icon of the selfie movement. She knows how to take flattering pictures at the best angles. Besides that, everyone loves to ogle at her fashion, hair, and makeup. The best-selling biography was originally published in 2015 and is available on Amazon.
Besides her 448-page-turner, Kim K. released two books with her sisters titled Kardashian Konfidential and Dollhouse: A Novel. The latter graced the New York Times bestseller list.
4. Being Beautiful
With over 100 million Instagram followers alone, people live for Kim Kardashian’s beauty tips. She created makeup contour palettes and the collection with over 300,000 kits, sold out in just three hours. The investment scored her an estimated $14.4 million in June 2017 according to Time.
She also has a fragrance line featuring Valentine’s Day-themed scents and crystal bottles. Other makeup joint ventures she has with her siblings includes Kardashian Glow and Kardashian Beauty, but she rakes in all the profits from her new beauty brand KKW Beauty.
5. Dressing Up
The three K’s, Kim, Kourtney, Khloe started the DASH clothing and accessory line together in 2016. The following year, she and hubby Kanye West announced the launch of TheKidSupply – a children’s clothing line. With three children of her own now, it only makes sense that the fashion-forward family developed a kid’s label.
Harper's Bazaar reported that Kim announced the closing of those stores in 2018. But, you know what they say, when one store closes, open another one. She is now launching a shapewear and lingerie line.
6. Dropping Names
The Kardashians and Jenners also make money from product endorsement deals. They can be seen promoting beauty, fashion, health products and more.
According to US Weekly, Michael Heller, CEO of digital marketing firm Talent Resources, said that the curvy socialite is paid up to $500,000 per company to promote products on Instagram. She does ads of products that align with her lifestyle. For example, one of her favorites is a hair vitamin called Sugar Bear Hair.
7. Standing Around
Besides acting, if that’s what you want to call it, along with her mobile empire and beauty, Kim K. gets paid for countless endorsement deals and appearances.
According to the Daily Mail, back in 2014, the curvy girl was reportedly paid $500,000 to be the guest of billionaire businessman Richard Lugner for the Vienna Annual Opera Ball. However, he thought she was slightly annoying, supposedly, and went on to tie the knot with a 20-something Playboy model.
8. Getting Married
We cannot forget to mention the insane amount of money thrown her way during her whirlwind wedding to NBA player Kris Humphries back in 2011. After all, they received $18 million from that one day alone.
Hollywood Life breaks it down for you pretty good. The couple was paid the following for tying the knot:
- $15 million plus profit for four-hour, two-part wedding special on E!
- $2.5 million for exclusive photos with PEOPLE
- $300,000 for exclusive engagement announcement with PEOPLE
- $100,000 for exclusive rights to bridal shower with Britain’s OK!
- $50,000 to have the bachelorette party at Tao in Las Vegas
The newlyweds, who divorced just 72 days later, also received nearly a million dollars worth of free invitation, champagne, and wedding cake along with veils, wedding dresses, evening downs as well as hair and makeup services.
Since her Parisian wedding to husband number three in 2014, she now gets to cash the golden calf in honor of Kanye West’s business endeavors, for better or for worse.
While the rest of us probably can't make money the same ways that Kim does, we can definitely take a lesson from her and diversify our income streams. Now, if you figure out how to make $50k from your bachelorette party, let me know.
Written by Trista Prill.
