Kris Jenner’s Television Career and Business Ventures

Kristen Mary Jenner is a reality television personality, businesswoman, and talent manager. Here is a brief overview of her career:

• Early life: Born Kristen Mary Houghton, the Kardashian-Jenner matriarch grew up in La Jolla in San Diego, California. She got an early taste of entrepreneurship as a preteen when she began working at a candle shop that her mother and grandparents co-owned. Eager to explore the world, Kris skipped college and landed a job as a flight attendant for American Airlines. In 1978, she married prominent Los Angeles–based defense lawyer Robert Kardashian, with whom she had four children: Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob. In 1991, Kris and Robert divorced, and she married Olympian Caitlyn Jenner (formerly Bruce Jenner). In addition to launching an at-home fitness brand, Kris and her spouse had two more daughters: Kendall and Kylie.
• Rise to worldwide fame: In 2007, Kris pitched Keeping Up with the Kardashians—a reality series based on her family—to television producer and host Ryan Seacrest. Offering up the family’s private lives for public consumption, the show became a phenomenon. It ran for twenty seasons, taking the Kardashian-Jenner constellation of brands global—with everything under Kris’s guidance.
• Global brand and beyond: Today, Kris is at the head of one of the world's most recognizable brands. She has curated a lifestyle built on an optimistic persona tempered with razor-sharp entrepreneurial savvy. In addition to her autobiography, she has published a cookbook, In The Kitchen With Kris. In April 2022, Kris launched her family’s Hulu show, The Kardashians.

In ten lessons, Kris details how she built the Kardashian-Jenner empire and gives actionable tips to others who want to launch brands. Here are five highlights from her class:

1. 1. On adapting: Kris credits part of her family’s success to their ability to grow. “I really look at our journey as an evolution,” she says. “I was 52 years old when I started filming the show. That’s kind of fantastic that at that age, I basically started a whole new career, which I’m so proud of when I look back on it now. I think as the show evolved, so did we. And when you really sit back and think about it, I mean, really think about it like I’ve done in the past, and I’ve had a chance to reflect on Keeping Up With The Kardashians and how much fun that was and what an amazing chapter in my life, I realize that everybody was watching the family grow up right before their very eyes. And for me, it was some of the best years of my life.”
2. 2. On keeping it authentic: From the beginning, the Kardashian-Jenners had editing rights. They could have presented different versions of themselves for Keeping Up With the Kardashians, but they decided to keep it real. “We could have changed a lot,” Kris says. “And we decided, which was the best decision I ever made, to not change anything. . . . We realized that part of the beauty of the show was that we were showing everything. I’ll speak for myself. I might have said, ‘Oh, I don’t like the way I look in this outfit.’ Or, ‘My hair looks crazy.’ Or, you know, ‘Don’t film me from behind.’ And silly things, you know, that nobody would have cared about or didn’t matter to anybody else. But it really came down to the heart and the meat of the show. And the reason that we were there was because we were real. And we just let it, you know, fly.”
3. 3. On staying grounded: It can be challenging to handle fame. Kris has managed by focusing on her projects. “I think there’s a lot of people who become very famous very quickly . . . and they get a little lost because they aren’t quite sure how to handle it,” she says. “Unless you are really grounded and don’t let your ego get in the way and sort of [let] that take over, I think a lot of people could lose themselves in the fame. I’m an extremely busy person with not a lot of bandwidth and not a lot of time to spend on things like entertaining my ego or that fame that comes with what we do.”
4. 4. On the most important lessons: While she has learned many lessons throughout her life, the most important ones relate to her relationship with herself and those around her. “All the lessons that we learn along the way in life add up to the moments where you’re a grown-up, and you’re doing adult, grown-up things, and creating these businesses,” Kris says. “But really, the core values that you have learned along the way when you were growing up are what really matter. . . . It’s about love and kindness and being supportive, and being somebody that you’re really proud to look up to and learning how to be a blessing to the people around you and how to really use your strengths when they’re needed, when somebody else’s weaknesses are overwhelming.”
5. 5. On vision boards: Kris is a fan of creating vision boards, a practice she picked up from her children. She believes that anyone who wants to start a brand should make a vision board as soon as they nail down their story. “I found it really inspirational,” she says. “Kylie uses her inspirational boards and builds a vision [of] how she wants to lay something out with her team. I find it really, really helpful. The first time that I tried using it was when I wanted to plant a garden. And I wanted ideas and gardening expertise, and just the different things that were possibilities. I was blown away at how much that worked for me in my personal life, just doing something like that very creatively with design. Using the visuals really helped me see something come to life, and I think that’s equally as important in business because it helps you with the creativity and what you don’t want, too.”

Here is a brief overview of the momager's long and enterprising entertainment career:

• Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2007–2021): With the premiere of Keeping Up With The Kardashians on the E! channel, Kris helped launch her family into superstardom. Initially, the show set to promote two of the family businesses: Smooch (a children’s apparel boutique she cofounded with Kourtney) and Dash, a joint venture of the three Kardashian daughters. The show became much more than a promotional push. Bringing the world into their family dynamics, Keeping Up ran for twenty seasons and made the Kardashian-Jenner family a household name along the way.
• Kourtney & Kim Take Miami (2009–2013): This initial spin-off to KUWTK followed two of the Kardashian family members to Miami Beach, where they opened the newest location of their Calabasas-based women’s boutique, Dash. It first followed Kourtney and Khloé (titled Kourtney and Khloé Take Miami) before Kim took over for Khloé; Kris served as an executive producer on the show’s three seasons.
• Kourtney & Kim Take New York (2011–2013): This two-season spin-off of KUWTK continued the Kardashian sisters’ journey to bring Dash national as they opened a new boutique in New York City’s posh SoHo neighborhood. Kris served as executive producer.
• Khloé & Lamar (2011–2012): The next spin-off of Keeping Up documented the married life of Khloé and then-husband NBA player Lamar Odom. Executive producer Kris served as a behind-the-scenes presence.
• Kourtney & Khloé Take the Hamptons (2014–2015): With Kris as an executive producer, this docuseries took viewers along with Kourtney and Khloé as they continued the east coast expansion of Dash, bringing the boutique to the famous Jobs Lane in New York’s Southhampton Village community.
• Dash Dolls (2015): With Kris serving as an executive producer, this show turned the camera on two of Dash’s young, ambitious employees—Khloé’s best friend Malika Haqq and her twin sister, Khadijah Haqq-McCray. Viewers followed the Haqq sisters as they lived their fast-paced city lives while managing the family’s flagship Calabasas store as the owners expanded their global presence.
• Life of Kylie (2017): This KUWTK spin-off followed Kylie, the youngest Kardashian-Jenner sibling, as she balanced managing her viral beauty business with maintaining her personal life as a twenty-year-old. Kris was also an executive producer on this project.
• The Kardashians (2022): The latest docuseries following the Kardashian-Jenner clan focuses on the family members growing their businesses and managing their lives as hyper-public figures. On top of producing the show, Kris appears on camera to showcase her life as she juggles her own businesses and projects, her children’s endeavors, and being a dutiful mother and grandmother.

As the matriarch of one of Hollywood’s most famous families, Kris isn’t only involved in her own business ventures; she also helped manage many of the elements of her children’s companies. Here is an overview of some of Kris’s and the Kardashian-Jenner’s most notable entrepreneurial projects:

1. 1. 818 Tequila: Kendall Jenner launched her premium tequila brand 818 Tequila—an alembic pot-distilled liquor produced in Jalisco, Mexico—in 2021.
2. 2. Arthur George: Rob Kardashian launched his luxury sock brand Arthur George in 2012.
3. 3. Candles of La Jolla: Kris built off her early experience running a candle store with her mother, Mary Jo, by launching a community candle business in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla in 1976.
4. 4. Good American: Specializing in curve-hugging jeans, Khloé Kardashian helms Good American, a popular fashion brand that carries chic and wearable clothing in sizes 00 through 24.
5. 5. Grandeza hot sauce: Rob’s hot sauce brand—which sells an organic, vegan, gluten- and GMO-free product—launched in 2020.
6. 6. Halfway Dead: In 2019, Rob teamed up with Nicky Diamonds of Diamond’s Supply Co. to launch the streetwear brand Halfway Dead.
7. 7. Jenner Communications: Kris heads up the Kardashian-Jenner’s celeb entertainment and talent management company, Jenner Communications.
8. 8. Kylie Cosmetics: Originally carrying a limited capsule consisting of her virally successful lip kits, Kylie Jenner’s makeup line grew into a global juggernaut. On the heels of her beauty brand’s success came Kylie Skin (the sulfate- and paraben-free skincare line) in 2019.
9. 9. Kylie Baby: Kylie’s children and baby product line carries organic vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free, fragrance-free, tear-free, hypoallergenic, pediatrician-tested, and dermatologist-tested shampoo, conditioner, bubble bath, moisturizing lotion, and towels.
10. 10. Kardashian Kids: Launched in 2020, Kim’s clothing line for children carries fashionable, wearable kid’s clothing.
11. 11. Poosh: Kourtney Kardashian launched Poosh—a lifestyle website and e-commerce platform—in 2017.
12. 12. Safely: In 2021, Kris teamed up with model Chrissy Teigen to launch Safely, a line of plant-based cleaning products.
13. 13. SKKN by Kim: Originally known as KKW beauty and fragrance, Kim Kardashian’s rebranded beauty company will carry the full spectrum of cosmetic and skincare products, including nail care and hair tools.
14. 14. SKIMS: Kim’s affordable shapewear brand has developed a worldwide reputation for selling comfortable and functional undergarments and intimates in inclusive sizes from XXS to 5XL.

MasterClass members took away the following lessons from Kris’s class:

1. 1. Build your legacy. “This class provides you tips and tools on how to think about your legacy,” Joshua P says. “It teaches you how to think about what you love and find a way to make a living doing what you love. It is a class that helps you realize the power of social media and how you can use it to develop a following and allow others to see your authentic self.”
2. 2. Market yourself. “I think this [class] would be beneficial to anyone wanting to start a business or market themselves,” Brittany N. says. “The Kardashians have created a legacy and an empire, and it was really neat hearing the things [that] Kris, who is the driving force of their brand[s], thought were relevant and helpful keys to success.”
3. 3. Utilize social media. “This class was informative and touched on many tools and topics,” Jessica M. says. "I never looked at social media as a way to brand myself.”

For additional perspectives on entrepreneurship, check out:

1. 1. Bob Iger on business strategy and leadership: Bob Iger’s tenure as the CEO of the Walt Disney Company saw some of the entertainment company’s biggest acquisitions and successes. Watch Bob’s class to learn how he fuses curiosity, creativity, and candor to grow a business.
2. 2. Howard Schultz on business leadership: Howard D. Schultz is an entrepreneur and philanthropist responsible for turning Starbucks into a top global brand. Watch Howard’s class to learn how he leads a values-based business.
3. 3. Sara Blakely on self-made entrepreneurship: Sara Blakely had no fashion, retail, or business leadership experience when she invented Spanx, her successful brand of women’s undergarments, in the 1990s. All she had was $5,000 and an idea. Watch Sara’s class to learn more about her entrepreneurial journey.

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