The Kardashians have been gracing our screens since 2007. They show the ups and downs of life in the public eye. From heartbreaks to giving birth on camera, the Kardashians like to keep it as real as possible. Although we have seen significant moments in all of their lives, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that the public doesn't know. With a mastermind like Kris Jenner, the show runs a tight ship. We have found some juicy details about the show that will blow your mind. Careful, we are about to spill some piping hot tea for you.
1. Kim Was Paid The Most And Everyone Had To Deal With It For The First 17 Seasons
For years, Kim was getting paid the most out of the entire family until the current season (season 18). Now that Kourtney is taking a break from filming, Kim and Khloe are splitting 50 to 60 percent of the present contract.
Kendall and Kylie get the leftovers, but they appear on the show way less than the other family members. Kim and Khloe are just more willing to share more intimate details of their lives.
2. Kim And Khloe Film The Most
Be prepared for your jaw to hit the floor because you won't believe how much Khloe and Kim are actually making.
They split 50 percent of $150 million, so they each take home around $37.5 million, and that is just from the show. Both of them also have multiple side businesses and projects, so they are raking it in.
3. Everyone Has To Sign An NDA
Like Oprah used to hand out gifts to her audience, The Kardashians hand out Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) to anyone and everyone that comes into contact with their family.
They want to make sure that people can't spill their secrets, and if someone did slip-up, the NDA gives the Kardashians legal rights to sue them.
4. Blac Chyna Gave An Inside Look At The NDA That People Sign
Blac Chyna used to date Rob Kardashian, and they have a daughter together. There was a ton of drama surrounding their relationship, and being the petty person that she is, she sent a photo of the NDA to ABC News.
Blac Chyna revealed that she signed an agreement that says that she could not disclose any information to anyone about anything regarding the Kardashian family.
5. Kris Jenner Has NDA's At Her Front Door
The Kardashian family wouldn't be anywhere without Kris Jenner. She takes their privacy very seriously and goes as far as having a stack of non-disclosure agreements at her front door.
Everyone who walks into her home can quickly sign their rights away while the matriarch herself greets them.
6. Producers And Film Crew Have To Wear Shoe Protectors In Kris's House
Kris has a beautiful mansion in Hidden Hills that is the backdrop for many episodes of the show. She keeps it in pristine condition by making sure every member of the filming crew wears surgical shoe coverings.
When the New York Times interviewed Kris in her home, they noticed the funny looking shoe coverings on all of the crew members as they handed out microphones.
7. The Kardashians Pay For Their Own Vacations
While many people may think that the show pays for the many trips that the Kardashians go on, they are actually the ones footing the bill for themselves and production.
In a recent episode, Kourtney got into an argument with her sisters because of a bill she received from their family trip to Costa Rica. She questioned why production wasn't covering some of the costs since it was for the show.
8. Kendall And Kylie Must Have Weekly Manicures
In an interview with Elle, Kylie said that she gets her nails done once a week, which isn't normal considering she isn't just getting regular polish.
Kendall said that Kris used to have a nail artist come to their house once a week because she didn't want them to look like they weren't put together.
9. They Don't Film The Outside Of Their Homes
In the first few seasons of the show, they always showed the outside of this house, saying it was Kris Jenner's home. However, none of the Kardashians has ever lived in this home.
The used the exterior of this home so people wouldn't be able to figure out where they really live. For their safety, they never show the outside of their own homes on the show. The outside shots are from houses that are at least 20 miles away from where they live.
10. The Show Can't Use Pictures Unless You Sign A Waiver
If you do not sign a waiver, your photo cannot be used on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. During one of the recent seasons, Tristan Thompson was blurred in a bunch of pictures, and fans wanted to know why.
Fans tweeted Khloe, and she replied, saying, "We obviously didn't do anything. He might not have signed a waiver to show those images. Why would I want to blur his face?"
11. Kris Has Gets Glammed Up Every Day
Kris really does live a life of luxury. It may seem tasking to some people, but for others, it is a dream to have Kris's glam team on-call. Each day has her hair and makeup done for filming.
Kris's hair and makeup takes an hour each day, according to her assistant. That is relatively short compared to her daughters.
12. Kim Gets Two Hours Of Glam Per Day
Kim once said, "there's nothing we can do that's not documented, so why not look your best and amazing?" Well, she's not wrong. Her glam team consists of Mario Dedivanovic as her leading makeup artist and Chris Appleton as her hairstylist.
Kim has other hair and makeup artists that she regularly uses, but Mario and Chris have been with her the longest. Each day they take two hours to get her in her daily glam.
13. Nannies Are Never Shown On Camera
It is well-known that the Kardashians have many nannies. Kim has four children under seven years old, and Kourtney has three children under ten. That is a lot to handle with the busy schedules that take them all around the world.
Although people know they have nannies, they are never shown on camera for privacy reasons. Also, the Kardashians don't want their kids on the show as much because they are so young, so there has to be people to take care of them while they are filming.
14. Filming Takes Up 10 To 12 Hours A Day
According to the Kardashians, there is rarely a time when the cameras aren't rolling. In 2015, Kris had cameras installed on her ceiling to capture anything and everything.
They try to show as much as they can because the point of the show is to have an inside look at their lives. That wouldn't be possible without the cameras capturing everything.
15. Going On Location Requires A Lot Of Planning
Most of the time, the Kardashians are seen in their cars or homes, but we rarely see them filming out and about. There have been times when they are seen in restaurants, but if you look in the background the rest of the restaurant is pretty much empty.
When they are filmed in stores or businesses, it is a whole ordeal because they have to get permission from the store owners/managers to shoot, and they need consent from people in the store to be on camera even if it is just in the background.
16. If The Cameras Aren't Ready, They Shoot With iPhones
Some days there might be a crew of 30 people to cover a location, and sometimes, there is just one person with an iPhone to capture small moments. The co-president of the KUWTK crew said it depends on the day and what they are filming.
Also, if the crew doesn't have time to get the cameras rolling in time for drama, there is always someone with an iPhone to capture it.
17. The Family Is Filming On iPhones During Lockdown
Currently, the Kardashian clan is in lockdown like everyone else because of the global pandemic, so they are individually filming on their iPhones. One of the executive producers told Elle that it's not as natural because the crew has to remotely give them more direction, and they have to be more informative.
On Kim's Instagram story, she gave a behind the scenes look at how she is filming confessionals in her home. She had the crew on Skype so they could easily instruct her with all the equipment. It will definitely be exciting to see the footage from their time stuck at home.
18. Scenes Can Be Shot More Than Once
In recent years, the show has moved away from scripted scenes because they want it to be more authentic. However, during the Kris Humphries period, there were some scripted scenes like his proposal to Kim.
According to produce Russell Jay, the proposal scene had to be re-shot because Kim didn't like her initial reaction. This was a good precursor to how their relationship played out.
19. Kris Humphries Proposal Needed Better Lighting
Like we said before, Kim was not satisfied with the initial take for her reaction to the proposal. Kris had so many ideas for the proposal, but they were all shot down by production.
Despite wanting it to be intimate and romantic, Kris was forced to propose in the middle of the day so that there would be better lighting. Kim looked surprised, but she knew it was happening.
20. Kim Is Really In Charge
Although Kris is the momager and matriarch, Kim is the one who is actually calling the shots. She is willing to share secrets with the crew about her sisters so they can get the drama on camera.
Kim will tell the crew when things are going on with her sisters so they can go to their house and capture the inside scoop.
21. Kris Requires Perfect Lighting At All Times
Like any normal person, Kris Jenner requires there to be perfect lighting at all times. She has the crew make sure that there are bright lights to flush out her face.
Kris wants to look good on camera, and who can blame her. Millions of viewers watch the show, so she has to present herself in the best light.
22. Kris Jenner Hires Whoever She Wants For The Show
A few years ago, Khloe famously dated French Montana, and when he appeared on the show, it did not come cheap. He was an expensive guest star and E! did not think he was worth the money, but that didn't stop Kris Jenner.
Keeping Up with the Kardashians is the only show where a producer can determine the cast and what they will be paid. In the case of French Montana, Kris offered him a check to be on the show.
23. The KUWTK Crew Is Paid Really Well
The KUWTK crew works grueling hours, and they are compensated well for the amount of work that goes into filming the show.
According to Ok! magazine, even the interns get paid well. E! knows how tough their jobs are and how much they put up with, so they have to be compensated.
24. You Have To Be Trustworthy To Work On The Show
Despite the NDAs that everyone has to sign, there are still people who want to take down the Kardashians and expose them. For the show, they try to find the most trustworthy people to work with them.
The crew is like an extension of their family, so they have to be able to really trust them. It would be rather challenging to film an intimate show like this without trusting the people behind the cameras.
25. The Inside Of Their Homes Are Ridiculous
Despite not using the outside of their homes for filming, they do freely show the interior of their homes. Most of the show is filmed inside their homes, and you get an inside look at each sister's interior design style.
Kim's home is very minimal to the point where it is almost creepy because there is barely any sign that people live there. Khloe and Kourtney have similar styles, and they have very inviting looking homes.
26. Kris Jenner Can Cut Footage She Doesn't Like
Kris holds a lot of creative control for Keeping Up with the Kardashians. She can cut out anything she doesn't like, and no one can say otherwise.
After knowing this fact, it is a surprise that she let them keep some of the footage of her and Corey Gamble's intimate moments from this season.
27. The Crew Basically Lives At Kris's House
The filming crew is at Kris's house basically 24/7 for a few reasons. First, they film many hours a day, so they need to be there to capture important moments.
Second, Kris likes them to be there so often because she is always coming up with new ideas for the show. It's almost like she can't write them down for a later time.
28. Sometimes She Kicks All Of Them Out
Although the crew is at Kris's house so often, she also has kicked them out before. In this most current season, Kris claims she is having a sexual awakening with her boyfriend Corey Gamble.
Kris once kicked them out of her office at Kylie Cosmetics to have some intimate time with Corey. It was awkward for everyone involved, including the viewers.
29. Kim Has Also Been Known To Delete Unflattering Footage
Although Kris is the only one in the family who can review footage and delete things she doesn't like, there are times when Kim has asked for something not to be included in the show.
Kim said there had been times when she walked away from the camera and realized her hair or makeup was off, so she said to delete the footage.
30. They Edit The Show If It Gets Too Emotional
There have been times throughout the years when things get too emotional for the cast, and they edit some of those difficult moments out. For example, during Caitlyn's transition, it was tough for many of the family members.
Kim said that Kris and Khloe were the most emotional, and they had to edit Khloe's reaction because she was so upset during this time.
31. Sometimes Scenes Are Faked
In season 14 of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Khloe conveniently found out she was pregnant on camera. After some digging, people figured out that the timelines didn't match up, so we know that it wasn't an authentic scene.
They fake some scenes so that important things that happen off-camera can still be part of the show's storyline. Khloe already knew she was pregnant when she filmed this scene.
32. They Do Show Real Drama
While some scenes may have been scripted or staged in the past, there have been things on the show that were 100 percent real and challenging to film.
After over a decade of being in a relationship with Scott Disick, Kourtney broke up with him, and she said it was one of the hardest episodes to film. She also had to relive it when she taped her confessional, and when the episode aired.
33. They Wear Microphones All Day
The family is miked all day long, and there is rarely a time when they aren't wearing microphones. Even if they run off-camera to hide in a bathroom, there will still be sound captured.
During season one, Kourtney said that she went into the bathroom and tried to cry as quietly as possible because she was still wearing a microphone. She said she never wanted to cry in front of the camera.
34. Kanye Doesn't Have To Film
While everyone else in the family has rules to follow, they do not apply to Kanye. He made it clear from the beginning that he never wanted to be involved in the show. There are rare times when he has been shown.
Kim said that he would tell everyone he is not filming, and then he shows up anyway. He has his own career and life, and the family respects that he doesn't want to be apart of it entirely.
35. Kanye Works On The Creative Direction Of The Show
While Kanye is not part of the filming, he does take part in the creative direction. E! president, Adam Stotsky said that he is a creative force who has ideas about marketing and the presentation of the show.
In the beginning, Kanye didn't want his children to be shown on the show, but he has eased his rules, and they appear from time to time.
36. Kylie Has The Most Demands
As the youngest member of the family, Kylie grew up in front of the cameras. This may or may not have made her more demanding in life, as she is the family member with the highest demands.
Kylie requested to have two VIP parking spots at the studio where they film confessionals because she didn't want to walk the extra block.
37. Kylie Has Special Requests For Her Assistants
Kylie's demands do not stop with the production crew, she is also demanding with her assistants. Although she has many requests, her assistants are her friends.
Her assistant Victoria once said that Kylie asks for the same smoothie everyday. When they ask Kylie what flavor she wants, she says, "You should know."
38. Kanye's Security Must Stay Behind Him
Kanye has some weird rules besides not wanting to film or letting his children shoot. His former security guard said that Kanye would set ridiculous rules for him and his team.
He said that Kanye made them stay ten paces behind him, which defeats the purpose of security. If someone ran up in front of Kanye, there would be no one to protect him.
39. They Save The Drama For The Cameras
There are significant events in their lives that do not always happen on camera, but they want to include it in the storyline of the show. Most of the time, when there is a Kardashian scandal, you won't hear about it from them until it airs on the E!.
For example, Kim's Paris robbery and Khloe's cheating scandal were not talked about publicly by the family until it aired on TV.
40. Timing Is Everything
When it comes to Keeping Up with the Kardashians, timing is essential, and they control the narrative. There is a slew of Kardashian PR stunts, and you can bet that Kris Jenner is pulling the strings behind them.
Nothing will ever be seen or heard about without Kris's approval. The new season starts back up in September, and we can only imagine what it will be like with everything going on in the world.