It’s been 10 years since Keeping Up With The Kardashians first aired on TV. This week, we examine how the world's most famous family has entertained us, angered us, and made an indisputable impact on our culture.
News of Kylie Jenner’s reported pregnancy took the internet by storm on Friday afternoon, and the stories continued to pour in over the weekend. Jenner herself has yet to officially comment on the pregnancy, so everyone naturally turned to her mother/momager Kris Jenner to see if she’d offer any sort of confirmation that the rumors are true. In true Kris Jenner form, she succeeded in ramping up the tension, giving The Cut a verbal equivalent of “you’ll just have to keep watching” to find out what we’re all dying to know. This is just the latest in the decade-plus mastery the Kardashian clan has had over its public relations narrative. They are absolute wizards when it comes to what information gets out, how it gets out, and when it gets out. Everything is carefully planned, even when we’re dealing with a potentially unplanned pregnancy (although who’s to say if Kylie Jenner intended to be a mother at 20 or not? It’s her body and her choice.).
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Now the question remains, though, as to how Kylie will reveal the news herself, because her mother isn’t saying much.
“I just woke up this morning. [Kylie's] not confirmed anything. I think it’s kind of wild that everyone is just assuming that that’s just happening,” Kris told The Cut. “Something happens every single day. You never know what’s going to break at any moment.”
That’s some next-level Jedi mind-tricking right there. Kris manages to act both like the news came as a surprise to her (“I just woke up this morning”) and like she knew exactly what was in the pipeline (“You never know what’s going to break at any moment”) at the same time. It’s a level of control only Taylor Swift has mastered equally well. I always say that if they weren’t famous, Swift and Jenner would be teaching marketing and public relations courses at the Ph.D. level.
Back to Kylie, though, who’s ultimately in charge of the story — despite what The Sun is reporting about her father, Caitlyn Jenner, supposedly confirming her daughter’s pregnancy (reps for Caitlyn told Refinery29 they had “no knowledge of that info.”). Kylie has yet to say anything, but she hasn’t ceased posting engaging images on her social media channels. Over the weekend, she shared birthday wishes for her best friend Jordyn Woods, posting a photo of herself with four friends, all clad in white robes for Woods’ birthday celebration. In another picture Kylie shared on Instagram, she’s playfully lifting up her baggy black shirt. The caption, however, gives nothing away. “Yesterday was cute. Hope you had the happiest of birthdays, Jordy. Love you forever and beyond.”
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The Kardashian-Jenners have a long history of carefully planned reveals. When Kim brought Taylor Swift back into the ongoing “Famous”/Kanye West narrative with a series of Snapchats in July 2016, Kardashian West timed their release to coincide with the episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians that dealt with the matter. Kim has revealed her pregnancies on the show. She’s also shared the news of her many health struggles when it comes to conceiving and carrying a child.
Although news of Kylie’s pregnancy got out ahead of the premiere of the new season of KUWTK on Sunday, the family is remaining mum. Chances are this is a strategic move so that they guarantee as many eyeballs as possible when the show returns on E!. Everyone in the world wants to know whether or not Kylie Jenner is carrying a child. How far along is she? Is Travis Scott the father, as TMZ and several other outlets are reporting? Will her baby arrive around the same time as Kim and Kanye’s surrogate gives birth? Is it a girl?
These questions — and more — will most likely be answered on Sunday, or a future episode of KUWTK. The odds that Kylie would release the information through a platform that didn’t serve as a marketing opportunity for herself and her family are slim to none. This means we shouldn’t expect photos revealing her pregnant stomach on Instagram or Snapchat prior to any sort of official announcement either on or off the show. The Kardashians are nothing if not savvy when it comes to self-promotion. This pregnancy news is the biggest tune-in reminder that their reality show has ever had.
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Refinery29 has reached out to Kylie and Kris Jenner for comment; however, we don’t expect to hear back. The Kardashian empire wasn’t built on replies to emails requesting confirmation.
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