The internet collectively cringed when the audience laughed at Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner during their 2019 Emmys speech but, reportedly, there’s a reason why the moment felt so weird. The Keeping Up With the Kardashian stars were “not briefed” about the “joke” within their Emmys monologue and the audience was simply laughing because the monologue was supposed to be funny, according to an insider for Us Weekly.
On the Emmy Awards stage Sunday night, Kardashian and Jenner presented the award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program, which RuPaul’s Drag Race took home. Keeping Up With the Kardashians was not nominated in the category even though there is nearly always competition between the siblings over something. Remember the great Kourtney vs. Everyone drama of 2018?
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“Our family knows firsthand how truly compelling television comes from real people just being themselves,” Kardashian said as she presented the award, which was met with audience laughter as Jenner continued, saying, “Telling their stories, unfiltered and unscripted.”
The insider for Us Weekly claimed that “the line was supposed to be funny,” despite Kardashian and Jenner being utterly unaware of that fact. Fortunately, the reality stars were “good sports” about the whole thing.
I have to say that I’m having a hard time pinpointing what the joke was supposed to be. Was the joke that the Kardashian-Jenner clan aren’t real people? That their stories, from a series now in its 17th season, are not compelling? No one is saying that Keeping Up With the Kardashians has the character development of Breaking Bad. For what it is, the show is enormously successful, having spawned multiple spin-offs and helping to launch cast members to mogul status. What’s funny about that?
A little laughter at the Emmys probably barely fazed these two, though, considering that they turned the idea of “real people just being themselves” into a big paycheck. Still, it's nice to be in on the joke, isn't it?
Refinery29 reached out to Kardashian, Jenner, and the Emmys for comment.