There’s a lot to admire about the Kardashians-Jenners (like Khloé’s committment to size inclusivty at Good American or Kendall’s openness about struggling with anxiety). However, there’s no denying that, oftentimes, they come across as pretty “out of touch” to fans — especially when they try to seem “relatable.”
Here are 25 times the Kardashian-Jenners came across as out of touch:
1. In 2023, Kim Kardashian shared her “best advice for women in business” with Variety.
Following backlash, she told Good Morning America, “It wasn’t a blanket statement towards women…it was taken out of context, but I’m really sorry if it was received that way.”
Variety denied her words were taken out of context.
2. In 2019, a fan tweeted about picking up extra shifts to afford jeans from Khloé Kardashian’s Good American brand. Khloé replied that it was “so cute.”
Awwwwww this is so cute!!!! I’m so happy you enjoy them
— Khloé (@khloekardashian) March 16, 2019
Following backlash, Khloé sent the fan a box of free Good American clothes.
I am so happy you received your Good American goodies!!! Keep working hard and being such a positive soul 💕💜💕
— Khloé (@khloekardashian) March 26, 2019
3. In 2022, Kendall Jenner was photographed illegally parking in the handicapped spot outside her pilates studio. For weeks, her security would reportedly either move the car for the duration of her class, then put it back before she got out or stand outside the parked car, ready to move it if someone actually needed the spot.
They went grocery shopping, where they acted excited their payment went through.
And they went through a carwash, which Kris compared to Disneyland.
On social media, some viewers criticized their over-the-top reactions to “normal” errands as “out of touch.”
Watching Kylie and Kris Jenner have a day of fun doing shit like grocery shopping and pumping their own gas has my cringing so much lol😬 like almost as bad as Kendall cutting the cucumber last week😂🤦🏼♀️ #Privilege #TheKardashians
— Abby Marie (@abs_mariee) May 26, 2022
#TheKardashians thought the “day of normal errands” with Kris and Kylie would be cute but it’s SO GROSS. We know they’re out of touch, we don’t need to see just how out of touch. Kris didn’t know how to use her credit card and was so excited to push the cart. Is she 5.
— 🦋 (@mysteryangel_bb) May 26, 2022
In Kourtney’s Instagram comments, fans criticized them for “cosplaying the working class.”
6. In 2016, Kim bragged about her wealth on Twitter.
sorry I’m late to the party guys I was busy cashing my 80 million video game check & transferring 53 million into our joint account 🤑🤑🤑💰💰💰
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) March 8, 2016
7. Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2024, Kim confirmed an online rumor that she makes someone else remove the cardboard sleeve from her coffee cup.
8. In a 2022 interview with Access Hollywood, Kendall didn’t know what the word “frugal” meant.
9. In 2018, Kendall, who’s a runway model, told Love Magazine, “Since the beginning, we’ve been super selective about what shows I would do. I was never one of those girls who would do like 30 shows a season or whatever the fuck those girls do.”
Her industry peers called her out. On her Instagram stories, Daria Strokous wrote, “‘…Whatever the fuck those girls do’ is do their very best to make their way up AND try to make some money so that they can provide for themselves and their families. Oh, and it’s 70 shows a season by the way, and we are all fucking proud of every single one of the girls that did it.”
Teddy Quinlivan also called out Kendall’s “those girls” comments in a series of Instagram stories posts.
Kendall apologized on Twitter, claiming her words had been “twisted and taken out of context.”
I was misrepresented in a recent interview over the wknd & it’s important to clarify the meaning. It was intended to be entirely complimentary but unfortunately, my words were twisted & taken out of context.I want to be clear. The respect that I have for my peers is immeasurable!
— Kendall (@KendallJenner) August 21, 2018
Likewise, her reps told W Magazine, “She realized the number of shows some models walk a season is closer to 80. The point was that it’s their path and ‘the more power to them.’ She admires their hard work and dedication. It’s an accomplishment.”
10. On a 2021 episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kendall denied that being a reality star helped her break into modeling. She said, “Of course I had a platform, and I never took that for granted. I always knew that that was there, but that almost made my job a little bit harder.”
11. In 2012 — following her 72-day marriage to Kris Humphries — Kim told the Guardian, “We had been done filming our season at that point, so we decided to film for the wedding. And that was a decision that he and I made together. But I think that, with any decisions in life, like, I spoke to a girl today who had cancer, and we were talking about how this is such a hard thing for her, but it taught her a big lesson on who her friends are and so much about life. She’s 18. And I was like, that’s how I feel.”
She was criticized for seemingly comparing her divorce to someone’s experience with cancer. In a statement on her website, she said, “In no way was I comparing my own experiences to that of a cancer patient. I was merely talking about how there are times in your life, and everyone goes through them, when you find out who loves you enough to stand by you through thick and thin.”
12. In 2020, Kim posted pictured from her mid-pandemic birthday celebration on a private island. She tweeted, “After 2 weeks of multiple health screens and asking everyone to quarantine, I surprised my closest inner circle with a trip to a private island where we could pretend things were normal just for a brief moment in time.”
She was widely criticized for flaunting her luxury experience during COVID.
cool, people have had to say goodbye to loved ones over the phone while they died alone in a hospital. but neat trip to post all over social media while the world suffers. so humble and so down to earth, truly.
— Jenna Quigley (@JBomb11) October 27, 2020
I don’t think anyone begrudges your success or wealth. However, to put this on twitter, while people are sick, suffering and dying / facing the financial fallout of covid. Its a painful reminder of their reality. I wish you could see that. Maybe some things are best left offline
— Koula (@koulakarma) October 27, 2020
13. Admist the toilet paper shortage brought on by the pandemic in 2020, Khloé TP’d Kourtney’s mansion. Her sister posted it on her Instagram story.
14. In 2010, Kim, Kourtney, and Khloé released the Kardashian Kard Prepaid MasterCard, a prepaid debit card with their picture on it. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal criticized the cards as “feckless financial tools designed to promptly diminish in value with virtually every transaction — and even when consumers don’t use the card at all.”
Days later, the Kardashians pulled the plug on Kardashian Kard.
15. Speaking to Inside Edition in 2017, Kim claimed growing up in a well-off family made things “harder” for her and her siblings.
16. In 2024, Khloé reposted a “simple formula for living” from the account @mindfulchristianity to her Instagram story.
Some fans criticized her as lacking self-awareness, given the statement advised readers to “live beneath your means.” They also called out the dissonance between the advice to “give clothes not worn to charity” and Kardashian Kloset, where Khloé and her family resell their clothes online.
17. In 2023, Kim promoted a $2,499 medical scan, which isn’t covered by insurance. On Instagram, she wrote, “[I] had to tell you all about this life saving machine…It has really saved some of my friends lives and I just wanted to share #NotAnAd.”
18. In 2021, Kim failed her baby bar exam. On an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashian, she alleged the baby bar is “harder” than the official bar exam — which isn’t entirely the truth.
19. During the 2021 Keeping Up With the Kardashians reunion special, Andy Cohen asked the family if they felt responsible for promoting “unattainable” beauty standards.
Viewers criticized them for not acknowledging the privileged postion that enabled them to afford nutritionists, personal trainers, etc., for appearing to insinuate their “standards” could be reached with simple excercise and healthy eating, and for previosly promoting diet and fitness products.
20. In 2022, Allure asked Kim if she felt “responsible, even guilty, for setting an unrealistic, unattainable beauty standard.” She answered, “If I’m doing it, it’s attainable.”
21. In a 2021 Instagram story post, Kylie shared that her daughter had been wanting to ride a school bus, so Stormi’s dad, Travis Scott, surprised her with one.
Online, some people criticized Kylie for “pretending to be middle class.”
Saw Kylie’s story about Travis “surprising” Stormi with a yellow school bus so she can pretend to be middle class for the day and I damn near broke my ankle running to Twitter
— Angela Babicz (@angelababicz) August 24, 2021
22. In 2019, Kim posted an Instagram photo of herself and her then-husband, Kanye West, in an outdated kitchen at Shangri-La, music producer Rick Rubin’s Malibu recording studio.
23. In 2018, Kim and Kylie were #54 and #27 on Forbes‘ list of “America’s Richest Self-Made Women.” In response to backlash, Kim told Refinery29, “I really didn’t get it, because she is ‘self-made’ — we are all ‘self-made.’ What, because we came from a family that has had success?”
24. In 2019, Forbes labelled Kylie the “youngest self-made billionaire.” Following criticism of calling her “self-made,” she told Interview magazine, “There’s really no other word to use other than ‘self-made’ because that is the truth. That is the category that I fall under. Although I am a special case because before I started Kylie Cosmetics, I had a huge platform and lots of fans.”
However, she later told the New York Times, “I can’t say I’ve done it by myself. If they’re just talking finances, technically, yes, I don’t have any inherited money. But I have had a lot of help and a huge platform.”
25. And finally, in 2017, Kendall starred in a widely criticized Pepsi commercial where she united protesters and police officers with a can of soda.
