Get a load of this: the Kardashian family grossed over $65 million in 2010 thanks to their reality shows, perfumes, endorsements and appearances. Insane!

Kim Kardashian Golden Girl At Grammy Awards 2011

The epi-center of the family’s success is “momager” Kris Jenner. Her daughter, Khloe, told The Hollywood Reporter:

“My mother has just always been this ‘Let’s make water into wine’ person…She knows how to take one small talent or ability and grow it into something huge.”


In 2007, before her daughter Kim’s infamous sex tape with raper R Jay was released, Jenner was shopping around the networks for a new reality show:

“I thought, ‘Oh well, there goes the reality show,’ but you can either be a problem maker or a problem solver. And I’m a problem solver. My job as her mom and manager is to take care of the problem — whatever it is. I had to cry and get upset in the privacy of my own room and then come out and help her, because she’s my daughter. What good is it for me to berate her?…All I knew was that I had to make some lemonade out of these lemons fast. Real fast.”

She added:

“My job was trying to take my kids’ 15 minutes and turn it into 30.”

And that she did.

Jenner went on to explain the family’s approach to their multiple reality shows:

“Not only do we not have filters running through our brains, we don’t edit ourselves…The scene where [Kourtney's boyfriend] Scott [Disick] is shoving money down the waiter’s throat, that was hard to watch. But I said: ‘Leave it alone. Just show it. It’ll be fine.’ I’ve said that every single time. And it’s served me well from a business point of view.”

E! programming executive Lisa Berger almost passed on the first Kardashian reality show, but was convinced otherwise by Ryan Seacrest. She said:

“It has changed the face of E!”

And what’s next for the Kardashians? Kardashian Khaos, a “celebrity destination store” at Las Vegas’ Mirage hotel that will sell every Kardashian-endorsed product available. Kardashian images will also be pictured on hotel keys, bottled water in the rooms and on slot machines.

And Kris isn’t the only one who knows how to bring in the cash; Kim reportedly charges as much as $25,000 to mention a brand in a tweet . It’s also said that most family members have a ”Twitter clause” in their contracts.

Jenner plans on keeping the Kardashian’s brand going for as long as possible:

“My fantasy is to have Keeping Up With Kardashians, Season 26…Who knew it would be this profitable? I should have had more kids.”

Wow. As dumb as they may seem on television, they must have some brains. It’s truly remarkable that this family has been able to brand themselves so successfully.

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