It took her a while to get the hang of it, but once she did, Kris Jenner‘s fate was sealed — from mom to momager, just like that!
The 65-year-old world-famous reality TV matriarch is the focus of a fascinating new profile out Tuesday in WSJ Magazine. In the piece, among other topics, she dives deep on her personal growth and development as a talent manager to her famous children. And believe her when she tells it, things weren’t easy at first!
Related: Did Kris Jenner Masterfully Orchestrate Kendall’s Latest Controversy For Publicity?!
Kris was so sheltered in her previous life while married to celebrity lawyer Robert Kardashian Sr. that she had never had to worry about paying the bills! Must have been a good life for a while there — before they split up, of course.
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Thrown In The Deep End!
When divorce came for the couple in 1991, she recounted to the mag this week in her interview, the KUWTK star had to learn to support herself on the fly.
That meant bills, budgeting, taxes… EVERYTHING!
Kris recalled that time period (below), saying:
“One day, my friend Shelli Azoff said to me when I was going through my divorce [from Robert], ‘How much is your gardener?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know.’ And she said, ‘You don’t know?’ That was the turning point for me: I was embarrassed that I didn’t know. I woke up one day to responsibilities that I hadn’t had the day before. And I needed to figure it out.”
No kidding!!! What an unbelievable amount of stress that must have been, especially at first.
It’s somewhat understandable; after all, Kris married Robert when she was still a teenager herself and never really went off to live through the struggles of a young adult life before settling down.
Soon after the divorce, though, she found her footing, as she explained:
“The good news was, I pay attention… I’m a quick study and I knew I had to get it together. And I felt such an enormous sense of accomplishment to be able to figure it all out and pay my own bills and make my own money and do my own taxes. And there were times when I didn’t have a lot of money, but I was very organized. I’m interested in different ways that people make money — and in what’s happening around the world. And I’m interested in different businesses and how they evolve and how they become successful. I just enjoy the business world.”
From zero to hero, as it were!
Related: Forget Kim And Kylie! Kris Is Getting Ready To Launch Her Own Beauty Brand, Too!
Don’t just take Kris’ word for it, either!
The mag sought out a man who knows her deal-making prowess very well, because he’s sat across the table from her many times: TV mogul and on-air giant Ryan Seacrest!
Seacrest, who co-created KUWTK and worked on the concept with Kris, had high, high praise for her to the Journal (below):
“She’s one of the best dealmakers that I’ve ever seen deal. And I’ve sat with the Merv Griffins and Dick Clarks of the world and watched them negotiate deals, watched them on television and be the most congenial, affable, wonderful host and then sit down at the table at the Beverly Hills Hotel and be a tough dealmaker. She has both of those qualities, which is rare. I think the people in the entertainment business, people in Hollywood, people who make products that fit the family for marketing, they realize that she is this incredible engine behind all of it. They realize, actually, the power that she has.”
Jeez!
Going so far as to align her with Griffin and Clark… no small compliment!
Killer Kris!
Not that we’re surprised, of course. We always knew she was killin’ the game!
Here are some other highlights from the WSJ Magazine interview, which hits newsstands this week…
On Her Net Worth
“The reality-star-turned-multimillionaire is a quick study indeed. According to Forbes, she has an estimated net worth of $190 million. Kris plays a role in all of her children’s endorsement deals, getting her usual 10 percent cut — like when Coty paid $600 million in 2019 for a 51 percent stake in Kylie Jenner‘s brand, Kylie Cosmetics. She also facilitated Coty’s $200 million purchase of a 20 percent stake in Kim Kardashian West‘s cosmetics line, KKW Beauty.”
On Her Most Trustworthy Daughter
“Kim would be my girl. She’s always all of our go-to whenever anything happens, because she’s so calm and she’s the one who really thinks things through. Kim is your girl.”
On Her Boyfriend Corey Gamble
“He’s the greatest guy, and he’s just an amazing support system for me, and he really gives me a lot of strength and insight. He’s a great sounding board. And he loves my kids and my mom, and they love him.”
On Shooting New TV Over At Hulu
“When we first got the show, many years ago, I remember signing the deal with E! and I think we were shooting 30 days later…. I think this will be the same way. We’re dying to go do things together. We all had a really nice break. And if the world opens back up it will be a lot of fun.”
Well then!
What do U make of Kris’ journey to stardom and financial success, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF with your takes down in the comments (below)…
Oh, and you can read the full WSJ Magazine profile on the KarJenner kids’ super-mom HERE!
[Image via Brian To/WENN]
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