Working For The Kardashians 20 Family Details We Learned From Their Staff
Keeping Up With The Kardashians didn't get its name out of thin air. The world's most famous family comes with the world's most packed calendars. Weirdly though, nothing about their household seems chaotic.
Kim sits there swiping away on her phone. Kourtney swans in an out (lately to be the recipient of major insults). Khloe's recent flight to NYC saw her spend more time on the plane than at the actual event she was attending. Much like the slick lifestyles, the surroundings are nothing short of perfect.
Glistening marbles. Floral arrangements. Those perfectly stacked cookie jars. Oh, and a ton of kids. Nobody is throwing a tantrum (except the adults). Nobody is freaking out over getting groceries. The fridges are fully stocked, the makeup is neatly stacked, and we're the ones left wondering- how on earth does it all work?
Reality TV may be giving this family a $150 million boost as E! snaps them up for renewal, as People reports, but it's giving them something else. They're called household staff (and yes, they talk).
The nannies and assistants who keep quiet know secrets we'll never find out. Enough have spoken out, though. Here are 20 details we learned about what it's like to work for the Kardashians.
20 "A Well-Oiled Machine"
When it comes to watching this family swan around their impeccable homes, we've sort of reached the point where we've twigged- there's got to be some behind-the-scenes stuff going on.
"Kim and Kanye want to project this perfect family image," The Mirror reports. "At home, it's easy to show everyone a glossy social media version of themselves."
While nannies were the 2016 headline for the newspaper's articles, the source wasn't confirmed as a staff member.
"It's a well-oiled machine," were the words, though. Mentions of Kim being "livid" when things go wrong also found their way into print, although we'll assume that's part of running that "well-oiled machine."
19 Kids "Whipped Away" If They Start Crying
We know that North West can cry when she wants to - North West "doesn't cry" at Fashion Week made E Online's 2015 headlines after previous years saw this toddler scream the house down while the models strutted their stuff. The kids seem calm on KUWTK. Until you read this:
"Three nannies moving around the house, bringing the kids in for a quick Snapchat with mom, then whipping them away again if they start to cry or make a fuss."
The Mirror's report made a beeline for the Kardashian nannies in 2016, as it was revealed Kanye "barely has any contact" with staff, while travel is "a nightmare" for the nannies.
18 Nannies Must Call Kourtney "Madam"
Kourtney Kardashian's days as the "OG time-strapped mom" are numbered. With Kylie's Stormi, Khloe's True and KimYe's fourth on the way, Kourtney's role as a mother of three isn't as extraordinary as it used to be.
As OK! reports, Kourtney's nannies have had to put up with interesting protocols. "She asked me to call her madam at all times," a nanny told them.
The magazine detailed three nannies for Kourt's three kids, but it was the title by which Kourt goes that got everyone talking. Kourtney's nanny told OK! that not addressing Kourtney as "madam" resulted in "meltdowns." Eep.
17 Kylie's "Diva" Demands
#SpoiledTeenager used to be the only applicable hashtag to this little madam. Kylie Jenner now comes as a 21 year-old mother to Stormi, and Kylie earned those $900 million herself. The diva streak is likely still alive and well, though. It definitely was in 2016.
'"Kylie asks me for the same [… ] smoothie every morning," Kylie's assistant revealed. When asked which flavor, Kylie responds: 'You should know the flavor.'"
As Look reports, Kylie's 2016 Snapchat was brave enough to get her own assistant spilling the beans (and calling Kylie a "diva"), but it's what she spilled that counts. Smoothies also can't be "too warm" for Kylie. #KeepItUp, Kylie.
16 "I Was Doing Her Whole Schedule, Laundry, Travel, Putting The Stroller Together"
The world got the biggest #InsideScoop when Kim's closest assistant and insider, Stephanie Shepherd left the family in 2017. One year later, @stephshep is now a celeb in her own right, but she did dish to Refinery29, from which all Steph's quotes are sourced.
"I was doing her whole schedule, doing her laundry, booking travel, putting the stroller together and all of these things," Stephanie said. We'll point out here that the sentence came with a more positive ending:
"I was a brand new assistant who had no idea what to do with a baby, but we all moved into Kris' house, and she was the one who made it all feel okay and moved mountains for us."
Still, that's quite the load for an assistant.
15 Acting Like It's "A Hotel, Not A Hospital"
Diva demands in Hollywood are nothing new. Beyonce's $900 titanium straws and Rihanna's Casablanca Lilies are things we've documented in the past. It's when the celebs hit the maternity units that the #Extra turns up a notch. OK! was there to cover both Khloe and Kylie's delivery room demands.
“A fully stocked snack bar" was Kylie's demand, while Khloe requested a “tub suitable for an underwater birth," as Gossip Cop confirms. Both sisters requested “1,000-thread-count sheets in light gray.”
“They're acting like it's a hotel rather than a hospital," the magazine reported, as Kylie's most extra demand of renting out the entire hospital floor emerged. Well, when you're an A-Lister…
14 On-Call 24/7, Including Travel
Regular nannies might stay the extra hour here or there. Welcome to Kardashian nannies. Time doesn't exist, shifts aren't a concept and yes, you're expected to travel. Stephanie Shepherd had some things to say about travel.
"But don't forget that when you're an assistant, with all of that glamour comes schlepping the bags and the suitcases and taking the fall when the car doesn't show up or the flight is delayed or something goes wrong."
Celebuzz similarly reports that Kardashian nannies must be on-call 24/7, be it for a flight to France or even getting up in the middle of the night. Please, like Kim K is going to miss her 8 a.m. shoot in Tokyo.
13 Assistant Texts Start "The Second We Wake Up"
#Organized is how this family rolls, and that includes the assistants. Stephanie Shepherd seems to have spent her Kardashian-employed years glued to her phone.
"Obviously, Kim and I text all day every day," Stephanie said. "From the second we wake up until we go to bed, so we just bounce off ideas, like, 'Oh my God this is so funny, let's make it a Kimoji!"
Stephanie separately outlined that she starts her day by checking emails. "Then I'll check in with her personal assistant, Michael, who I also brought on to the team," she added. Just in case you thought the assistant deal was a one-person job.
12 Kim "Refuses To Hang Anything Up Herself"
Having the assistants speak up is one thing. Stephanie Shepherd is way too smart to break the non-disclosure agreements she likely signed- you'll get some dirt from Steph, but you'll never get the whole story. Candiest seems to have gotten hold of some anonymous employee reports.
"Kim's bedroom and bathroom were beyond [bad] at all times," the media outlet reports a cleaner saying. "[Kim] had eyelashes everywhere, makeup splattered all over the dressers and bathroom counters, clothes everywhere.”
11 Get Close Enough Though, And You're Treated Like Family
"I'm very protective of not just Kim, but all the girls," Stephanie Shepherd told Refinery29.
The interview is pretty interesting. While Steph makes no secret of the heavy workload, she equally points out how her relationship with Kim went from assistant to BFF.
"Truly, this family is so much fun, and we go to some amazing places and do some incredible things," she added. Even though she's no longer working for the Kardashians, Steph still posts IG throwback pics of herself with Kim. You can see the love, straight-up.
10 "Stressful" (But There Are Designer Perks)
Stress doesn't begin to cover some of the situations that the Kardashian assistants have found themselves in. "When we all travel together with, like, four kids, it's tough!" Stephanie said, adding that it's "stressful." That was before the Paris robbery:
"It was [scary]. At the time, I had to hold it together and make sure everything was getting handled, and that we could get Kim home as quickly and safely as possible."
At the same time, Stephanie admits that she came from a small town- she had never heard of Givenchy (nor did she know how to pronounce it). The gifts were generous. Yeezy boots, bags, Christmas extras. There are perks.
9 You Work For This Family, You Work Out With Them
When you sign up to work for this family, you sign up for the full deal. Yes, there are trips to Paris and Milan. Yes, you get to go with them on luxury vacays. One thing you won't get out of? Working out.
"Being around Kim and Kourtney and Khloe, I'm always working out," Stephanie said. "I never was a big exercise person before, but they work out religiously. So I'll drive to Calabasas and work out with Kourtney or with Kim here and there."
There probably wasn't an episode of KUWTK Season 15 that didn't see this family hitting the gym. Khloe was even filmed pumping iron while she was pregnant. Wanna work for the Kardashians? Grab your workout gear.
8 "I Didn't Date Anyone At All For Two Years, There Just Wasn't Time"
Dating with a full-time job is a challenge without a #Kardashian. When Kim's former assistant Stephanie spoke to Refinery29, she admitted that putting her all into this family didn't leave her with any time for a relationship.
"I didn't date anyone at all for, like, the first two years working with Kim, because there just wasn't time," Stephanie revealed. "And then I did meet a DJ who worked with Kanye, but it just didn't work out - we were too busy."
That's a real downer. Kim and Kanye have their marriage. Khloe and Tristan have their relationship, as do Kylie and Travis. Kendall, Kourt and Kris are all seeing people. The assistants? No time, apparently.
7 Mess That's Been Compared To "A Tornado"
The Kardashian closets appear nothing short of perfect. Hundreds of pairs of shoes neatly lined up, colour-coded, and divided up into stilettos, boots, sneakers and pumps. If you didn't see Kylie Jenner's purse closet tour, YouTube awaits you.
"No matter how often it was cleaned, the minute Kim entered, everything was trashed," Candiest reports a cleaner saying. She added that it was "like a tornado had just gone through it."
We're beginning to wonder if these quotes date back to Kim's party days as Paris Hilton's stylist- Kim herself admitted on KUWTK Season 15 that she was a different person back then. Still, the evidence appears to be there.
6 Kris Jenner's Broccoli Freakouts
Kris Jenner makes no secret of being organized. In 2013, Radar Online reported this from a household employee: “Kris gave me a shopping list and told me to go to the grocery store."
"When I got home, Kris said, 'Where is the broccoli?' I told her broccoli was not on the list. She immediately lost her temper, yelling, 'I can't [… ] believe you [… ] forgot the [… ] broccoli!"
To be fair, consider how nuts you go when your other half, sibling or even you forget the one grocery item you wanted. Still, if you're applying to work for the Kardashians, remember- broccoli isn't to be forgotten!
5 Kourtney's Micro-Managing
Nobody likes to be micro-managed. In some situations, especially when kids are involved, that can be a sign of caring underneath. Given Kourt's love for her kids, we'll assume that was behind Now To Love's report of staff complaints.
A "control and neat freak" was the media outlet's report of Kourtney back when she was 35, as the employee called Kourtney "the worst Kardashian to work for."
Kourt reportedly "micro-managed her nannies," even telling staff that she "didn't want them wearing perfume." Kourtney's opinions on non-natural products around kids were recently revealed on KUWTK, when Kourt even took a trip to Washington D.C. to lobby against chemicals in child products.
4 Fights Over Designer Clothes
We've seen these sisters fight. It's half the reason we tune into the show. "The least exciting to look at," Kim called Kourt on Season 15 of KUWTK (and yes, Kourtney burst into tears). In 2013, Radar Online leaked former staff member, Pam Behan's report:
"They would have knock-down, drag-out fights over designer clothes. By the end, they would be crying and bleeding. It was bad!”
Fighting on that level isn't footage we'll ever see. Kylie and Kendall definitely had their clothing catfights in the early days, but everyone seems to have grown up since.
3 After Paris: "Alarms, Security Plans, Pepper Sprays"
2016 was incredibly tough on Kim. The Paris robbery that alarmed the world shook Kim to the core, and talking about it in 2017 on The Ellen Show reduced Kim to tears. Stephanie Shepherd was still working for Kim at the time, and she recalled the incident.
"We have alarms and security plans, and all that. Still, whenever I've had to stay home alone, I get a little scared. So I did get a couple of extra pepper sprays," Stephanie told Refinery29.
In 2018, Complex reported Travis Scott hiring "secret service-style security" to protect Kylie Jenner and baby Stormi. Work for this family, and you'll find yourself with a #Security as part of your job title.
2 "Not Easy To Work For"
Nobody pictures working for the Kardashians as an easy deal. While the show has given us sneak peeks of Kim's assistants hanging with her poolside, everyone knows that the reality is less easygoing. That might be because the family themselves aren't the world's easiest people.
"She was not easy to work for," People reports Kardashian assistant, Pam Behan saying about Kris Jenner. "She was a perfectionist and she expected perfection."
Much like her daughters, Kris is a perfectionist. It seems to be a trait that runs within the family. While Stephanie Shepherd's interviews echo the same concept, they're more balanced than Pam's. #PossiblyBitter?
1 The $10 Million Non-Disclosures That Everyone Must Sign
The Kardashian legal team likely comes in the $1000-an-hour retainer setup that we've seen on Suits. This family needs to protect themselves, and that includes carefully monitoring anyone in their immediate surroundings. Baby Gaga reports:
A person caught selling stories or pics of Stormi can face up to $10 million in legal fees. "If they don't sign the agreement, they can't see [Stormi]."
While nannies and assistants themselves haven't mentioned NDAs, that may well be because the NDA specifies "no mentioning the NDA!" $10 million is said to be the figure a staff member can face if they talk when they shouldn't, so best of luck to Pam who seems to have found her name more than once here!
