After 20 years on reality TV, the Kardashians know their worth. For their upcoming Hulu reality show, they will be earning nine figures, insiders reveal in this week’s Variety cover story.
“We are all equals,” Khloé Kardashian says of the family, who will all receive the same salary for “The Kardashians,” which debuts on April 14.
The family’s upcoming show — which also stars Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner and Kris Jenner — had many options about which network to call their new home, the momager confirms, refusing to share more: “I’m not one to kiss and tell.”
When “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” premiered on E! in 2007, production had a minimal budget. Two decades and nine spinoffs later, everything has changed. In 2017, the series was renewed through 2020 for what would end up being the family’s final deal at E!, At the time, Variety reported the pact amounted to just under $100 million. The family filmed the final episode in January 2021, before taking a break from documenting their lives for the cameras, and the final episode aired in June last year.
During their break after departing E!, Kris weighed competition from other venues, and the Kardashian-Jenner family ultimately decided to make a deal with Disney and call Hulu their new home for their new show.
“It definitely played a factor because we give so much of our personal lives up for entertainment,” Khloé says of the momentary component of negotiations. “We always have our private family conversations, and we’re pretty brutal, me and my sisters, with what we will settle for or not settle for.”
“But not all money is good money,” Khloé continues, adding that the family’s vision meshed well with Hulu executives. “It has to be a good fit, and Hulu was just the perfect fit for us. It can’t just be for monetary gain. That doesn’t seem to work for us.”
Good American co-founder tells Variety that the family was ready to move over to streaming, after 15 years at a cable network.
“It sounds so old fashioned, but we are people who applaud ourselves in so many other facets of our life that we are ahead of the time. We wanted to be with someone that’s tech forward, so we’re with the times. For us to be still on cable was just not so on brand for us,” she says. “My mom deals with all the negotiating, and we let her do that because it is uncomfortable. She fights like a pit bull. She loves to do it and we let her do it.”
Dana Walden, Walt Disney Television’s chairman of entertainment confirms that the deal wasn’t cheap — but she strongly believes the family is was worth their value.
“We stepped up to a great deal that they very much deserve,” Walden says in this week’s cover story.
“Who would you want more for your unscripted slate than the Kardashians?” the executive says. “They perfectly symbolize our strategy, which is taking big shots, but the right shots, and betting on incredible talent and best-in-class opportunities in each genre.”