5 of Kim Kardashian West’s Biggest Business Fails Ahead of Her 40th Birthday
On Oct. 21, Kim Kardashian West will celebrate the big 4-0. Through her lustrous career, the business mogul has had her fair share of successes — and flops. Here’s a look at a few of Kardashian West’s biggest fails.
The Kim Kardashian West and Sketchers partnership that ended in a lawsuit
Long before the success of Skims shapewear, Kardashian West became the face of longtime show brand Sketchers for their latest Shape-Up Sneakers. The promise was that the sneakers would tone and lift rear ends.
The company tapped Kardashian West due to her particular brand of voluptuous shape. By selling the ads with her attached, they made false claims of what could happen by wearing the shoes.
In May 2012, the Federal Trade Commission “announced that Skechers USA, Inc. has agreed to pay $40 million to settle charges that the company deceived consumers by making unfounded claims that Shape-ups would help people lose weight, and strengthen and tone their buttocks, legs and abdominal muscles,” the website stated.
It continued: “Besides Shape-ups, Skechers also made deceptive claims about its Resistance Runner, Toners, and Tone-ups shoes, the FTC alleged. Consumers who bought these “toning” shoes will be eligible for refunds either directly from the FTC or through a court-approved class-action lawsuit.”
The Kardashian West empire probably won’t go the shoe route in the future (unless it’s something she actually wears).
The short-lived acting career in ‘Disaster Movie’
In 2008, Kardashian West was cast as Lisa Taylor in Disaster Movie to allure more teens into the theater. The parody film also starred Carmen Electra and Vanessa Minnillo. Kardashian West’s character is killed by a meteor.
The movie — which is rated one-star on Rotten Tomatoes — was ill-received by fans and critics. To date, Kardashian West claims that move as one of the most embarrassing things she’s ever done.
“I’m mortified if you have the clip. I can’t watch,” she said, via Hello Giggles.
Needless to say, her “big moment” acting days are likely over.
Kardashian West had a song out
The same year the Sketchers ads took over TV, Kardashian West also dipped her toes into a whole other type of industry — singing. With her EDM/hip-hop blended song “Jam (Turn It Up),” the reality TV star donated all proceeds to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Seeing as she didn’t stick with becoming a Billboard pop star, we’re thinking this might go down as one of Kardashian-West’s less-than-stellar ventures.
The Kardashian West perfume event flop
After the launch of the Kardashian West perfume, True Reflection at Lorde & Taylor, the mogul, and her crew attended an event at Hush in North Carolina where swarms of fans were expected.
You might expect a place to sell out, packed from wall-to-wall to spot a Kardashian in real life. However, things didn’t quite go this way. Less than 50 people showed in a two-hour length of time with multiple outlets stating she left abruptly to avoid further humiliation.
The Kardashian Khaos gift shop in Las Vegas that’s now closed
In another move to push the Kar-Jenners into billionaire status, Kardashian West — along with the rest of her family — invested in a novelty store in Las Vegas, Nevada, which had nothing to do with the reality show’s location.
Kardashian Khaos sold souvenirs like t-shirts and $8 water bottles. The store closed down in 2014 after three years in business. Still, with Kardashian West’s 40th birthday coming up, there’s plenty of time for more successes and scandals.