‘The Kardashians’: Brandon Bernard’s Last Words Were With Kim Kardashian in ‘This Is a Life or Death Situation’
Kim Kardashian was Brandon Bernard’s final phone call before his December 2020 execution. The Hulu series’ star is passionate about prison reform, specifically death row cases. In The Kardashians episode “This is a Life or Death Situation,” Kardashian sheds light on Bernard’s case and shares his final words with the cameras.
Kim Kardashian contemplates starting a justice reform law firm
In The Kardashians episode, Kardashian meets up with Scott Budnick, founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, who has “dedicated his life to prison reform.” He asks what she wants to do when she passes the bar, to which Kim replies:
“I think it would be cool to start a firm that does just justice reform and hire formerly incarcerated people to just run it and work there,” she tells Budnick. “Just do stuff like help fund cases, help fund getting an investigator.”
Brandon Bernard’s last words were with Kim Kardashian
Bernard was convicted of robbery and the kidnapping and murder of Todd and Stacie Bagley in 1999. He stayed on death row until his execution in December 2020. Bernard’s final conversation with Kardashian was caught on camera for the Hulu series.
“I got to know him pretty well in his last few days,” Kardashian told cameras. “I posted this all on social media because he really wanted me to share his story.”
“Sometimes we’re able to stop [the death penalty] and sometimes we’re not,” Kardashian explained. On Dec. 10, 2020, Kardashian spoke to Bernard on the phone hours before his execution.
“First thing they gonna do is put me in the chair and try to you know push me around and I don’t want to be panicking and stuff so they give me some kind of shot,” he told her. “You don’t gotta be sad,” he added as Kardashian broke down in tears. It “broke her heart” to have Bernard calm her down in that moment.
“This is why I do what I do, because the system is so broken,” Kardashian said. She was unable to stop Bernard’s execution, but she was able to help with Julius Jones’ case.
A death row inmate since 1999, Jones was granted clemency by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt thanks to Kardashian’s help. This decision commuted Jones’ death sentence hours before he was scheduled to be executed for a murder he says he didn’t commit (via CNN).
Kim Kardashian passes the baby bar in ‘The Kardashians’ episode 6
After years of studying and preparation, Kardashian passed the baby bar exam in December 2021. “OMFGGGG I PASSED THE BABY BAR EXAM!!!!” she wrote on Instagram. “Looking in the mirror, I am really proud of the woman looking back today in the reflection.”
Cameras captured the moment for the Hulu series. In the parking lot of a Red Lobster — North West had just won her first basketball game and they were out celebrating — Kardashian checks the test results in her car.
“I go in the car because if I’m upset, I don’t wanna have everyone stare,” Kim tells the cameras. After North screams a group prayer, Kim sees that she passed and breaks down in tears.
If she would have failed this second time, she would be unable to retake the baby bar. With this success, Kardashian can continue working on prison reform cases like the two mentioned in “This is a Life or Death Situation.”
Watch episodes of The Kardashians on Hulu.
