Why Aren’t the Kardashians Thought of as Real People?
The Kardashians like to pretend that we don’t know that their entire life is scripted. They’re famous for creating constant drama and planning situations that keep their name in our news feed. Everyone seems to know this is the case. But then every once in a while, the Kardashians will say something that implies they’re “real people,” and the rest of the world can’t help but laugh.
The 2019 Emmys turned out to be one of these situations. Put all your drinks away to read this, because otherwise, when you find out what happened, you’ll end up spitting all over your device.
The Kardashians were laughed at for claiming their show is ‘unfiltered and unscripted’
Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner were laughed at during their presentation at the 2019 Emmy Awards, but it wasn’t a joke they intended to make. “Our family knows first-hand how truly compelling television comes from real people just being themselves,” Kardashian said. Then Jenner spoke up with, “telling their stories, unfiltered and unscripted.”
The crowd couldn’t help themselves as bursts of laughter filled the room. Apparently, the Kardashians talking about “unfiltered and unscripted” when everyone knows their show includes tons of fake and exaggerated scenes.
While Kardashian and Jenner continued their presentation with straight faces, Twitter was immediately filled with fans giving their opinion. One post by BuzzFeed writer Ryan Schocket, which received over 1,200 retweets and over 6,000 likes at the time of this writing, read, “There was awkward audience laughter when Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner said their family tells their stories ‘unfiltered and unscripted.’ Yikes.”
His followers agreed, writing comments about how uncomfortable the whole scene was. Several people used Taylor Swift memes to express their thoughts. Swift, who’s had a long-standing feud with Kanye West and Kardashian, was shown laughing and getting the upper hand in the memes her fans choose to express sentiments like, “Take that Kardashians- Taylor wins!”
Is ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’ fake?
Viewers have long suspected that most of what we see on Keeping Up With the Kardashians is scripted. They have plenty of reasons for believing that. The Kardashians openly admitted the houses we see on the show aren’t really their houses, for “security purposes.” Of course, they don’t want fans tracking their real house down and showing up unannounced, although they probably have plenty of security to prevent that already.
One of the show’s producers, Russell Jay testified that certain scenes in KUWTK were “scripted, reshot, or edited” to make Kim’s ex, Kris Humphries, look like the villain. Among the faked scenes was the moment Humphries proposed to Kardashian. Although the scene implied it was a surprise, Kardashian knew well before that this was her engagement scene. Not only did she fake surprise, but she asked them to re-do it when she wasn’t happy with the way it turned out.
In another scene, Kardashian has a heart-to-heart with her mother and admits that her marriage to Humphries is having problems. Except, the scene was shot after the divorce had already gone through. According to Jay, it was completely fake.
It’s hard for fans to consider the Kardashians ‘real’
After 17 seasons of a show that most people know is at least partially fake, it’s hard for people to consider the Kardashians real. Even outside the show, the Kardashians don’t seem to let their real selves out. Instead, they appear to constantly consider how they can position themselves to remain in the public’s eye. They have so much drama in their lives, that most people assume at least some of it is created to keep their name in the limelight.
In reality, the way the Kardashians manufacture their image and the drama that keeps them in our news feed is smart for them financially. They’ve made a fortune off being famous. So if they have to create a fake life and persona to do that, maybe it’s worth it to them.
We’re all aware that the Kardashians are real in that they are humans with emotions, but what’s not real is the way they present themselves. It may not be such a bad thing for them since they’ve profited off their stories for years. But it’s insulting to viewers when the Kardashians make statements like the one at the Emmys claiming to be “unfiltered and unscripted.” Most people don’t mind the Kardashians are fake, but don’t pretend we can’t all see through the act.
