New Kim Kardashian Biography "Citizen Kim" Opens Up About Kanye and Motherhood
A new authorized biography of Kim Kardashian is offering fans a rare inside look at her life, from her family's Armenian roots to her marriage to Kanye West and the early days of becoming a mom.
"Citizen Kim: The Woman Who Created the Future," written by veteran journalist Jonathan Van Meter, hits shelves on October 27. Ahead of its release, New York Magazine's The Cut published an excerpt focused on the three marriages that shaped Kardashian's life, Reality Tea reported.
Revelations About Motherhood
Among the details drawing attention from the excerpt is how Kardashian reacted to learning she was pregnant with her first child, North West. According to reports on the excerpt, she needed "some time to think" about having a baby after finding out she was expecting.
Kardashian and West welcomed North in 2013. The couple went on to have three more children before Kardashian filed for divorce in 2021. North, now a teenager, has built a public profile of her own, though her first headlining tour was canceled days before it was set to begin this summer.
How Kanye Changed Her Style
The excerpt also details how West transformed Kardashian's wardrobe early in their relationship. She said he asked her, "Can I give you a fashion makeover?"
West brought in a team of stylists, who threw out most of her shoe collection and replaced it with racks of clothes from designers she had never heard of, including Lanvin. For a Lakers game, he dressed her in a black Givenchy dress and Tom Ford snakeskin shoes.
"I just didn't know anything about high fashion," Kardashian told Van Meter. "It was time to get to work and learn." She said the most lasting gift from the relationship was confidence. "He gave me so much confidence," she said.
Inside the Book
"Citizen Kim" is described as the first authorized biography of Kardashian. Van Meter, who has profiled stars ranging from Madonna to Oprah for Vogue and New York Magazine, drew on more than 100 hours of interviews with Kardashian, her family and people in her inner circle over about five years, Cultured reported.
He said Kardashian set no preconditions. When he texted her that he planned to write the book "whether you like it or not," she replied, "I'm so honored and excited." His only stipulation was that she could read the book before publication to check facts.
Kris Jenner, Caitlyn Jenner and Kardashian's grandmother MJ were among those interviewed. Van Meter said he never interviewed West, which he said "kept the focus on her."
The book is organized by theme rather than in order. It covers her start as Paris Hilton's friend and assistant, the 2003 sex tape, her marriage to Kris Humphries, her family's connection to the O.J. Simpson case, the Paris robbery and West's public unraveling.
An earlier excerpt in Vanity Fair traced her family's roots to a 19th-century prophecy from a young boy in Armenia, a story her father, Robert Kardashian, told her repeatedly as a child. Van Meter argues she inherited "an obsession with fairness and social justice" from that history, Armenpress reported.
A "Superhero Origin Story"
Van Meter said he set out to tell Kardashian's story as "a superhero origin story" and to "filter out all of the noise and nonsense." He hopes to push back on the idea that she is a "talentless empty vessel."
"She's one of one. She's a new thing," Van Meter said.
Not every critic is convinced. Kirkus called the book "an oddly lionizing biography" that has "a micromanaged feel," but said it "will engross fans and followers."
Published by Viking, "Citizen Kim" will be available October 27.
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