The Kardashian era is coming to a close. Yes, you read that right. The notorious family, who were followed by a camera crew as part of their infamous reality TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians for 14 years, may finally be stepping out of the limelight. That’s what the general consensus seems to be on TikTok, at least.

Helmed by the influencer blueprint-turned-lawyer Kim Kardashian, the ultra-famous, mega-rich Californians seem to be losing their grasp on the media (and the rest of the world)’s attention. Because we know just how crazy and improbable this all sounds, we’re here to bring you all the arguments presented by netizens and dive deeper into why this conversation might be happening now.

The first sign of the decline in Kardashian supremacy came in the form of a recent report in celebrity outlet Page Six that Anna Wintour—aka the queen of Vogue and the main source of inspiration behind The Devil Wears Prada’s ruthless and cynical Miranda Priestly, is cracking down on the guest list for the yearly and simply iconic Metropolitan Museum of Art’s fundraising event.

@noahglenncarter

This might be the end of the Kardashians #foryou #metgala #kardashians

♬ ceilings - Sped Up Version - Lizzy McAlpine

With a potential celebrity culling on the horizon, people are wondering whether or not the Kardashian and Jenner clan  will make the 2023 cut. It seems like Vogue’s infamous Editor-in-Chief may not deem the once trend-setting, internet breaking family as relevant enough to appear at the event.

This Met erasure would be a major blow for the family’s reputation in the mainstream, given that the gala is so renowned for its exclusivity factor, and the fact that so many of the Kardashian siblings have graced the carpet many times before. Outside of raising money for the arts, the first Monday in May is one of the biggest fashion events of the year, and if the Kardashians are omitted, it’ll certainly set off an internet storm.

The power social media can have on one’s reputation is immense, and TikTokers are beginning to propagate the narrative that the end is nigh for the Kardashian clan. The controversies circulating the Kardashians make me wonder though why they’ve been previously considered ‘uncancellable’, and why it’s taken social media this long to do its thing.

For a lot of fans, musician (and partner of Kylie Jenner) Travis Scott’s 2021 Astroworld gig nightmare was one of the last straws for anyone who’d spent time unapologetically worshipping the Kardashian family.

Although the concert crush—which saw ten people lose their life—had nothing to do with Jenner herself, she was criticised for what fans deemed an insincere response following the incident. Instagram stories and posts at the time showed Jenner leaving up content from the gig, despite news beginning to surface over the tragedy.

I want to remind you that you can see the ambulance on Kylie Jenners Instagram story from the Travis Scott concert and despite the news has not been taken down #AstroWorld pic.twitter.com/SIhGPbs71n

— Scarlet Witch Era (@LokisHairFlip) November 6, 2021

It has often been the men in the Kardashians’ lives causing turbulence, and as far as the internet is concerned—guilty by association. The endless mess that was Kanye West’s self-destructive spiral in 2022 did eventually see Kim Kardashian speak out against her ex-husband after a torrent of antisemitic remarks from the rapper. By this point, however, the damage had already been done.

It’s worth noting that it was West who originally took Kim to the Met gala in 2013, setting the precedent for her repeated attendance, and many fans in the TikTok comments, whether rightly or wrongly, were quick to argue that without Ye’s media circus, the families’ relevance is sure to go down.

The Balenciaga outrage from late 2022 was just another straw on the camel’s back for the reality stars turned business moguls. For anyone who hasn’t been keeping up with the fashion scandal,, the legendary designer house Balenciaga, known today for outrageous and meme-worthy garments, faced intense media coverage towards the end of last year after some poorly chosen ad campaigns, which put child models next to sexually implicit toys and items, went viral online. Another screenshot began circulating as well which featured the background of a separate campaign being littered with court documents pertaining to child-pornography laws.

Kim Kardashian has been a long time supporter of Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia’s work and following the scandal, the model superstar failed to make a statement on the problematic hole the house had found itself in. Her silence spoke volumes to fans who were becoming more and more attuned to the lack of integrity evident in the Skims creator.

@sussan_mourad

Kim is being dragged over Balenciaga silence #kimkardashian #balenciaga #kimkardashianwest #kanyewest #ye #thekardashians #kardashians #kardashianshulu #celebritytiktok #celebritytok #entertainmentnews

♬ Suspense (Tension, Build Up, Dramatic, Action, Suspenseful) - Tensionmakers

Outside of their callous naivety and adjacency to scandals, TikToker @thesensiblesnowflake highlights the fact that we’re just tired of seeing the extreme lavishness that they flaunt, especially in the midst of a cost of living crisis, as well as looming recession. It doesn’t feel good to see the ultra-rich continue living their Birkin-filled existences.

@thesensiblesnowflake

End of Kardashian era? Let’s discuss #kimk #balenciaga #kyliejenneredit #narcissism #selfieculture #kardash #kardashians #overconsumption #materialism

♬ original sound - Gal Raffie

Controversy after controversy has left most of us with Kardashian-fatigue. Their naive ultra-rich lifestyle is no longer the quirky, lovable pantomime it once was. I don’t think I can handle another cucumbergate.

The family is getting older, and as gen Z continues to grow, while also paving the way for generation Alpha, it’s clear that a new wave is taking over. It’s hard to compete in the age of TikTok and hyper viral content. Gen Z have new favourites too, like the latest horror icon Mia Goth and Wednesday star, Jenna Ortega.

Is their time out of the limelight going to bankrupt them? Very unlikely given their numerous business ventures, but does it mean we might see a little bit less Kardashian content online. Love them or hate them, the seams are starting to show.

Over the weekend we saw a revival of the internet’s favourite boxing match (and no, I’m not referring to the highly awkward and cringeworthy Jake Paul versus Tommy Fury event). I’m talking about the epic battle between Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez. These two women have been pitted against each other for years and the combination of all of the online scrutiny, conspiracy theories and gossip has now become a well-rounded case study in online misogyny.

Let’s first consider the origin story behind these highly juvenile online rumours. In 2010, when planking was still a thing and everyone owned a colourful pair of skinny jeans, Gomez began dating Canadian casanova Justin Bieber. They had a very tumultuous relationship—one that included a seriously uncomfortable on-stage serenade and a number of confusing paparazzi pictures. The pair broke up several times and then officially parted ways in 2018.

Only months later, Bieber dated, proposed to and ultimately married the aforementioned Hailey. The pair have now been wed for over four years, however, netizens have found a way to keep this highly toxic—and misleading—love triangle alive.

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A post shared by Hailey Rhode Baldwin Bieber (@haileybieber)

Considering how incredibly far-fetched the most recent drama involving Gomez and Bieber has been, I’ll try and run through it as quickly as possible. So, in January 2023, Gomez faced some highly sexist and intense body-shaming online after images were shared online of her in a bikini on holiday in Mexico.

Shortly after, Bieber shared a video of herself, and fellow model Kendall Jenner, lip-syncing to an audio that said: “I’m not saying she deserves it, but I’m saying God’s timing is always right.” While the video has since been deleted, the footage was re-uploaded and fans were convinced that the two events were intrinsically linked.

@riristea

Hailey Bieber Posts & Deletes TikTok With Kendall Jenner And Justine Skye! #haileybieber #haileybaldwin #kendalljenner #justineskye #riristea #entertainmentnews #celebritynews #celebnews #rivetsoro

♬ original sound - RiRi’s Tea ☕️

Moreover, on 23 February, the ‘Who Says’ singer shared a video on her Instagram joking with fans that she had “accidentally laminated [my] eyebrows too much.” Only hours later, Kylie Jenner posted a selfie with a caption that read, “This was an accident?????” written in text placed over her brows. Then, the Kylie Cosmetics CEO shared a screenshot of a FaceTime call with Bieber in which the pair zoom in on their eyebrows.

All this to be said, fans were certain that Jenner and Bieber were directly poking fun at Gomez and the online sleuths became so intense that the 30-year-old singer momentarily deleted all of her social media accounts, stating “I’m too old for this.”

According to Insider, some individuals became so enamoured with feeling as though they needed to defend Gomez from this apparent bullying that they flooded Bieber’s TikTok video comment sections with tags to Gomez’s Rare Beauty cosmetic line.

While it would be easy to immediately assume that fans have fuelled rumours of hatred and judgement between these two women solely out of a lust for celebrity gossip, it would be inaccurate.

Of course, there is an element of this involved, however, when you look a bit closer, it’s plain to see that the internet’s obsession with this so-called ‘beef’ has a lot more to do with societal misogyny, than the power of TMZ.

Women have always been pitted against one and other, whether it be in the public eye, or in private settings. Female rivalry is an incredibly powerful tool for those who wish to keep the patriarchy thriving and manufacturing alleged catfights—particularly when the point of contention is presumed to be a man’s affections—perpetuates the stereotype that women are overly emotional, immature and dramatic.

Gomez and Bieber have gone out of their way to try and silence these rumours, even posing for a photo together in October 2022 in an attempt to squash the unnecessary drama. However, it seems as though they’re valued far more when they’re feuding than when they’re not.

What’s also important to note is that this glorification of female rivalry occurs in every facet of modern life. There’s no playful #TeamEdward or #TeamJacob when it comes to women—it’s cutthroat and it’s devastatingly harsh. And when the internet decides that a certain alleged feud amuses or interests them, they’ll find it increasingly difficult to ever let it go.