The internet thinks The Kardashian era is nearing its end. We explain the controversy

By Mason Berlinka

Published Mar 14, 2023 at 04:07 PM

Reading time: 3 minutes

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Image from Alessandro Bremec/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.