Earlier this year, fashion mogul Kim Kardashian admitted that she felt a “zing” when she kissed now-boyfriend Pete Davidson for the first time on Saturday Night Live in October 2021. “When we kissed, I was just like ‘Mmm!’ It was a stage kiss, but it was still a little zing,” Kim said on an episode of Dear Media’s Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast with Amanda Hirsch. “It wasn’t anything like a super crazy feeling I was just like, ‘Hmm,’ and then I was like, ‘Wow, I really haven’t kissed anyone else in ten years, so maybe I’m just like being stupid and it’s nothing, it’s just a stage kiss’.”

Fast forward to May 2022, the SKIMS founder is gradually giving fans more insight into her blossoming relationship with the 28-year-old comedian—as she continues to upload several videos of them cosying up in public. In a recent clip, however, fans were quick to call Kardashian out for her “vanity and narcissism.”

Uploaded to her Instagram Story on Sunday 29 May, Kardashian was seen indulging in some old-fashioned PDA (considering the deranged bar set by vampire couple Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly) with Davidson, as he leaned to kiss the mogul’s pouting lips. A second black-and-white video saw them stick their tongues out and a third featured Davidson beaming as he nuzzled into a giggling Kardashian.

While fans lapped up the PDA content they were bestowed with, they couldn’t help but point out how Kardashian was staring at herself in her phone’s screen while Davidson showered her with affection:

Kim’s IG stories with Pete
by u/ty-2217 in KUWTK

“It’s so gross how she can’t even look at him, she’s so focused on flirting with herself,” a fan commented under a Reddit post on r/KUWTK. “Why is she making such intense eye contact with us?? Girl, focus on your man,” a second added. “She was too focused on the camera to kiss him back. Yikes,” a third went on to note, while another wrote: “POV: my man’s dumping me but there’s a mirror behind him.” Some fans felt like the “intense eye contact” was also inviting them, as the audience, into the kiss. “Yeah I had to look away. Like, I didn’t ask to be part of this kiss, stop making eye contact with me 👀,” a user admitted.

Meanwhile, others highlighted how Kardashian has a history of “vanity and narcissism” when it comes to looking away from the cameras. During a 2014 interview with the Kyle & Jackie O Show, Australian television presenter Dr. Chris Brown spoke about interviewing the reality TV star on his talk show The Project back in 2012.

“Let me tell you about Kim Kardashian. She is a very, very special human being. I know this because we actually interviewed her on The Project. We had her on the desk and we interviewed her,” Dr. Brown said. “And we’re about one or two questions in and all of a sudden I can see there’s a commotion amongst the floor managers. They’re sort of running around and moving things around. I thought, ‘I wonder what’s going on there?’.”

When the host asked the crew members what had happened after the interview, they said, “I can’t believe you didn’t notice, but for the first half of the interview her eyeline was down and to the right.” Although Dr. Brown had noted this while they were on air, he believed the fashion mogul was just nervous at the time.

“No, no, no. We had to move all the monitors and turn them around because all she was doing was looking at herself the entire interview,” the crew then went on to comment. “And after they [the production crew] did that [move several monitors] she actually looked at us for a change,” Dr. Brown added.

For dolls who cant see kim on aussie tv here is @KimKardashian on the project pic.twitter.com/AwBeYFsn

— Ж Kardashian/Jenner Ж (@LovingKUWTK) September 20, 2012

On Reddit, fans also accused Kardashian of competing with newlywed handsy couple Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker in terms of performative PDA—or rather ‘Pete-D-A’. “After this whole Kravis wedding… I can sense the ‘I’m gonna do it (the PDA) better than you’ to Kourtney,” one wrote. Another added: “I’m telling you the overexposure of everything she does will be her downfall. The past videos of Ariana and Pete’s PDA were actually genuine and more lovey dovey.”

On the other hand, a faction of fans also pointed out how they would probably do the same if they were in Kardashian’s shoes. “I would stare at myself like that too if I looked like how she did,” a user commented. “I do this during Zoom meetings, tryna make sure my double chin doesn’t make an appearance,” another jokingly continued.

As some users further compared Kardashian to Patrick Bateman when it comes to “constantly staring into the camera as she’s making love to herself,” it should be noted that the man standing next to her in the video now has platinum blonde hair. Yes, Davidson seems to have bleached his own natural brunette hair for a blond hue to match his girlfriend. They can’t help but copy each other now, can they?

Fans are questioning the authenticity of Pete Davidson’s relationship with Kim Kardashian after an old clip of the American comedian and actor resurfaced online. Davidson, who was first linked to the fashion mogul in October 2021 when the pair were photographed holding hands on a roller coaster ride, is now having his intentions called out following a “suspicious” move he made in a previous interview.

First outlined by a user on Reddit’s r/KUWTK, the video features the comedian chatting with Kay Adams, host of PEOPLE (The TV Show!), in a virtual interview from his bedroom in Staten Island. In the clip, Adams addressed Davidson’s video background by saying, “I actually like the vibe of your view and the bedroom right now. Could you show us around, what do you got there, what’s on your bed?” Davidson then proceeded to describe his “giant flower pillows,” stuffed animals and open closet when Adams noticed a particular nod to his love interest on the table.

“Is that a Kardashian candle on your other shoulder? I’ve got good eyes,” Adams remarked. Davidson then turned around, spotted the candle and flushed red, stating: “Yes, it is. That is. That is exactly what that is.”

While People went on to publish an article titled, Pete Davidson Calls Kim Kardashian His ‘Girlfriend’ for the First Time Since Being Linked Last Year, eagle-eyed fans are now debating whether the candle was purposely placed in front of the camera to grab the interviewer’s attention. In fact, the clip posted to the subreddit features Davidson adjusting the candles on the table himself before the interview session even began:

Can we talk about this again please? « Pete Davidson moved the Kim Kardashian candle into view before my interview with him! » (more in comments)
by in KUWTK

“The way the candle was placed was quite suspicious, it was the first thing I saw during the interview,” a user commented. “And then he acted like he had to look/didn’t know if there was a Kardashian candle behind him… wowwww ok give me an effing break! Weirdooo,” a second noted.

Another echoed these statements by admitting, “He so obviously placed that candle in the view so the conversation would lead to his relationship with Kim. Authentic much?” Meanwhile, other fans highlighted how the stunt “[sums] up the whole Kim and Pete thing: cringy and icky.”

The mixed response from fans also links Davidson’s act to the continuing claims that it may be one of Kris Jenner’s master plans, like with Kim and Kanye’s divorce. On these terms, a user also wrote, “Yes, this is a fake relationship used for content on the new show. Kim also needed a public rebound after Kanye, and Pete has a history with PR relationships. As beautiful and famous as Kim is, a lot of famous people do not want to be publicly linked to the Kardashians and would not want to film.”

A few days before, fans were speculating if Kim’s voice had changed since she started dating Davidson. “Her valley girl voice [has] transformed into a middle-aged woman from Staten Island,” a Reddit user wrote at the time.

On Making Space with Hoda Kotb earlier this month, Kim admitted that she never actually planned on getting in a relationship with the Saturday Night Live (SNL) star. “I think that, you know, sometimes things happen when you just least expect it. It was the last thing that I was really planning on,” she said on the podcast. “And so when it did happen, we were kind of like, ‘Oh my God, I wasn’t planning on this. And this isn’t even what I was thinking of’.”