Kim Kardashian is a household name nowadays, but it wasn’t always so! Yes, it’s hard to believe, but the A+-lister was once a relative nobody—and a recent viral video perfectly encapsulates the differences (and similarities) between pre-fame Kim and post-notoriety Kim K.
The video, posted this week to the Reddit subreddit r/KUWTK, shows Kim in 2005 with a meager amount of photographers versus her today in 2023, bombarded by interested press. The original poster noted that Kim’s “evolution [has been] kinda crazy”, with one commenter replying, “You mean [metamorphosis],” and another reply simply saying, “Shapeshifting.”
Kim K Before The Fame In 2005: Who Was She Then?
The fan-edited video begins with a clip of Kim Kardashian in 2005, before becoming the paparazzi phenom she is today. At the time of the clip, Kim was in the years just preceding her burst into fame with the release of Keeping Up with the Kardashians and, yes, the additional release of her infamous sex tape with R&B singer Ray J, both of which happened in 2007. At this time, though she had been close to the celebrity scene for most of her life—her lawyer father Robert Kardashian had become widely known as part of the notorious O.J. Simpson “Dream Team” in the massively-covered 90s murder trial—she had not yet been the subject of media coverage.
Instead, she was most known for being one of the best friends of socialite Paris Hilton, as well as her stylist, accompanying the OG reality star to events and parties. Kim had also been seen during a guest spot on Paris’ show The Simple Life. Looking back now, it can be humorous seeing the now-megastar reality icon in the background of pictures focusing on Paris, with the paparazzi snapping the pictures none the wiser that the out-of-focus stylist in the back would soon become one of the biggest A-list names in the world.
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In 2007, Kim's notoriety would explode with the dual release of KUWTK and the Ray J tape, making her a household name that has stuck around at the forefront of the zeitgeist ever since. With this massive year Kim would begin a run taking the media by storm, posing for Playboy, cameoing in the 2008 film Disaster Movie and appearing on Dancing with the Stars, and soon beginning to release her own self-branded beauty and fragrance lines.
Kim K Now: More Famous Than Ever In 2023
The difference between 2005 Kim and 2023 Kim is both stark and fascinating, as shown in the Reddit video. She is not only one of, if not the, most sought-after subjects by celebrity shutterbugs, but a massive empire unto herself, with brands such as KKW Beauty, KKW Fragrance, and Skims launching her into a new realm of repute and financial success. Fame, of course, comes with its difficulties: the A-lister has been married thrice and divorced thrice, with her latest split from fellow celeb Kanye West being finalized in 2022. The fallout from this last breakup has been intense, and the famous couple's post-divorce life has been the subject of rapt speculation in the media, especially as Kim's hip-hop artist ex seems to behave more and more erratically post-marriage.
Along with her lucrative brands, the Skims CEO has also become a visible advocate for prison reform and clemency, joining other names like Van Jones and Jared Kushner in persuading former president Donald Trump to support the First Step Act, which enacted major reforms in the US prison system. Jones would tell the press that, without Kim, the act would never have passed because she had helped gain Trump's allegiance on the matter.
Kim will soon be seen in the latest season of the horror anthology show American Horror Story. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the "fun, stylish, and ultimately terrifying role [was written] especially for Kim." The official trailer for the show was recently released, featuring the beauty maven alongside Emma Roberts and Cara Delevingne in typically strange and spooky aesthetic-based images set to a creepy rendition of "Rock-a-Bye Baby". The show's story will be partly based on the upcoming novel Delicate Condition by YA author Danielle Valentine, which has been described as "a gripping thriller that follows a woman convinced a sinister figure is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happens—while the men in her life refuse to believe a word she says." Seems like we may be getting some Rosemary's Baby vibes from Kim this year!
The 12th season of American Horror Story, known as AHS: Delicate, will drop September 20th on FX. Kim Kardashian's specific role in the story remains to be seen.
