Over the course of 19 seasons, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” has documented the rise of the Kardashian-Jenner clan from a relatively unknown affluent Calabasas family to Hollywood ultra-elite. It followed in the footsteps of such reality hits as “The Hills,” “The Simple Life” and “The Girls Next Door,” and laid the foundation for fellow, albeit less successful, E! series “Pretty Wild” and “Mrs. Eastwood and Company.”
But nobody does it quite like the Kardashians. Big family charm gives needed balance to their socialite lifestyles, making their lavish escapades and outlandish antics all the more entertaining. The family’s meteoric rise coincided with the digital space boom, propping up the Kardashian-Jenner family to not only take complete advantage of emerging social media for their career relevance — but also to become the a gift to the internet, in form of some of the greatest memes of all time.
Internet immortalization sounds a lot like a master scheme by quintessential momager Kris Jenner; after all, such a byproduct of fame will ensure their long-lasting presence after “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” comes to a close this year. (Not to mention, ahem, a new major Hulu deal, numerous hyper-lucrative cosmetics and clothing businesses, plus some of the biggest social media followings across the globe.)
Ahead of the final season premiere, we look back at 10 of their most meme-able moments.
“You’re doing amazing, sweetie.”
In one of the very first episodes of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” Kim poses for “Playboy” — and, nudity or not, as with any Kardashian business venture, Kris Jenner is never too far away. In this scene from Season 1 Episode 4, Kris hypes up her daughter as she is photographed, draped with strings of pearls. Doing her best impression of Regina George’s mom, Kris assures, “Kim, you’re doing amazing, sweetie,” while snapping a few pics of her own. From commending a friend’s thirst trap on Instagram to applauding a celebrity fave, “You’re doing amazing, sweetie,” is a compliment rife with humorous millennial subtext. It’s so popular, Kris reportedly filed to trademark the one-liner for merchandise.
“Holding your pee is no way to live.”
Kris’ apprehensions about peeing in public restrooms fuels Kendall and Kylie to film their mom while she’s going to the restroom in this moment from Season 8 Episode 6, which they post on their blog. Seeing the error of their ways, the Jenner sisters make a song to help Kris overcome her restroom fears and all is forgiven. The debacle results in sage words of advice from then-17-year-old Kendall, capturing the overwhelming burden of a full bladder: “Holding your pee is no way to live.”
Cozy Detachment
Makeup: on. Comforter: down. Mind: elsewhere. This shot of Kim displays maximum comfort overwrought by to-do list worries. A wonderful function of memes is the vast ways they can be interpreted — case in point, with this “KUWTK” moment. Some may see this as capturing depression; others may associate it with surrendering to exhaustion. It’s the moment when you are so busy that the only productive thing you can do is lay down and disassociate for a while. (Millennial burnout, anyone?) Or, more universally, it can represent the end to a bad day when you’ve been knocked down so many times that the only remedy is encasing yourself in your bed’s reliable cocoon.
Girls Gone Wild
Before becoming an international supermodel and multi-gazillion dollar beauty mogul, respectively, Kendall and Kylie were better known as the rambunctious little sisters of three L.A. socialites. In the series’ third episode, Khloe, Kourtney and Kim head to Mexico for a “Girls Gone Wild” photoshoot. And so, the younger sisters are left in the care of older brother, Brody Jenner, who babysits the pre-teens. In another unintentional “Mean Girls” homage, the girls have a “Girls Gone Wild” moment of their own. Enlisting Brody’s friend to help with a video, Kendall swoops around a pole and Kylie skips in a circle and flashes her belly button, yelling, “Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo.”
“This is a case for the FBI.”
The first season of the show caps with the family dealing with stolen explicit photos of Kourtney from when she was a minor. Kris relinquishes full control to accept necessary assistance, both proving the gravity of the situation and uttering a fan-favorite catchphrase: “This is a case for the FBI.” The beloved meme captures Kris in all her momager greatness, but has since evolved humorous overtones to communicate when it’s time to put on your amateur sleuth cap for life’s most important moments — for instance, when you can’t find your crush’s Instagram or you’re trying to decode celebrity gossip.
“Kim, there’s people that are dying.”
Who could have predicted that a “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” moment from 2011 would have such resonance nearly a decade later? (Probably Kris.) The entire family is on vacation in Bora Bora for a vow renewal when Kim’s then-significant other, Kris Humphries, tosses her into the ocean, causing her to lose a $75,000-earring. Her freakout prompts a verbal eye roll from Kourtney, and unbeknownst at the moment, and iconic tagline: “Kim, there’s people that are dying.” After nearly a decade of viral greatness, the meme found new life when a screen grab of the moment became a popular response to inappropriate behavior during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ugly Cry
Kim’s most memorable ugly cry moment takes place during one of the flagship show’s many spinoff series, “Kourtney and Kim Take New York,” but it’s during Season 2 Episode 8 that we are first introduced to her ugly cry. Kim is fed up with her siblings and she starts to break down, inspiring a mischievous grin on Kourtney’s face. She explains, “I start laughing at Kim when she’s crying because I just can’t help it. She has this ugly crying face that she makes.” Nothing resonates melodrama quite like the tear-streaked — but perfectly-glammed — face of Kimmy K.
“Kim, can you stop taking pictures of yourself? Your sister is going to jail.”
Paris Hilton may be the founding father, so to speak, of the selfie, but it was her former employee, Kim, who helped cement its legacy. One essential element of a good selfie is having absolutely no shame where, when or why the photo is being taken, especially if you are taking the photo in public or surrounded by other people. En route to driving Khloe to serve time in jail for violating her probation, Kim snaps a photo of herself with a digital camera — a self portrait of the declining MySpace era, only illuminating the changing media landscape that “KUWTK” has mirrored, while on the air for 20 seasons. The scene is one of the show’s more universal quips, and once again, another iconic one-liner from Kris Jenner.
Feigned Surprise
A meme’s specificity can truly give it power, but this blank canvas has it all. In this very quick shot from Season 10 Episode 7, Kris’ face could be saying anything. Though, on social media, it typically communicates making poor online decisions — like knowing you should be saving money, but spending it all on Postmates. Unfortunately, the moment behind the meme is quite unpleasant. In the scene, Kris finds out a hacker gained access to her closet’s security camera, which included obtaining footage of her naked. But despite the meme’s origin, it will live on, in all its glory, forever.
“Don’t be fucking rude.”
“Keeping Up with the Kardashians” has always been at its most fun when it’s at its messiest. In what is quite possibly the show’s most legendary moment, Kim spats, “Don’t be fucking rude,” while attempting to hit Khloe with her purse, who is in the middle of eating Chipotle. What makes this moment so special? It could be the fact that, in the midst of The Great Recession, a fight between a trio of adult sisters unfolded, while one was buying a Bentley. Or maybe it’s because the Kardashians still look like ordinary humans, clad in babydoll tops and heavy eyeliner. Without causing any actual harm, Kim’s performative anger ensures her siblings don’t get the last word.
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