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Home / Entertainment

Kardashian staff spill the beans on what it was like working for the 'exploitative' family

NZ Herald
31 May, 2021 01:07 AM4 mins to read

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Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Kim Kardashian have had lots of support staff during their 20 years on air, but not all of them have good things to say. Photo / Supplied

Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian and Kim Kardashian have had lots of support staff during their 20 years on air, but not all of them have good things to say. Photo / Supplied

Working for a high-profile family like the Kardashians might have its upsides, but it's not all sunshine and rainbows, as some of their former staff now reveal.

In a recent episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, from the show's final season, Kim and Kourtney have a bit of a spat when Kim accuses her sister of making her nanny cry. Kourtney's defence was that the nanny had lied about her children - ok, totally justified then, right?

It might be worth reminding Kim about the old saying that "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones", with sources close to her claiming that staff who used to work for her and how now-ex-husband Kanye West are planning to sue them.

Sources close to the now-divorced Kanye West and Kim Kardashian say that ex-staff are filing multiple lawsuits against them. Photo / AP
Sources close to the now-divorced Kanye West and Kim Kardashian say that ex-staff are filing multiple lawsuits against them. Photo / AP

An insider alleged: "There's apparently a potential lawsuit in the works against Kim involving multiple employees."

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Beauty journalist Jessica deFino, who worked on the now-defunct Kardashian-Jenner apps, outed the billionaire family on Twitter for drastically underpaying her while they meanwhile were making billions.

I had to buy groceries at the 99 Cents Only Store when I worked as an editor on the Kardashian-Jenner Official Apps ❤️ and got reprimanded for freelancing on the side ❤️❤️ https://t.co/E4crddQo7i

— Jessica DeFino (@jessicadefino_) June 30, 2020

DeFino wrote: "I had to buy groceries at the 99 Cents Only Store when I worked as an editor on the Kardashian-Jenner official apps.

"And got reprimanded for freelancing on the side."

In a follow-up tweet, she added: "It's an awful, exploitative policy that makes sure eager, inexperienced and poorly paid employees remain inexperienced and poorly paid."

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Another employee, Victoria Villarroel, began working for Kris Jenner in 2015 and went on to work very closely with Kylie Jenner, in what sounds like a private assistant capacity.

She said: "She'll call me at 2am and I will answer, I don't really have set hours. It's pretty much whenever duty calls."

"You basically do scheduling, travel, events. Like the Met Gala, you have to coordinate everything.

"Or any appearance that she has, award shows, the stylists, booking all her appointments and keeping her calendar up to date."

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"I've learned a lot from her and her family," Villarroel said. "They all have their sh*t together, for sure. They are inspiring."

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Villarroel stopped working for the Kardashian/Jenner clan in 2019, but claims things with Kylie ended on good terms.

She said in 2020: "We both decided it was time to grow without each other professionally about a year ago!

"She's still one of my best friends and our relationship has only gotten stronger."

Many of the Kardashian's former staff have had nothing but good things to say about the family we have all gotten to know through KUWTK over the last two decades.

Make-up artist Hrush Achemyan began working with Kim and Kylie after they approached her through social media and she loved every minute of it.

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She said: "They found me through Instagram, which is crazy. And then we had mutual friends.

"I feel like the Kardashians are the ultimate authority on glam. I don't care what anybody says – they are."

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A post shared by Hrush Achemyan (@styledbyhrush)

Hrush also said of the Kardashians and Jenners: "Their beauty resides from within. They are probably the kindest clients I've ever worked with.

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