Kim Kardashian admits she’s ‘just as surprised as everyone else’ that she has political influence

Kim Kardashian has opened up about life in front of the lens, touching on how her new found political influence has been just as ‘surprising to her as anyone else’ and why she chose to campaign for prison reform ‘against the advice of publicists’. 

In a wide ranging interview focusing on the reality TV superstar’s last ten years, the mother-of-four discussed how being robbed at gunpoint in 2016 changed her ‘flashy’ outlook on life and how she believes the ‘Me Too culture goes into the cancel-culture realm’. 

Speaking with The Cut Kim, 39, also told how she finds being a sex symbol ‘complicated’ and how she now ‘hopes to have an amazing relationship with the next president’ after several meetings with Donald Trump. 

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star also acknowledges her influence on social media, and in particular Instagram, admitting that she ‘definitely’ contributed to the full nudity ‘coming up on my feed pretty much all the time’. 

After she was robbed at gunpoint and tied up during Paris Fashion Week three years ago, Kim said: ‘I definitely see the things that I brought on myself, the biggest being the robbery. Just being flashy and oversharing my every move on social media.’ 

She adds: ‘Now I’m just like, “Let’s actually live in real time and enjoy it. If we happen to get a photo, great”.’

Kim Kardashian, pictured with President Donald Trump, has admitted she’s ‘just as surprised as everyone else’ that she has political influence and has explained why she swapped nude selfies for campaigning for death row inmate Rodney Reed

Kim, pictured at the Met ball in 2018, told how being a sex symbol is 'complicated' as she covers up more

Kim told The Cut she now listens to her husband Kanye West when it comes to clothing, who 'has voiced that sometimes too sexy is just overkill'. The couple are pictured earlier this year

Kim, pictured at the Met ball in 2018 left and right with husband Kanye West earlier this year, also told how being a sex symbol is ‘complicated’ as she covers up more 

After she was robbed at gunpoint and tied up during Paris Fashion Week three years ago, Kim said: 'I definitely see the things that I brought on myself, the biggest being the robbery' The Rue Tronchet is pictured shortly after Kim was robbed there

After she was robbed at gunpoint and tied up during Paris Fashion Week three years ago, Kim said: ‘I definitely see the things that I brought on myself, the biggest being the robbery’ The Rue Tronchet is pictured shortly after Kim was robbed there 

Kim, who began her social justice bids by petitioning President Trump over the release of Tennessee grandmother Alice Marie Johnson in June last year, reveals the election of Barack Obama in 2008 was the first time she had voted.

She admits: ‘I just recently got into politics, and I wouldn’t even say I’m into politics but just really aware of politics.’

Some of Kim’s campaigns have been well-publicized, such as the release of former sex slave Cyntoia Brown, Jeffrey Stringer and Johnson, who spent 21 years in prison for a non-violent drug offense. 

She has since registered with the California State Bar to study law to become a fully-fledged lawyer. 

The activist even sat front row for the event alongside Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner at the White House earlier this year, taking to the stage to announce a ride share partnership where former prisoners are given gift cards so that they can rides to and from interviews.

And she was with death row inmate Rodney Reed when he was granted a 120-day stay of execution earlier this month. ‘It was emotional; it was extremely emotional,’ Kim said in an interview with Today. ‘And he said, ”Praise Jesus.”’ 

Reed was found guilty of the rape and murder of Stacey Stites by an all-white jury in Texas in 1997. He maintains his innocence and was granted a a stay of execution on November 15.

She told The Cut his case ‘popped up’ on her Twitter feed after she had watched Just Mercy, about a wrongfully convicted man. 

Kim said: ‘And I was like, Oh my God, this is a sign. I have to say something.’ 

Kim, who began her social justice bids by petitioning President Trump over the release of Tennessee grandmother Alice Marie Johnson in June last year, reveals the election of Barack Obama in 2008 was the first time she had voted

Kim sat front row alongside Ivanka Trump, pictured, and her husband Jared Kushner at the White House earlier this year, taking to the stage to announce a ride share partnership where former prisoners are given gift cards so that they can rides to and from interviews

Kim sat front row alongside Ivanka Trump, pictured, and her husband Jared Kushner at the White House earlier this year, taking to the stage to announce a ride share partnership where former prisoners are given gift cards so that they can rides to and from interviews

Some of Kim's campaigns have been well-publicized, such as former sex slave Cyntoia Brown, Jeffrey Stringer and Johnson, who spent 21 years in prison for a non-violent drug offense. She has since registered with the California State Bar to study law to become a fully-fledged lawyer

Some of Kim’s campaigns have been well-publicized, such as former sex slave Cyntoia Brown, Jeffrey Stringer and Johnson, who spent 21 years in prison for a non-violent drug offense. She has since registered with the California State Bar to study law to become a fully-fledged lawyer

Kim, the the mother of four African-American children, says she wants her kids to ‘have a fair life’, adding: ‘I do believe that race does play a huge role in the criminal-justice system, if you look at all the numbers. Everyone was so worried about me, about my reputation, going to the White House, and it was like, A life or my reputation?’

But she says she took on the cause in spite of what publicist’s would say, adding: ‘I thought you picked what you really love to do, and that figure that out as you get older and your life takes you there. They were like, “Nope. You gotta find a cause, and you gotta stick with it.” I felt like it was all so contrived.

‘I truly think once I got robbed, it took something out of me in the best way. All the things that really mattered to me then deeply — how many bags I had, what car I drove … I still like all that stuff, but it doesn’t matter. It could go away. 

Kim was with death row inmate Rodney Reed, pictured, when he was granted a 120-day stay of execution earlier this month

Kim was with death row inmate Rodney Reed, pictured, when he was granted a 120-day stay of execution earlier this month

‘For so long, people have tried to partner me with things. But this was the first thing where I thought, You know what? I want to go to law school. I want to help people. Let me work for the next ten years and build up my brands, and then one day, in ten years, just give up being Kim K. and become a lawyer. 

‘And now I’ve come to a realization about what I care about. No publicist would have ever told me to get into prison reform. It was always like, Get into Operation This and Children That.’ 

She told the magazine she ‘doesn’t care who’ is in charge at the White House – and is just ‘glad someone is listening and making a change’. But Kim rules out running for office herself. 

Kim, who says she measures time not by years but by her ‘glam periods’, adds: ‘People do ask that, and I’m like, “No, not really.” I do feel like I have really good values, but that’s not what I’m looking to do.’ 

She told The Cut she now also listens to her husband when it comes to clothing, after he ‘voiced that sometimes too sexy is just overkill’ but adds: ‘Still, at the end of the day, he always gives me the freedom to be and do what I want. But I have kind of had this awakening myself.’ 

She adds: ‘I think I’m evolving to where I don’t feel the need to want to keep up. Not that I did it to feel like I had to keep up, but I guess I just don’t care as much anymore to want to take tons of photos in a thong bikini.

‘I also did think, like, Okay, I’m here in the White House and then the next day I was posting, like, a crazy bikini selfie. And I was thinking, I hope they don’t see this. I have to go back there next week.’ 

And while Kim may have now graced the covers of Vogue it wasn’t always that way with the businesswoman admitting her ‘jaw dropped’ the first time she was asked to take part in a high fashion photo shoot.

She says the moment she realized that her endorsement was powerful was the opening of an ice cream shop in Dubai after a quarter of a million people came out to see her.

And she sees Caitlyn Jenner’s transition ‘a huge moment in this decade’, adding: ‘That was really a moment for me where I felt like, Wow, I’m so proud of our show.’

The entrepreneur, who says she loves to extensively research plastic surgery procedures and often advises ‘really famous people’ on it, came under fire earlier this year for her shape wear brand called Kimono. 

But she says ‘not one retailer, not one person we went to, said that they thought we might have a problem’. 

She adds: ‘I think lately people are just mad a lot in general. The era of cancel culture? It’s not really a real thing. They say it, and it doesn’t happen. I’ve always believed in second chances and not canceling people. It’s really a weird time.’

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star also acknowledged her influence on social media, and in particular Instagram, admitting that she 'definitely' contributed to full nudity 'coming up on my feed pretty much all the time'

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star also acknowledged her influence on social media, and in particular Instagram, admitting that she ‘definitely’ contributed to full nudity ‘coming up on my feed pretty much all the time’

Kim calls Caitlyn Jenner's transition 'a huge moment in this decade'. The two are pictured

Kim calls Caitlyn Jenner’s transition ‘a huge moment in this decade’. The two are pictured 

Kim, the the mother of four African-American children, says she wants her kids to 'have a fair life'. She is pictured with husband Kanye West and two of their children, North and Saint

Kim, the the mother of four African-American children, says she wants her kids to ‘have a fair life’. She is pictured with husband Kanye West and two of their children, North and Saint 

Kim, pictured with her sisters and mother, says the moment she realized that her endorsement was powerful was the opening of an ice cream shop in Dubai

Kim, pictured with her sisters and mother, says the moment she realized that her endorsement was powerful was the opening of an ice cream shop in Dubai

For Kim, who says fortune would always come before fame, the ‘Me Too culture goes into the cancel-culture realm’. 

She adds: ‘I don’t want to speak for people who have been sexually assaulted because I actually don’t know what that’s like. But even just finding love in the workplace…that used to be the only way, you know. 

‘So many of my parents’ friends married their secretaries, and were together for 40 years, and have children together. And now it’s like, “Oh, how could you?” The head of McDonald’s getting fired for having a consensual relationship with a co-worker. That kind of threw me off a little bit, just thinking how times have changed.’ 

And she says she has ‘never regretted’ living her life in front of the camera, adding: ‘I’ve always felt like I’m so grateful to have all of those memories on-camera.’ 

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk