Opening Up About Cultural Appropriation Criticism, Kim Kardashian Said She "Understands" And That "A Lot Of The Time" It Comes From North West Asking To Have "Matching Hair"
Kim Kardashian is opening up about her family and previous controversies — including that jaw-dropping Saturday Night Live monologue and past accusations of Blackfishing.
The reality star stunned fans and non-fans alike with her SNL debut, which featured her poking fun at topics like her sex tape and even her father's defense of O.J. Simpson.
And now, in a new I-D Magazine Q&A with playwright Jeremy O. Harris, she's getting real about the public's misconceived notions about them being able to roast themselves. "I think people might not get that we’re absolutely in on the joke. We always have been."
"It is what it is," she continued. "I especially couldn’t really give a fuck what anyone ever says and thinks. And so, I was just like, 'Listen, if I’m going to do this, I want you guys to know we’re in on this. This is what we talk about when we’re at home.'"
"We have a sense of humor," Kim added. "We roast each other as a family all day long. None of us are sensitive to it. I wanted people to see a part of my personality that all my friends know, that everyone close to me knows. But you know, SNL was a completely different audience for me. It was my opportunity. I wanted to show people that this is funny, and this is a big side of my personality too. And it was fun."
The beauty entrepreneur also said there wasn't much that was off limits, though she did take out one joke about her sister Khloé's relationship with Tristan Thompson. "I could’ve maybe gone further. But everyone was like, 'Use me. Do whatever you want. This is your time.' They were down. That was super cool."
The 41-year-old also addressed past criticism of her cultural appropriation and Blackfishing. Kim has been routinely called out for both, including for sporting Black protective hairstyles and tanning excessively. She also received backlash for launching her shapewear brand under the name Kimono, which later became SKIMS.
"It was a really quick decision," she explained, referring to the name change. "I mean, I came up with the Kimono name because it was a play on my name, and because I was so inspired by Japanese culture. To me, it was just paying homage to it, but I quickly realized that it wasn’t being seen that way."
"I would never intentionally try to appropriate the culture in that way," she continued. "It wasn’t my intention at all. So I just was like, 'Okay, shut it down. It doesn’t matter that we have so much product already. We have to figure this out. We need to take our time and slow down for a second and figure it out and change the name.'"