How Jewish are Kris, Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall and Kylie?
As season 4 of their reality show launches on Disney+, we had to ask how we're connected to the Kardashians ?
One former family member is a troubled Jewish businessman while another is one of the most famous antisemites in the world. The Kardashians are Christian Armenians and often wear crosses yet they are also surprisingly “Jewish-adjacent” – last season they even had their first family barmitzvah on their eponymous show, so how Jewish are America’s reality royalty?
THE AUTHENTIC JEWISH MEMBER OF THE FAMILY
Businessman and former model Scott Disick, comes from a Jewish New York property family and has continued the family business while taking advantage of the fame he won as a key member of the Kardashians or the ‘K Club’ as we’ve dubbed them.
Scott was dating Kourtney Kardashian in 2007 when the family first appeared with reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. After having three children together, the pair split in 2015 mainly because of Scott’s ongoing problems with drink and drugs as well as infidelity.
Kourtney moved on – marrying musician Travis Barker last year – but Scott remains around and last year threw a lavish barmitzvah for oldest son Mason. He also wore a large Star of David necklace, seemingly in reaction to the rantings of another family member – Kim’s ex Kanye’s antisemitic threat to go ‘deaf con’ on Jewish people.
“I have to represent for my Jews these days,” said Scott, about whom family matriarch Kris Jenner says: “He’s the father of my grandchildren and a special part of my family.” Having lost both his parents in
2013, Scott has told the Kardashians they are the only family he has.
THE BEST FRIENDS
Shelli Azoff (known as Aunt Shelli) is one of Kris Jenner’s oldest and dearest best friends. The wife of acclaimed music manager Irving Azoff, she and Kris met when they were 20 and Shelli, who is sometimes on the shows, once berated Kim for showing off her nipples in a photo shoot. The close bonds between the Jewish Azoffs and the K Club continue via the second generation, as Shelli’s daughter Allison Statter is one of Kim’s oldest and dearest friends.
Although she is not a show regular, shy Allison, the PR expert, is always behind the scenes. “Allison is the first person I would call if there was a huge family drama,” Kim once said of her bestie, while Allison has revealed: “We’re basically as close as you get to sisters without having blood.” Kim paid tribute to that friendship with her KKW Beauty range ‘x Allison’ collection, and recalled in interviews how the pair got ready for prom together.
THE ‘FOODGOD’ PR MAN
Jonathan Cheban was a regular on Keeping Up with the Kardashians and the PR man, born to Jewish parents in Moldova, even had
his own reality show, The Spin Crowd, and also starred in the UK Celebrity Big Brother in 2017.
Kim describes him as one of her best friends, but there were worries the pair had rowed when he went missing from her Instagram posts. But Cheban – who changed his name to Foodgod in 2019 – was seen partying with her in LA earlier this year.
THE LOOKALIKE STYLIST
With her olive skin and long dark tresses, Israeli-American Danielle Levi not only dresses Kim Kardashian, but also looks a little like her. Danielle has described moving from Israel to America when she was a teen as “a culture shock” and said that at high school she “felt like an outcast”, but she wanted to connect with other young people, “so I studied fashion, read magazines [and] watched music videos”.
Danielle worked for Kanye West’s fashion brand before collaborating with his now ex- wife Kim. Her importance as Kim’s stylist was realised when Kim had to dress herself for a meeting with Dolce & Gabbana, for whom she was curating a show. Stuck on Kim’s private plane in Milan, Danielle had left her passport in LA.
“How am I going to tell everyone what I like and don’t like when it’s her and I curating it together?” wailed Kim. “I always need someone to confirm that this looks good.” Danielle got her passport, but not until the next episode, by which time Kim had gained enough confidence to make her own decisions, saying: “I think Danielle not being here happened for a reason.”
THE SHOWBIZ FRIEND
Comic actress Amy Schumer is surprisingly close to Kim, saying once: “Kim is a support system and I hope I’m one for her too.” The pair met at a Met Gala event, where they exclaimed mutual admiration and swapped numbers. Amy helped Kim prepare for her appearance on Saturday Night Live and it was well received, keeping the friendship intact.
THE PRODUCERS
Gil Goldschein was one of the first producers to turn the Kardashians into reality stars, but when the family wanted more editorial control, they signed a new deal with Fulwell 73, made up of British Jews Ben Winston, Leo Pearlman, brothers Gabe and Ben Turner and their celebrity partner James Corden, who set up a meeting.
Winston, the son of famed scientist Sir Robert Winston, recalled thinking afterwards: “Well, nothing will come of this, but it was fun to meet all the Kardashians on a Zoom.” A few months later, Fulwell was officially chosen by the family to make a more upmarket version of their show, which has been commissioned for three more series.“The best type of television you can make is something people are excited to watch and that’s a big part of the work that we do,” says Ben of the company’s latest production.
THE LATEST ADDITION
Kylie Jenner (daughter of Kris and Caitlyn formerly Bruce Jenner) is now seeing actor Timothée Chalamet. Though romantic rumors began plaguing the two in April, the cosmetics mogul and the actor did not make a known public appearance together until September at Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour. Back in March Timothy who is Jewish was reportedly seen on the members-only dating app, The Lox Club. The app describes itself as being “for Jews with ridiculously high standards.” Kylie may not be of the faith, though dating her proves Timothy soon to be seen as has standards.
• The Kardashians season 4 will be on Disney Plus from Thursday 28 September
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