As she marks her milestone 70th birthday with a lavish Bond-themed celebration, Kris Jenner shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. The matriarch of what's arguably showbusiness's most famous family continues to expertly steer the ever-expanding Kardashian-Jenner empire while carving out her own formidable legacy.
From American Airlines to Building an Empire
Long before she became television's most famous mother-manager, Kris Jenner's life followed a very different trajectory. Beginning her career as a flight attendant for American Airlines, she initially focused her ambitions on becoming a wife and mother. Speaking recently on The Burnouts podcast, she reflected: "Every single lesson that I learned that I really appreciate, I think I learned from that year and a half or two years of being a flight attendant."
Her marriage to high-flying lawyer Robert Kardashian in 1978 produced four children - Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob - but following their divorce in 1989, Kris realised she needed to provide for her family independently. The family had already gained national attention during Robert's involvement in the OJ Simpson trial, where he served as defence counsel for his friend, accused of murdering Kris's close friend Nicole Brown Simpson.
The Reality Television Revolution
Everything changed in 2007 when Kris negotiated Keeping Up With The Kardashians, the reality show that would propel the family to international superstardom. Remarkably, she was in her early fifties when the show first aired. "I started doing my show when I was like 51 or 52 years old by the time it got on the air," she recalled in 2022, "and it's been one of the most rewarding chapters of my life."
Twenty years later, the family are now on their 37th series across various spin-offs, with KUWTK alone spanning 20 seasons. The show didn't just make them famous - it provided the platform from which Kris would launch her children's business ventures, coining the term "momager" in the process.
Mastering the Business of Family
As the driving force behind billion-dollar businesses including Kim's SKIMS shapewear (estimated value: $4 billion) and Kylie Cosmetics (valued around $1.2 billion), Kris takes a 10% manager's fee rather than the industry standard of 20-25%. She explained her reasoning: "I said to my kids 'look I'm going to put my heart and soul into this I'm going to work hard and I'll take 10 because that'll make it worth my while.'"
Her management philosophy is built on being available "24/7", describing herself as feeling "like a fireman because I'm always putting out fires all day every day." She attributes her success to going "over and above anything that would be required of you if you were just a proper person getting a typical paycheck."
Kris's business motto is straightforward: "If somebody says no you're talking to the wrong person." She believes successful negotiations occur "when both sides win if you can give a little and they can give a little and you can come to terms."
Age is Just a Number
Despite turning 70, Kris Jenner maintains a schedule that would exhaust people half her age. Earlier this year, she underwent a $100,000 facelift with celebrity favourite Dr Steven M Levine, whose procedures start at $45,000. The results have been striking, with Kris frequently appearing more like a sister than mother to her daughters at recent high-profile events.
Her star-studded 70th birthday celebration at Jeff Bezos's $165 million mansion featured guests including Beyoncé, Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey, demonstrating her unparalleled Hollywood connections. Yet she remains focused on the future, stating: "I never want to think that you've exercised everything that you have. I think that to feel like there's a lot more to come and there's more chapters is very exciting for me."
The Spiritual Side of Success
Kris attributes much of her success to manifestation, though she only recently understood the term. "I've manifested my entire life without realising what the word meant," she confessed. Speaking to Forbes in 2022, she explained: "I also have a very spiritual side and that's probably one of the most important things I do every day is I pray about everything."
She describes prayer as her method of manifestation: "I pray about my family, I pray about my friends and I pray about my everything, health and business and if you lead with love anything can happen."
Family First Legacy
Despite the global fame and business empires, Kris Jenner's priorities remain firmly family-oriented. Now a grandmother to 12, she reflects: "I think my legacy is that I was a great mom and I'm a good grandmother - that's all that really matters. Let's face it, it's just family first to us always."
Her ultimate goal for her children was simple yet profound: "My goal in life when I had kids and they became teenagers and young adults was that every single one of them had something that they found they were passionate about. So one by one that's the dream for me."
As she enters her eighth decade, the original momager continues to prove that age is no barrier to building empires, managing global brands, and keeping one of the world's most famous families firmly in the spotlight.
