Kimberly Noel "Kim" Kardashian (born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, television personality, model, and actress. She is the daughter of late attorney Robert Kardashian, and is known for a sex tape with her former boyfriend Ray J as well as her E! reality series which she shares with her family, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Kardashian's prominence has increased as of January 2011 with the premiere of Kourtney and Kim Take New York, the second spin-off of Keeping Up with the Kardashians (the first being Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami), debuting on E!, with the series following Kim and sister Kourtney Kardashian as they leave Los Angeles to open a third D-A-S-H store in New York City.
Kardashian has launched multiple fragrances, guest starred on numerous shows, competed on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, and has had roles in movies such as Disaster Movie and Deep in the Valley. In 2010, Kardashian, along with her sisters Kourtney and Khloe, released an autobiography, Kardashian Konfidential, and plan to launch their own fashion line.
Kardashian was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of late attorney Robert Kardashian and Kris Jenner (née Houghton). Her father was a third generation Armenian American and her mother is of Dutch and Scottish descent. Her paternal great-grandparents immigrated to Los Angeles from historic Armenia (then part of the Ottoman Empire, now in Turkey). Her last name in Armenian (spelled Քարտաշեան in Armenian) means "son of a stonemason." Although only half Armenian, she states that she "was raised with a huge Armenian influence, always hearing stories of Armenia, eating Armenian food and celebrating Armenian holidays".
Kardashian has two sisters, Kourtney and Khloé, and one brother, Robert. She has stepbrothers Burton Jenner, Brandon Jenner, and reality TV star Brody Jenner, step-sister Casey Jenner, and half-sisters Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner.
She attended Marymount High School. During high school, Kardashian worked at her father's music marketing firm, Movie Tunes.
Kardashian first rose to fame in October 2007 when she along with her two sisters, mother, brother, half-sisters, and stepfather starred in the E! television series, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The series has aired five season to date, with two spin-off series.
Her first acting role was in the television series Beyond the Break. She then starred in the 2008 disaster film spoof Disaster Movie as Lisa. Kardashian appeared in the How I Met Your Mother episode "Benefits". She also appeared on the Season 3 premiere of the series 90210 with her sisters Khloé and Kourtney; they all played themselves. Kardashian was a guest hostess of WrestleMania XXIV and appeared as a guest judge during Cycle 13 of America's Next Top Model. On December 16, 2009, Kardashian made a guest star appearance on CBS's CSI: NY with Vanessa Minnillo.
Kardashian also creates jewelry along with her sisters, Khloé and Kourtney. The trio released a jewelry line for Virgins, Angels, and Saints. The 20 piece collection debuted in March 2010. The jewelry reflects on the Kardashian's Armenian heritage. In addition, Kardashian and her sisters created a sunless tanner called Kardashian Glamour Tan. It was released in Summer 2010 and is available at Sephora. In August 2010, Kardashian announced that she and her sisters will release another clothing line. The clothing line is called K-Dash and it will be sold on QVC. K-Dash will be released on September 10, 2010.
Kardashian is the producer of The Spin Crowd, a reality television show about Command PR, a New York City public relations firm, run by Jonathan Cheban and Simon Huck. The show follows them as they settle into their new offices in Los Angeles. Kardashian is friends with both, specifically Cheban, and frequently appears on her reality shows. She also appeared at the 2010 MTV VMAs on September 12, 2010. She also appeared in and was the subject and judge of a task on the ninth episode of Season 10 of The Apprentice (US air date, November 12, 2010); the two teams had to create an in-store display for her new perfume line, to be sold at Perfumania.
Kim, Kourtney, and Khloé wrote an autobiography entitled Kardashian Konfidential. The book was released in stores on November 23, 2010.
In 2000, Kardashian married music producer Damon Thomas; their relationship ended in divorce in 2004.
Kardashian dated R&B singer Ray J in 2007. Later in 2007, she began dating NFL star Reggie Bush after they met at the ESPY Awards. The couple split at the end of July 2009. On September 29, 2009, E! stated that Kardashian had visited Bush. " wedding made her miss him, so she flew to see him". According to their reality show, they began dating once again in October 2009, although they split again in March 2010. She dated Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin up until August 2010. She later admitted that she and Austin were indeed dating. The couple split in September 2010. She was later spotted with model Gabriel Aubry in November, but by December, they too had split. Kardashian then began dating NBA player Kris Humphries of the New Jersey Nets.
Kardashian has openly supported the recognition of the Armenian Genocide on numerous occasions and has encouraged Barack Obama and the United States government to consider its acknowledgement. On April 21, 2011, a few days before the 96th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, she has written about the issue on her blog in an effort to put it under spotlight and has also sent a tweet to her fans urging its recognition.