It was the sex tape which launched a thousand reality shows, sparking an insatiable fascination with the private life and body parts of Kim Kardashian.
Shot in 2003, when Kim was still very much in the shadow of her friend and fellow socialite Paris Hilton, the tape featured a roll in the hay with former boyfriend, singer-songwriter Ray J.
The raunchy home video lay low for a few years; a grainy, ticking time-bomb. In those years, embryonic Kim K steadily built a name for herself; organising Paris’ closet, styling Lindsay Lohan and preparing to rise above them both.
In February 2007, the tape was leaked to TMZ, exploding into the public consciousness whether you’d seen the damned thing or not. At first, Kim sued to prevent Vivid Entertainment releasing the tape as a porn film, entitled Kim Kardashian, Superstar, but eventually settled for a reported $5 million.
In October of the very same year, the very first episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians was aired, and one of the most pored over dynasties in world history began.
Entrepreneurial Kim, now 38, has since launched everything from perfumes to books, apps to emojis; revealing a knack for navigating and adapting many seasoned marketing professionals could only dream of.
Interest in the sex tape has lingered long into the era of the selfie; with the footage remaining a crucial artefact in the museum of Kardashian history. And it would appear there are always new angles to examine it from.
During a recently aired episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kim opened up about the heady days of her youth to younger sister Kendall Jenner and former brother-in-law Scott Disick.
Kim Kandidly revealed:
I got married on ecstasy. I did ecstasy once and I got married. I did it again, I made a sex tape. Like, everything bad would happen.
When asked again by a surprised Scott, Kim insisted:
Absolutely. Everyone knows it. Like, my jaw was shaking.
Kim also spoke about her wild partying days, back when she and Paris slept on rafts out on the ocean after partying in Ibiza until 7am:
I definitely went through a wild phase, I would say in my late teens. I’m not like that anymore. But I still have fun — don’t get it twisted, I’m always the life of the party.
However, Ray J sources have given a much different account of the making of Kim Kardashian, Superstar, telling TMZ how Kim hadn’t been under the influence of any hard drugs or alcohol during the filming process.
Instead, these sources have claimed Kim had smoked some pot around the time of filming, from a ‘pipe shaped like a penis’.
The Ray J sources reportedly expressed offence that Kim would say she participated in the sex tape because of being on ecstasy, saying she was up for making the tape from the start and remained so throughout filming.
Addressing her claims of Kim’s jaw shaking due to having taken ecstasy, the source reportedly clarified, ‘her lip was quivering because she was getting ******’.
The saga continues…
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.