In these Internet-addled times, it can be hard to parse where you picked up a certain term or speech pattern. For example, I’ve been deploying the phrase “many such cases” for months without quite realizing that I was quoting disgraced former President Donald Trump. (Loathe the man beyond all reason, but you have to admit he can turn a phrase.)
Perhaps the most crystallized example of this phenomenon is the accidental Kardashianism. Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall, and Kylie—yes, I can list them all in birth order, and yes, I’m pretty sure my parents regret spending a small fortune on my English degree—are truly the reality-TV poet laureates of our time, and in celebration of Kendall’s Summer 2024 Vogue cover, I’ve put together a roundup of the Kardashian-Jenner clan’s most iconic quotes. Read them all below.
“Bible.”
This is arguably the earliest Kardashianism on record, and for those uninitiated, it’s basically a way of proving you’re being honest (as in, “swear on a bible”). The thinking woman’s pinky promise!
“Kim, there’s people that are dying.”
Kourtney really slayed with this riposte to her younger sister’s tantrum about losing a diamond earring in the ocean.
“Get your f*cking ass up and work.”
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Hate the sentiment, love the expression. Do I think it to myself every time I embark on a particularly difficult Pilates class? Absolutely.
“You’re doing amazing, sweetie.”
This line has achieved such hall-of-fame status in the gay community (or, at least, my gay community) that it’s almost hard to remember where it originated: out of the mouth of one Kris Jenner, during a Kim-centric photo shoot.
“Kim, would you stop taking pictures of yourself? Your sister’s going to jail.”
Another Kris banger!
“The ’noms.”
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Yes, this is how Khloé recently referred to her melanoma. Is it really any surprise that she’s my favorite?
