Kris Jenner is, without doubt, one of the biggest phenomena in American popular and business culture of the 21st century. From selling donuts to becoming the mother and manager of six children who are now global celebrities and heads of multimillion-dollar brands, her journey is as unlikely as it is impressive.
Born Kristen Mary Houghton in San Diego, Kris learned early on what it meant to earn a living through hard work and discipline by helping her mother with her children’s clothing business. Kris Jenner sold donuts while also working in her mother’s shop. It was in this simple daily life, far removed from cameras and fame, that her business instinct began to take shape. The daughter of an aerospace engineer and a shopkeeper, Kris learned the value of work and perseverance from an early age, lessons that, decades later, would help her turn her children into global stars and million-dollar brands.
She later worked as a flight attendant for American Airlines, but dreamed of more: marrying someone influential and living among the Beverly Hills elite. She fulfilled that plan by marrying Robert Kardashian, a lawyer and businessman of Armenian descent, with whom she had four children: Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob. Life seemed comfortable until their separation, which left her without access to bank accounts and facing financial hardship. It was at that turning point that Kris decided she would never again depend on anyone.
Her life changed dramatically when she married Olympic medallist Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn Jenner) in 1991, with whom she had two more daughters: Kendall and Kylie. The true game-changer came in 2007. With the support of a producer friend and the interest of Ryan Seacrest, the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians was born, a successful formula centred on the family’s unusual daily life. It became a global television phenomenon that catapulted the Kardashian-Jenner clan to worldwide fame.
Kris was not merely a figure in the background. She took on the role of “momager” (a blend of mother and manager) and has since been the mastermind behind the contracts, campaigns, and strategic decisions that transformed her children into million-dollar brands. Her commission? A notable 10% of all income generated.
Thanks to her vision and sense of opportunity, empires like Kylie Cosmetics, part of which was sold to Coty for 600 million dollars, were born, along with Kim’s KKW Beauty, Khloé’s denim brand Good American, Kendall’s 818 Tequila, among others. Today, the family oversees around 15 active businesses, and Kris’s fortune is estimated at over 200 million dollars.
With twelve grandchildren and a business legacy built on strategy, resilience, and ambition, Kris Jenner represents a new archetype of female leadership in the luxury and entertainment world. More than just a career manager, she is a visionary who taught her daughters to dream big and break glass ceilings, always in high heels and with a perfectly planned schedule.
Today, with more than 15 businesses under the family’s wing, Kris continues to inspire through her ability to reinvent and maintain a long-term vision. From a modest counter selling donuts to the top of the entertainment and beauty industries, her story is a true masterclass in determination and emotional intelligence.
