“Keeping Up with the Kardashians” to cancel after 14 years

Shookt! wait what? “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” is canceling after 14 years on TV?, fans of Kardashians will surely be in a heartbreaking dipset.

“Keeping Up with the Kardashians” premiered in 2007, and turned the Kardashian-Jenner family into international superstars with a multimedia empire complete with clothing lines, cosmetics companies, apps, and never-ending tabloid interest in their every move. When the show debuted, Kris Jenner, now known as one of the savviest businesswomen in the industry, was known to the public as the ex-wife of O.J. Simpson attorney Robert Kardashian. Her former spouse Caitlyn Jenner also ended up starring in her own E! spinoff, “I Am Cait,” which documented her transition into a transgender woman.

On Tuesday, Sept 8, Kim Kardashian announced on Instagram that her family had made “the difficult decision” to say goodbye to the long-running reality TV show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and would air its final episodes in early 2021.

“After what will be 14 years, 20 seasons, hundreds of episodes and numerous spin-off shows, we are beyond grateful to all of you who’ve watched us for all of these years – through the good times, the bad times, the happiness, the tears, and the many relationships and children. We’ll forever cherish the wonderful memories and countless people we’ve met along the way”, Kim, said in an Instagram post.

View this post on Instagram

To our amazing fans – It is with heavy hearts that we’ve made the difficult decision as a family to say goodbye to Keeping Up with the Kardashians. After what will be 14 years, 20 seasons, hundreds of episodes and numerous spin-off shows, we are beyond grateful to all of you who’ve watched us for all of these years – through the good times, the bad times, the happiness, the tears, and the many relationships and children. We’ll forever cherish the wonderful memories and countless people we’ve met along the way. Thank you to the thousands of individuals and businesses that have been a part of this experience and, most importantly, a very special thank you to Ryan Seacrest for believing in us, E! for being our partner, and our production team at Bunim/Murray, who’ve spent countless hours documenting our lives. Our last season will air early next year in 2021. Without Keeping Up with The Kardashians, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I am so incredibly grateful to everyone who has watched and supported me and my family these past 14 incredible years. This show made us who we are and I will be forever in debt to everyone who played a role in shaping our careers and changing our lives forever. With Love and Gratitude, Kim

A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Sep 8, 2020 at 2:34pm PDT

Kim and her family thanked E!, the production team at Bunim/Murray and Ryan Seacrest, who has been an executive producer on the show since the beginning.

“Without Keeping Up with The Kardashians, I wouldn’t be where I am today”, Kim, added in a post. “This show made us who we are and I will be forever in debt to everyone who played a role in shaping our careers and changing our lives forever”, it concluded.

But what Kim didn’t reveal is exactly why she and her siblings had decided now was the best moment to walk away from the lucrative franchise.

E! released an official statement, regarding the ending of the monumental show that helped define the network as a destination beyond entertainment news. Over the years, with “KUWTK” as their flagship unscripted series, E! transformed into a cabler for hit reality programming, and in more recent years, delved into scripted content, as well.

“E! has been the home and extended family to the Kardashian-Jenners for what will be 14 years, featuring the lives of this empowering family,” the network’s statement reads. “Along with all of you, we have enjoyed following the intimate moments the family so bravely shared by letting us into their daily lives. While it has been an absolute privilege and we will miss them wholeheartedly, we respect the family’s decision to live their lives without our cameras.”

“KUWTK” has been a massive hit globally for the network, which airs repeats of the franchise constantly — and pays a pretty penny for those rights. In 2017, E! inked a mega-deal with the family for a three-year extension, taking the show through 2020, valued at nine figures. At the time, that the renewal deal was worth “below $100 million,” though other reports stated the deal was worth up to $150 million.