The Fakest Storylines On KUWTK Revealed

The Kardashians have made an empire since catapulting themselves into the public eye with the release of Keeping Up with the Kardashians in 2007. Our favorite reality TV family has gotten so big, in fact, that the New York Post dubbed them "officially more powerful" than the royal family. It's a pretty big claim for a clan that's been criticized as "famous for bing famous," yet there's no denying the KarJenners can use their celeb status for good. Who can forget Kim Kardashian's successful lobbying of President Donald Trump to commute the sentence of a grandmother spending life in prison? How about the time Kim, Khloe, and Kanye West traveled to Armenia to bring awareness to the 1915 Armenian genocide?

None of these philanthropic causes would have come to play, however, without the countless business ventures that have made them who they are today. From their sponsored Instagram posts, to their makeup lines, to their lifestyle brands, the Kardashian-Jenners never stop working. And who's right at the helm of all their success? None other than the family matriarch herself, Kris Jenner.

There's a famous saying online that all Kardashian fans regurgitate: "The devil works hard, but Kris Jenner works harder." It's even been said that the business-savvy powerhouse has manipulated certain KarJenner scandals to boost ratings. We've done some snooping, so let's get to the bottom of the fakest storylines on KUWTK to date!

Was Kanye's proposal to Kim a real rom-com moment?

It looked like something straight out of a '90s rom-com: Kanye West proposing to Kim Kardashian in the San Francisco Giants' baseball park, complete with — you guessed it — a Jumbotron popping the question. The rapper even went farther than most grandiose movie moments by including "Roman candles burning, a 50-piece orchestra playing and their family and friends hiding in the dugouts," per the Daily Mail. As Kim whispered, "of course," the Jumbotron kept glowing behind them with the words, "Pleeease marry meee!!!"

The moment was perfect for the E! show's ratings, with executive producer Kris Jenner cranking out a two-episode special dedicated to the incredibly tender moment. However, it also led skeptical fans to wonder, was the whole thing staged?

According to Radar Online, when "A Surprise Engagement Pt. 1" aired, the events depicted were allegedly prior to Kim's surprise engagement. Oddly enough, the reality TV star was caught already wearing her massive new ring in some scenes — a week before the follow-up episode with proposal happened. With viewers in a total outrage, Daily Mail reached out to the show's producers for clarification. The explanation? "The footage of Kim ... while wearing her engagement ring, although filmed after the proposal, was a better fit for the first episode of the two-part engagement special." Hmm. We'll let you decide.

Which Kris is the real villain?

Long before Kimye had two episodes showcasing their engagement on KUWTK, Kim Kardashian had another made-for-TV relationship — her two-part special, Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event. Tying the knot with NBA star Kris Humphries, the duo had a lavish ceremony, but in the days that followed, Kim's new beau appeared to be a bit of a jerk.

After the reality TV starlet filed for divorce, Humphries sued, claiming that he was made to look like a "villain" in the series. Per Radar Online, the show's producer, Russell Jay, ended up giving a 165-page deposition where he admitted that there were "at least two scenes that were 'scripted, reshot or edited.'" Gasp!

According to Life & Style (via Radar Online), Jay revealed that a scene where Kim complained to Kris Jenner about her marriage was actually shot after she had filed for divorce. To make matters worse, another scene which featured Kim freaking out at Humphries over a party he threw in a hotel while she was out of town was allegedly faked, too — she was actually in the hotel. It's certainly not a good look, and as a friend of the NBA player dished to Life & Style, "Anyone who loves someone would not team up with their production team to make them look like a fool on TV." Touché.

Nobody was surprised during this proposal

It's no secret Kim Kardashian cares about looking immaculate. The brunette beauty once even revealed on her sister Kendall Jenner's app (via Vogue) that while vacationing in "Punta Mita in Mexico, she took 6,000 selfies in order to get the perfect picture." Uh, what? Who actually has time for that? 

So, it should come as no surprise that when the starlet's now-ex beau, Kris Humphries, proposed to her, she allegedly demanded the scene be re-shot. As a source close to Humphries dished to Radar Online, "Kim told Kris how, where and when to propose ... She was in full hair and make-up. Kris wanted it to be very intimate and romantic, but all of his ideas were shot down by production officials and Kim." It turns out, poor Humphries wanted to propose to Kim in Minnesota, but ultimately, had absolutely no say in the matter.

While some may be quick to rush to the KUWTK star's defense, the show's producer, Russell Jay, confirmed the ruse in his deposition, according to Life & Style (via Huffington Post).

Kylie Jenner, a real-life mermaid?

Some of our favorite KUWTK moments come from the earlier seasons when the sisters weren't composed to complete perfection, and hysterics were a part of the norm. One of the most iconic? Kim losing her $75k earring in the ocean in Bora Bora while she was on vacation with the fam and her then-beau, Kris Humphries. The scene saw Humphries throw the pint-sized beauty into the water, causing her to lose her earring. As Kim has a meltdown, Kourtney graced us with the most savage retort, "Kim, there's people that are dying."

Amazingly, younger sis Kylie Jenner retrieved the jewel from the bottom of the ocean just moments later. However, according to Radar Online, this whole scene may have been staged, too. Humphries allegedly told his friends that the incident was fake, and as a source revealed, "Kim was crying hysterically, but then miraculously, one of her younger sisters [Kylie] found the earring in the ocean ... It was probably 6-8 feet deep, and Kris commented to Kim how unbelievable it was that the valuable earring was found as the current in the ocean in Bora Bora is very, very strong. Kim just said, 'I know,' with very big smile on her face."

Years later, Kylie retold the story to Buzzfeed, mentioning that she "literally found [the earring] in two minutes." Who knows?

Girls just wanna have fun

Khloe Kardashian's marriage to Lamar Odom was wrought with scandal. In fact, the former NBA champion released a memoir in 2019 titled Darkness to Light, where he shared all the secrets of his tumultuous marriage to the star. In shockingly candid tome, Odom revealed that he put Kardashian through the wringer: he cheated on her with countless women, wrestled a nasty drug addiction, and ultimately couldn't "handle the lethal cocktail of the spotlight, addiction, a diminishing career, and infidelity."

The scandals made for great TV, and you best believe the producers tried to milk as much as they could out of the storyline even after the marriage was over. Shortly after Kardashian left Odom, she was spotted clubbing with The Game, as reported by TMZ. The tab got its hands on a video of the reality starlet grinding on the rapper in the middle of Tru Nightclub. The strangest part of the night? It appeared Kris Jenner was "chaperoning." Weird.

According to Radar Online, the whole thing was — you guessed it — staged, hence business mogul Jenner's attendance. A source told the tab, "The storyline involves Kris and Khloe being single girls out on the town ... Kris was the one to suggest it be filmed, and Khloe jumped on board ... At this point, Khloe and The Game are just friends. She trusts him, but there is nothing romantic going on."

It's only toilet paper, Kim

In a 2013 episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner decided to do some mother-daughter bonding. How? They got totally wasted and hurled toilet paper at a pregnant Kim's house. According to the Daily Mail, the premise of the episode saw Khloe feeling left out that her two older sisters were bonding now that the KKW Beauty star was set to become a mom. Cue the family matriarch, who thought it would be fun (and probably make for good TV), to get drunk off of tequila and go "spray string all over [Kim's] mansion and hurl dozens of rolls of toilet paper on the walls." Lo and behold, the plan was hilarious.

Well, Kim didn't think so. The celeb proceeded to have an on-camera meltdown, even threatening to call the police. Hey, at least it was toilet paper and not a full-on egging, à la Biebs.

Although the whole episode seemed like Khlo and her mom were simply being spontaneous, it may not have been entirely truthful. A source close to the show exclusively dished to Radar Online, "[It was] planned well in advance with Kim fully aware before the prank went down that her house was going to be covered with toilet paper. She was never going to call the cops on her mom and Khloe. It's just insulting that they are trying to pass this off as how they really live their lives."

The Jenner house was a total sham

Well, the outside, at least. In 2014, it was revealed that the Jenner home used for the exterior shots didn't actually house any member of the infamous KarJenner clan. All those Kardashian tours you were planning to do in Los Angeles? Think again.

Kim decided to finally come clean, speaking to Mobio Insider (via the Daily Mail). She dished, "When we film inside, that's obviously our real home ... My old home in Beverly Hills was really my home & I would get people showing up at all hours ringing my gate & had to call the police on several occasions ... People hopping the gate & scaring me. It was so unsafe. The Hollywood star tours would stop by too because they recognized my home from our show ... After that, we realized how unsafe it is to show the exterior of our homes. So now we use different homes for the outside for security purposes."

It makes sense, but we won't deny we're a touch disappointed. Per TMZ, the fake house (shown above) finally sold in 2018 for $5.25 million — after 11 years of being on the market. Throughout all that time, you may have spotted the mansion on other shows such as Chelsea Lately, True Blood, and American Horror Story.

The goss on everyone's lips, except Kylie's

One of the most legendary KarJenner question marks has been the talk of Kylie Jenner's famous pout — did she or didn't she have lip injections as a young teen? The whole clan backed up the youngest Jenner when she said she didn't get any work done, even bringing in the big leagues herself — big sis Kim — to defend her. Speaking with Pixiwoo, Kardashian-West dished, "She only wears a lip liner, and then she fills it in [with the same liner] ... She's so good." Hmm.

Kylie denied the rumors for as long as possible, even telling E! News she's "kind of sick" of talking about her lush lips. "My pictures, I pout them out a lot." Nonetheless, it was pretty obvious there was a drastic change happening to the makeup mogul, and after months of speculation, the star came clean on — where else? — KUWTK. With fans around the world tuning in, Kylie revealed, "I have temporary lip fillers. It's just an insecurity of mine ... I want to admit to the lips, but people are so quick to judge me on everything."

Since giving birth to her daughter, Stormi, Ky decided to live a more natural life and dissolved her filler in the summer of 2018. We're assuming she missed her legendary pout since by October, she started getting them again — this time in moderation.

That time Kim threw the most vicious shade

The 2018 season of KUWTK started off with a bang, with fans absolutely living for the drama-fueled screeching coming from Khloe, Kourtney, and Kim — all aimed at one another. Kourtney laid the groundwork for the new season, revealing in the first episode (via People), "Khloe and I, the last six months, have not been as close. I just feel like I'm constantly being criticized."

As tensions built, the episode showed the sisters planning their infamous yearly Christmas card shoot, with Kourt refusing to switch her schedule around for the fam. Kim then finally snaps and unleashes the most brutal shade at her sister. "No one wants in you in the f**king shoot. Get the f**k out of here and go. I need Kourtney to not be so f**king annoying ... She's the least exciting to look at." Savage!

Things then got even more vicious, and all three sisters dragged the entire fight out on Twitter. Per Glamour, fans started getting suspicious, thinking the whole thing was a set-up for the show's ratings, done by scheming matriarch, Kris. A supposed "a Kardashian confidante" even alleged to Radar Online, "Their fight this season is so overly dramatic, and they all know it. There is no doubt that the three of them aren't as close as they used to be, but they all knew they needed something big to start off the season." Whatever the case, it definitely worked.

Kylie's red carpet meltdown

Caitlyn Jenner's coming out as transgender in 2015 was a surprise to the world. It certainly put pressure on the Olympian's two daughters, Kendall and Kylie, with the Kylie Cosmetics queen feeling the most overwhelmed. 

Perhaps it had something to do with Caitlyn's Vanity Fair cover and interview, which left the Kardashian clan stunned. Kim tried sitting down with the former athlete on an episode of KUWTK (via ELLE) to explain the impact of the interview. "I think there are some things that you said that you might not realize are hurtful. You said Kendall and Kylie Jenner were a distraction, and so when they read that, they're gonna think — I don't think they'll quite understand that."

Regardless, the KarJenners found themselves with another storyline for the season, as they all dealt with Caitlyn's transition. In one episode, Kylie revealed to Kim that she was nervous for her appearance at the Billboard Awards and being asked by reporters about her dad. It all seemed pretty legit until a blog titled Keeping Up With Kontinuity (via The Mirror) claimed that the talk was filmed a whole month after the award ceremony took place. "The teenager posted a picture on Instagram on the day where the blog claims it was actually filmed and can be seen wearing the exact same outfit as she appears in the episode." We wonder, how many times can Ky wear the same all-black ensemble to a yogurt sesh?

Was Khloe's DUI footage real?

One of the most talked-about moments on the first season of KUWTK was Khloe getting arrested for a DUI, which was conveniently captured by the reality TV camera crew. However, according to a tell-all book, Kardashian Dynasty (via the Daily Star), the episode aired November 11th 2007, yet Khloe was busted in March — before the show even got the go-ahead to start filming. So, how was it possible to have footage of her arrest? 

The writer of the book, Ian Halperin, concluded, "It was a harbinger of things to come, and would add fuel for critics who assert that just about everything about the show is scripted."

"In each episode ... there is a rough outline of the premise produced in advance," Halperin wrote, adding, "With ideas sometimes contributed by Kris Jenner, sometimes by other family members, and other times by the producers." Any guesses as to who thought Khloe's DUI would be a ratings bonanza? We'll leave that up to your imagination. 

Kourtney and Scott, marital bliss, or not?

Kourtney and Scott Disick have certainly had a tumultuous relationship throughout the years — all put on display on KUWTK. Although Lord Disick has been linked to Sofia Richie since 2017, viewers have wondered if some of the more drama-fueled scenes between Kourt and her baby daddy were actually scripted to stir up relationship troubles for the show.

According to the Daily News, in a KUWTK spinoff show, Kourtney and Khloe Take the Hamptons, there was a storyline where Disick acted out, staying at a club until 3 AM while a pregnant Kourtney calls him repeatedly. Producers tried to place a "leggy unidentified sexy female" next to Disick to make it look like he was flirting with her — it turned out the woman is actually Kourt's BFF, Allie Rizzo. The storyline also included Kourtney kicking Disick out of their Hamptons rental in a rage, but as a source revealed to the newspaper, "Kourtney and him couldn't be better. It's all bulls–t." It would make sense, considering how long the duo lasted throughout the seasons.

Although they aren't together anymore, the former couple is still on great terms. In an interview with Paper in 2019, Kourt revealed that she's proudest of her relationship with Scott and new girlfriend. It's not every day a blended family goes on vacation together to this extent.