New Book Reveals Kim Kardashian's Biggest Turning Points Behind the Fame

Kim Kardashian is offering a candid look at the personal experiences behind her rise to fame, including her complicated relationship with Kanye West, her parents' divorce, and the prison reform work that helped reshape her public image.

According to Fox News, the reality TV star's story is examined in Jonathan Van Meter's new book, "Citizen Kim: The Woman Who Created the Future."

The author interviewed Kim, her sisters Khloe and Kourtney, and people close to the family to explore how she built an empire that extends well beyond television.

One of the most significant turning points came in October 2017, when Kardashian watched a video of Alice Marie Johnson, a woman serving a lengthy prison sentence who was asking for clemency.

Kardashian said the video "changed my life." She contacted attorney Shawn Holley to ask what could be done, eventually learning that a presidential pardon was the only way to secure Johnson's release.

She then reached out to Ivanka Trump, who connected her with Jared Kushner. That led to a meeting with President Donald Trump, despite warnings from people around her that the decision could damage her reputation.

Kardashian said she had to weigh criticism against the possibility of helping someone regain her freedom. A week after the meeting, she called Johnson with the news that she had been granted clemency.

The experience helped launch Kardashian's continued work on criminal justice reform and her interest in pursuing a legal career.

The book also revisits her marriage to Kanye West, with whom she shares four children. Although the couple divorced after Kardashian filed in February 2021, she said she still worries about him because he is the father of their children.

She described maintaining boundaries while encouraging their children to stay connected to West and his family. Kardashian also explained that her household has procedures for shielding the children from public controversies involving their father.

Van Meter explores another family chapter through Kris Jenner's affair with soccer player Todd Waterman, which contributed to the end of her marriage to Robert Kardashian in 1990. Kim recalled having little reaction to her parents' separation, while Kourtney described the experience as traumatic.

The book also looks back at the family's television beginnings. Despite O.J. Simpson reportedly predicting that "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" would last only two weeks, the series ran for more than 14 years and produced multiple spinoffs.

The family continues its reality TV run with "The Kardashians" on Hulu.