Culture

The Kardashians Explain It All

They came. They posed. They conquered.

First published in The Atlantic on May 24, 2026.

by Megan Garber, The Atlantic
May 28, 2026 | reading time: 9 Min.

One of the boldest questions Barbara Walters ever asked was less a question than an insult. The year was 2011, and Walters was interviewing three members of the Kardashian family—the sisters Kim, Khloé, and Kourtney—and their mother, Kris Jenner. The conversation was, in theory, a compliment to her guests; Walters had included the Kardashians in the most recent edition of her annual “10 Most Fascinating People” list. But now, sitting with the four women, she observed: “You don’t really act; you don’t sing; you don’t dance. You don’t have any—forgive me—any talent.”

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