Kim Kardashian Reflects on Playfully Roasting Family While Hosting ‘SNL,’ Addresses ‘Blackfishing’ Criticism

Kim Kardashian surprised fans when she delivered some fairly brutal jokes about her family on SNL, and now she’s stressed that her loved ones are “absolutely in on the joke.”

In an extensive new interview with i-D magazine, Kim told playwright Jeremy O. Harris that a common misconception about her and her family is that they don’t have a sense of humor about themselves. 

“It’s totally common. I think people might not get that we’re absolutely in on the joke,” she said. “We always have been. It is what it is. I especially couldn’t really give a fuck what anyone ever says and thinks. And so, I was just like, ‘Listen, if I’m going to do this, I want you guys to know we’re in on this. This is what we talk about when we’re at home.’”

During her hosting gig on SNL back in October, Kim appeared in one sketch as her sister Kourtney. She also referenced her infamous sex tape, her late father Robert Kardashian’s relationship with O.J. Simpson, and made plenty of jokes at the expense of her family in her opening monologue.

“We roast each other as a family all day long. None of us are sensitive to it. I wanted people to see a part of my personality that all my friends know, that everyone close to me knows,” Kardashian continued. “But you know, SNL was a completely different audience for me. It was my opportunity. I wanted to show people that this is funny, and this is a big side of my personality too. And it was fun.”

As for whether there was any material that was off the table, Kim said her family was very supportive and encouraged her to go for it. “I had a really funny joke about Tristan and Khloé that I took out—I could’ve maybe gone further,” she said. “The amount of respect that I have for these people that worked so hard, is just insane. It was so crazy. But the best experience. I had so much fun.” As for who her favorite cast member is, she said Bowen Yang stood out. Sorry, Pete.

Elsewhere in the interview, Kardashian touched on criticism of cultural appropriation and “blackfishing” that she’s faced in the past. “Obviously, I would never do anything to appropriate any culture. But I have in the past got backlash from putting my hair in braids and I understand that,” she said. “Honestly, a lot of the time it comes from my daughter asking us to do matching hair. And I’ve had these conversations with her that are like, ‘Hey, maybe this hairstyle would be better on you and not on me.’ But I also want her to feel that I can do a hairstyle with her and not make it that big of a deal either if that’s something that she’s really asking for, and really wants.”

Kim K faced a minor controversy in 2019 when she announced the name of her shapewear brand would be Kimono, before it was later changed to SKIMS. “I came up with the Kimono name because it was a play on my name, and because I was so inspired by Japanese culture,” she said. “To me, it was just paying homage to it, but I quickly realised that it wasn’t being seen that way. I would never intentionally try to appropriate the culture in that way.”

When the response on social media was negative, Kim immediately backtracked and decided to go back to the drawing board. “It worked out,” she said. “Maybe Kimono would’ve been really confusing because looking at it in hindsight—even on that level—calling it Kimono, you’d think it would only sell kimonos. It would’ve been confusing.”

Read the full interview here.