“I got a call from the investigators. Someone very close to me tried to murder me.” Kim Kardashian’s voice in the trailer for the upcoming season of *The Kardashians* is steady but laced with fear. It’s the kind of statement that freezes a room and in her case, it sent shockwaves through the Kardashian-Jenner family. Kendall’s reaction was blunt: “We’re all on edge.” Kylie’s was even more disturbing: “I heard footsteps coming into my room.”
To Kim, this was more than another headline. Those close to her told Newsday that what was perceived as the threat came from someone she knew, and that made it more emotionally charged. Betrayal trauma specialists such as Sabrina Romanoff, PsyD, describe when the threat is both from a known entity and one whom you trust, it “makes you question who you can trust” and can evoke deep psychological trauma. This is not new terrain for Kim her 2016 Paris burglary, wherein she was robbed and bound at gunpoint, left its mark. She has spoken of the lasting paranoia from the evening as one of the worst experiences of her life.
This time, though, her reaction was rapid and firm. Kim has enjoyed *24-hour security*, such as guards at her house, in her vehicles, and even outside her children’s school. Her staff screens everyone delivery workers, too. Experts in security believe that this is a Secret Service-style protection model, one that combines overt guidance with stealthy monitoring. It is not about brawn; it is about brains, imagination, and being ever-mindful of the situation.
Her kids North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm are the focus of her wave of protection. Under celebrity protection, safeguarding children against harm at times requires implicit measures, such as undercover surveillance agents at school, so that they can experience a slice of normal life without the presence of bodyguards. That equilibrium is most critical for Kim.
But living in a state of consistent state of heightened vigilance has a psychological toll. Trauma experts caution that safety behaviors those additional precautions we make in an attempt to be safe are actually fueling fear in the long term instead of decreasing it. Characterized by one anxiety expert as SBs may decrease anxiety in the short term, but they put you in threat mode and sustain anxiety long term, for Kim, the battle will be possessing excellent protection without allowing fear to dictate every action.
Bodyguards assigned to celebrities also stress the importance of going incognito whenever possible. Undercover security where an aide or co-worker uniformly dresses a bodyguard up so that no one suspects is one way to reduce the tension of being always on display but still maintain danger at arm’s length. For someone like Kim, whose star status is so high, it means that her protectors can be inches from her and never even be aware of it until it’s too late.
The Kardashian-Jenner family’s response during the trailer suggests the ripple effect which this threat has on family life. Trust is shattered, routines are disrupted, and even mundane noises like nighttime footsteps can have your heart racing. Experts suggest grounding techniques, adherence to normal routines, and reliance on established support systems in an attempt to bring back a sense of normalcy after trauma.
Kim’s new normal is a secure home, pre-screened guests, and chaperoned school drop-offs. It’s quite far from the high-glamour inefficiency so many hope for celebrity culture, but for her, each additional layer of security is a must. As one commentator explained it, “She’s not leaving anything to chance.” And in a world where celebrity can mean both respect and hardship, that may be the safest thing she can say.
