Last night on the venerable E! network, Keeping Up with the Kardashians Season 12 Episode 20 was titled “Controversies & Legacies.”
The Kardashians certainly know a lot about the former.
The latter? That’s up for debate, although there’s little doubt at this point that the show is one of the most successful ever in its genre.
Personal legacies, too, were on their minds Sunday …
Kim Kardashian’s decision to try for a third child proved to be a matter of life and death, potentially, as she mulled over the idea of surrogacy.
If you watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians online, you know that Kim is hesitant to give birth … in general. Let alone a THIRD time.
Having already “had two really difficult pregnancies and deliveries” with North and Saint West, the idea of running it back again is scary.
When Khloe brought up the idea of using a surrogate, Kim didn’t know a lot about it, but then a doctor asked if she’d consider it as well.
“Obviously, I do want to have my own baby, but I truly don’t know if my body can handle it,” Kim said, and that’s the million-dollar question.
We’re not talking about her “body” in the sense of its changing appearance – two kids have only made Kim more of a pop culture icon.
This is about life or death; Kim’s pregnancy issues have been well documented, and having had two biological kids alone is an achievement.
One potential plus about using a surrogate, though?
Well, “nobody has to know” that Kim is pregnant!
“You could have a baby for a year and nobody would even know,” she joked, and while that may be oversimplifying it, she does have a point.
Not only would it spare her already-fragile body the potential health issues, keeping her stress levels down by limiting the public scrutiny?
Something to think about …
Elsewhere on Keeping Up with the Kardashians Season 12 Episode 20, Kim asked her sibs to get involved with Everytown for Gun Safety.
Khloe was all in, but Kendall was hesitant.
“I want to do this and I want to be a part of it, but it just makes me nervous what people are gonna think of it,” the young model explained.
“You don’t know who’s going to actually be for it and who’s not,” she added, hedging for political reasons and the sake of her reputation.
Kendall was just being honest, telling the cameras that she worries about backlash for taking a side on a controversial issue in America,
“It could do more harm than good,” she said.
Kim urged her to take a stand if that’s what she believes in and not to let the potential haters get in the way of something bigger than all of us.
That strong message ultimately resonated.
When Kendall and Kim met with gun violence victims, she changed her mind and decided it was indeed a cause she could get behind.
Finally, Kris decided to make a “legacy video” for her mom, MJ, by interviewing her about her life on video, and asked her kids to join in.
The Momager didn’t want this to become a “sad or emotional experience,” but that’s exactly what it boiled down to, almost by default.
How could it not be when you do this?
Kris asked her mother what her biggest fear is … and then MJ asked Kris what hers is, and Jenner is the one who broke down.
“Why did you ask me that?” Kris said.
“I can’t believe I’m crying.”
Kim, Kendall, Kourtney and Kylie took over for her and kept the interview going in a more light-hearted way as Kris composed herself.
That really impressed Kris, and made it all worth it to watch her own children step in and share this bond with the woman who raised her.
“It’s pretty awesome to see my kids interview MJ about her life and her story, and have it on film,” Kris said, before finishing the interview.
Seeing one generation give way to the next, it was a rare moment of introspection and serenity for the 61-year-old executive producers.
Now can anyone out there not appreciate that?
Blessed to make this “legacy video” of her mom, Kris showed some real humanity this week beneath that all-business celebrity facade.
And that, perhaps appropriately, is the legacy of the show itself. No matter how larger than life these people get, they’re still a family.
Strangely, there’s something relatable about their struggles, even if woven into contrived storylines and surrounded by insane wealth.
We love them, and we aren’t afraid to admit it.