It’s been nearly two years since Caitlyn Jenner debuted on the cover of Vanity Fair, and to say that her popularity has faltered considerably since then would be a tremendous understatement.
Part of the problem with Caitlyn’s public image is that her political beliefs often seem at odds with her own experiences.
As a result, many who applauded Caitlyn’s courage after she first came out now find themselves baffled by her support of right-wing policies and unwilling to entertain any more of her political views.
This PR crisis presents a major problem for Caitlyn these days, as her memoir – once thought to be a guaranteed bestseller – is soon to hit stores with little fanfare.
The task of promoting the book in the run-up to its April 25 release falls mainly to the Olympian herself, and after spending the most contentious election year in recent history alienating what would have been her core audience, Caitlyn is struggling to make her voice heard.
Fortunately for her publishers, Caitlyn has an ace up her sleeve:
For the majority of her time in spotlight, Caitlyn was famous not as a gold-medal winning decathlete, but as the husband of Kris Jenner, father of Kylie and Kendall, stepdad to Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe Kardashian.
If her time with the first family of reality TV has taught Caitlyn anything, it’s that celebrity secrets outsell tales of bygone athletic glory any day.
Maybe it’s for that reason that Caitlyn is promise to pull out the big guns and blast away at her ex in the upcoming Secrets of My Life:
“Kris made her suppress her true self,” says a rep for Caitlyn, teasing the sort of allegations that will be made in the memoir.
“Caitlyn resents Kris for a life she didn’t get to live.”
Following a relatively amicable split in 2015, Caitlyn and Kris feuded over public accusations made by the former, eventually cutting ties with one another altogether.
Now it looks as though the accusations in Caitlyn’s memoir will only damage their relationship further.
Furthermore, the book might do irreparable harm to Caitlyn’s relationship with daughters and stepdaughters, who have reportedly described the book’s content as “deeply troubling.”
Caitlyn has clashed with Khloe Kardashian in the past, but she has mostly gotten along with Khloe’s sisters in the years since her transition.
Those who have seen advanced copies of Secrets of My Life say it’s unlikely that Caitlyn will be welcome at any Kardashian family functions any time soon.
