Kim Kardashian was actually surprised everyone got so mad at her for saying people should get their "f---ing ass up and work."
In the latest episode of Hulu's The Kardashians, Kim addressed the nearly immediate backlash she received for her now-viral comment about the plebeian's work ethic, saying she was "blindsided" by the general public's vitriol.
To recap, during a filmed interview with Variety that also included sisters Khloé and Kourtney Kardashian, as well as matriarch Kris Jenner, the SKIMS founder gave some helpful advice to fellow women business owners looking to hoard the same kind of wealth their family does.
"Get your fucking ass up and work," Kim famously said. "It seems like nobody wants to work these days. You have to surround yourself with people that want to work."
Though Kim has since insisted that the comment "was taken out of context," it hasn't stopped people from pushing against her seemingly antiquated "work hard, play hard" rhetoric. It also invited criticism from former employees, who accused the Kardashian–Jenner clan of cultivating a laborious work environment in exchange for meager wages.
In the new episode of The Kardashians, Kim reflects on the deluge of contempt being directed her way after the Variety interview aired.
"I'm mortified. I don't know what to do because I obviously … it's all my fault," Kim says on a phone call with her mother. Kris assures her, "'It's not your fault, sweetie, people misunderstood where you were coming from."
In a confession interview, Kim adds, "When I made that statement, it wasn't a blanket statement towards all women, like as if I didn't think women work hard or respect the work that they do, because I see it every single day. The most important people in my life that have shaped my life and shaped my career and helped me get to where I am today, all are women, so I hated that that got misunderstood, and for that I'm so sorry."
While getting lunch with Khloé and Kendall Jenner, Kim doubles down on that sentiment.
"I said what I said about people working. Do I believe in that? Yes. I believe that you have to work hard in order to do that," she says. "I was just so blindsided by how angry people got. … But enough people were triggered so I want to be responsible and understand why people feel the way that they do … and I do understand that … that a lot of people weren't given the same opportunities as us."
"We've had crazy-great opportunities … but also you did work," she says. In a confession interview, she adds, "No matter what her answer would have been, people would crucify her regardless, because they're always going to say, 'Well, what do you know? You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth.'"
To prove they're more than a bunch of lucky rich kids born with silver spoons in their mouths, Kim brings up the super-relevant story of the time their parents had to sell their home in Hidden Hills, a celebrity-favored gated community with a median household income of $250,000.
"If people understood that, yeah, we grew up [with] privilege," Kim says. "But people don't know the story of your dad and mom having to sell their house in Hidden Hills because they couldn't afford it and they had to move to an apartment."
In a confession interview, she adds, "I think people would assume that I got everything handed to me being on a TV show, but being on a reality show, let alone a reality show girl with a sex tape, does not open doors. I always felt like I had to work extra hard, and harder, to be taken seriously and for people to forget about my past."
