Why Kylie Jenner's Assistant Victoria Villarroel Quit To Become An Instagram Influencer
Looks like Kylie and her longtime assistant are going their separate ways.
Instagram Kylie Jenner keeps a tight circle of trusted friends around her, but now, one of them is moving on for greener pastures.
Apparently, Jenner's longtime assistant, Victoria Villarroel — who frequently appeared on Jenner's reality show Life of Kylie — is leaving Jenner to become a full time Instagram influencer... and considering how much clout she's gained over the past few years, it might just be a smart move.
So who is Victoria Villarroel? There's more to her than just being part of Jenner's crew.
1. Villarroel has already quit her job with Jenner.
Earlier this week, a source close to the Kardashian-Jenners revealed that Villarroel had quit working for Jenner and is doing things her own way now — and fortunately, it sounds like it hasn't caused a rift between them at all.
“Victoria wants to be an influencer in her own right and is focusing on that now,” the insider said. “Kylie and Victoria are still friends and close. Kylie doesn’t have any bad feelings about Victoria going off to do her own thing and is supportive.”
2. She took to Instagram to explain that there's no bad blood.
In a post that Villarroel shared on her Instagram Story, she said that while it's true that she quit, it actually happened a year ago, and nothing has changed between her and Jenner in the meantime.
"This story is false. I worked with Kylie for 5 years and she became one of my best friends. We both decided it was time to grow without each other professionally about a year ago!" Villarroel explained. "She's still one of my best friends and our relationship has only gotten stronger. Now let's focus our time and energy on other things! A lot is happening in the world right now."
3. But who is Victoria Villarroel? She's a model and has already been working as an influencer on the side.
With over 900,000 followers on Instagram, Villarroel has certainly become a public figure in her own right, even without Jenner. She frequently collaborates with brands and shows off her professional modeling photos on Instagram, as well as shares her traveling adventures with her followers.
And even now, photos of her time with Jenner still pop up every now and then, proving that what she said about the two of them still being close is absolutely right.
4. She and Jenner have been friends for a long time.
Being that Jenner and Villarroel worked together for five years, it makes sense that they'd be close. In that time, Villarroel appeared frequently in Jenner's social media posts and in videos on Jenner's app, and it seems like they still spend time together today.
In fact, in December, Jenner credited Villarroel for taking a photo of her that she dubbed "one last thirst trap" before 2020, so clearly, their friendship is totally in tact. Not just anyone is down for taking these kinds of photos, after all!
5. Jenner and Villarroel seem to be on good terms at this point.
Earlier this week, Villarroel shared this photo with Jenner and their mutual friend, Yris Palmer, on Instagram, so even as this news broke, she and Jenner were still hanging out. Considering that Jenner is a part of one of the most famous celebrity families in the world, she's probably used to this kind of thing surfacing now and then, but if it really has been a year since they parted ways professionally, it truly does seem like the situation is in the past for them.
6. Recently, Kim Kardashian faced a similar situation with her own assistant.
In 2018, Kardashian's close friend and assistant, Stephanie Shepherd, felt she had outgrown her position with the family and wanted to branch out on her own, much like Villarroel has done. Though Shepherd admitted in an interview that leaving was hard, Kardashian was fully supportive of her decision.
"If I had to break up with her, I don’t know if I would have done it at that moment. But luckily she’s such a great mentor that she was like, ‘You gotta go. Like, I love you. I want you forever, but you have to go,'" she said.
Now, Villarroel is getting the chance to spread her wings in the same way, and hopefully, her friendship with Jenner will continue to thrive.
Nicole Pomarico is an entertainment and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Cosmo, Us Weekly, Refinery29, and more.