Photo: Instagram / Wikimedia Commons
The Kardashians' dad has an interesting dating history.
By Jonathan Alfano — Written on Jun 27, 2022
People today may know Robert Kardashian Sr. as the father of some of the world's most famous reality TV stars, Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob Jr.
But, before his children found fame, Robert Sr. was best known as a member of O.J. Simpson's "Dream Team" legal defense. This connection to celebrity circles in Los Angeles also gave him access to another unlikely star — Elvis Presley's ex-wife.
Robert Kardashian and Priscilla Presley dated from 1975 to 1976.
Before Robert married Kris Jenner and after Priscilla divorced Elvis, the two briefly dated.
Robert and Kris had been together but split briefly, which is when Robert moved on with Priscilla.
Details of the relationship were disclosed in a 2017 book about the Kardashian family’s rise to fame, “The Kardashians: An American Drama” by Jerry Oppenheimer.
This places their relationship just after Priscilla divorced Elvis and Robert was initially rejected by Kris.
“She liked him because he had a magnetic personality,” Robert’s friend Joni Magdal said. “Robert wasn't particularly attractive, but he was funny, personable and very nice. Pricilla liked that about him.”
Priscilla allegedly called off the relationship because she refused to marry anyone else while Elvis was still alive, so the pair never tied the knot.
While Elvis was not physically involved in the relationship, he was involved in another way.
Elvis Presely would allegedly listen to Robert Kardashian and Priscilla make love.
“While he [Robert] was making love to Priscilla, she would get incoherent phone calls from Elvis. She would put the receiver on the pillow and let him listen,” Oppenheimer wrote in his book.
After Rob and Priscilla split up, he and Jenner rekindled their relationship and the rest is history, but Jenner wasn’t always sure it would be that way.
Before Robert formally proposed to Jenner in 1978, she “was apprehensive that Robert would start thinking about Priscilla again.”
Robert did reach out to Priscilla to check on her and her daughter, Lisa Marie, following Elvis’ death in 1977, but they remained separated.
Even while Rob and Priscilla were dating, Jenner couldn’t help but think of them marrying.
She wrote about her thoughts, as well as her conversations with Robert at the time in her memoir, “Kris Jenner… and all things Kardashian.”
“I was living in a flight attendants’ dormitory in Fort Worth, bummed that Robert was going to end up with Priscilla Presley,” Jenner wrote. "She was gorgeous, of course, petite and perfect and beautiful and famous. I would see pictures of her and just die. Any woman would be thrilled to look like Priscilla Presley.”
Jonathan Alfano is a writer who focuses on news and entertainment topics. Follow him on Twitter to keep up with his content.