Variety Claims Kim Kardashian Lied About Her Women In Business Advice Being ‘Taken Out Of Context’
They're contradicting her 'apology.'
YouTube / Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock Kim Kardashian has issued an apology for her controversial advice for women in business that elicited a slew of backlash on social media.
However, journalists who reportedly worked on the video claim her apology is inaccurate.
Variety editors disputed Kim Kardashian's claims that her advice to women in business was 'taken out of context.'
Earlier this month, Kardashian made headlines after telling women to "get your f**king ass up and work," during an interview with Variety. The lackluster advice immediately sparked criticism, including many former employees, who worked for Kardashian, coming forward and exposing the unfair working conditions.
In a sit-down interview on 'Good Morning America,' which will be included in an ABC Primetime Special on the Kardashian-Jenner family, the KKW founder addressed her controversial work comments.
“Well, that statement that I said was without questions and conversation around it,” Kardashian told 'GMA' co-anchor Robin Roberts.
"It became a sound bite really with no context. And that sound bite came off the notion and the question right before which was, ‘After 20 years of being in the business, you’re famous for being famous.’ My whole tone and attitude changed with the previous question that went into that question about what advice would you give to women.”
RELATED: Kim Kardashian Criticized For Marie Antoinette-esque Advice Telling Women To ‘Get Up And Work’
Kardashian continued, saying that she didn't intend for her comments to make women feel bad, but that she was upset by assumptions that she didn't need to work hard to build her brand.
“It wasn’t a blanket statement towards women or to feel like I don’t respect the work or think that they don’t work hard,” she said.
“I know that they do. It was taken out of context, but I’m really sorry if it was received that way.”
However, Variety's editor-at-large, Kate Aurthur, tweeted about Kardashian's claims that her controversial advice had been taken out of context.
"Every outlet going with Kim Kardashian saying her comments were 'taken out of context,' please do refer to the video for [Elizabeth Wagmeister]'s story, which provides the context to the question, which was: "What's your best advice for women in business?"
It is a true statement, considering in the interview posted by Variety, Kardashian, along with her sisters, Kourtney and Khloe, and mother Kris Jenner, were all asked about their best advice for women in business.
That is the question Kardashian was asked and that is what she responded to. Other questions in the interview should not have influenced her statement.
Aurthur referred to the writer of the original Variety story, Elizabeth Wagmeister who also contradicted Kardashian's claims.
The Variety editor's pointed out that Kim Kardashian's defense makes for great optics.
This sentiment has been echoed by fans and commentators online who have been analyzing Kardashian's apology from a PR standpoint.
In a Reddit post, where Aurthur's tweet had been posted, one user commented about the convenience of Kardashian's apology, writing, "Variety's fact-checking here, unfortunately, won't matter or make any noise because the story is now 'over.'"
"Allow me to explain. Kim's camp strategically had the 'apology' interview air post-Oscars, where it would be buried. Furthermore, headlines all focus on 'Kim apologizes' which, from a PR standpoint, is a huge win."
"Remember that headlines don't tend to offer nuance. So even though Kim absolutely did not provide a meaningful or contrite apology, the fact that the words 'I'm sorry' came out of her mouth is enough for a headline, allowing for a new narrative. This means the matter has been neatly taken care of and filed away, allowing the Kardashians to move on from the "get your ass up and work" moment."
"Remember, kids: PR is all about the headlines being able to move the needle. Nuance and granular details rarely matter in today's media culture."
In her interview on 'GMA,' Kardashian then shared the actual advice that she had meant to give during her Variety interview.
"The advice that I would give is just that having a social media presence and being on a reality show does not mean overnight success," she said.
"And you have to really work hard to get there, even if it might seem like it's easy and that you can build a really successful business off of social media. And you can, if you put in a lot of really hard work."
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Follow her on Instagram.