#5: More Kardashian Khaos as Rayceipts Ensue
Some real tea went down on Sunday, after Ray J came forward with fresh receipts surrounding his and Kim K's 2007 sex-tape - prompting fresh perspectives on who is responsible for the Kardashians' fame
Viewers of the Kardashian-Jenner clan’s new series, aptly named The Kardashians, were introduced to more drama surrounding Kim’s infamous sex-tape with her ex-boyfriend, Ray J.
Yes, despite being a married father with two kids, Brandy’s brother never ceases to miss an opportunity to bring up the recorded romp - even while on an overseas family holiday.
Anyway, just as I thought the drama had died and been buried months ago in those The Kardashians episodes, my socials were on fire as Ray J made some bombshell allegations against his former lover and her momager, Kris Jenner.
And while the tea was scalding - it did open up the floor for a wider discussion on just who is responsible for the family’s unprecedented success. Two of Kim’s exes, Kanye West and Ray J, seem to believe they are the reason for the celebrity clan’s fame - both of them asserting that it is Black people who leveraged the Kardashian’s status and brought them further into the spotlight. Let’s see what you think about this argument by the end of the piece.
PART I - THE LIE DETECTOR
Before we get to that point, let’s rewind a little bit to about a week ago, when Kris and Kylie joined James Corden for a lie detector test - which saw the mum-of-six strapped up to a polygraph machine and asked a whole bunch of questions, many of which even I genuinely wanted the answer to.
In particular, Corden had asked Kris: “Did you help Kim release her sex tape?” to which Kris replied: “No.”
Whilst watching the clip, however, I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that I was being duped into believing Kris’ answers. I mean, how could you not believe her, right? She was literally strapped to a polygraph machine, and an accredited lie detector tester named John verified the validity of her answers.
Soon enough, and after some internet deep-diving, I realised I wasn’t the only one harbouring these thoughts - as users commenting on a Reddit thread specifically focusing on John’s credentials mentioned they felt conned by the lie detector test as well.
I mean…
This comment, from two years ago, highlights John’s shady past:
Anyway, back to the topic at hand.
Speaking of the lie detector segment, word of it eventually found its way to Ray J (either that or his ears must have been burning) who evidently had enough of internalising decades-kept secrets - which he let out to his 2.8 million Instagram followers. We were not ready for this…
PART II - INSTAGRAM ACCUSATIONS
Taking to Instagram, the ‘Sexy Can I’ hitmaker made some serious accusations that contradict everything the KarJenner clan have been saying for over a decade. And he had the Rayceipts to prove it.
In two separate videos - 28 minutes and 44 minutes long - the R&B singer made multiple shocking claims including:
There were actually three different sex tapes, rather than just one;
Kris allegedly watched all three tapes and picked the “better” one to release;
A contract between Kim, Ray J, and a company named Vivid Entertainment was drawn up - Kim filled out the section describing the tapes. Ray J showed this to the camera, and the writing alleged to be Kim’s looks eerily similar to copies of her writing that she has previously posted on social media;
The pair - who dated between 2002 to 2006 - received $400k each up front, in addition to 12.5% profits from the released sex tape;
Kim and Ray J exchanged DMs on Instagram in April after he saw The Kardashians episode focused on the existence of another sex tape - in those messages he tells Kim “you know what we did,” and alleges Kris concocted the sex tape deal.
For those who haven’t seen season one of The Kardashians reality TV series - which the family claimed was completely different to their original Keeping Up With The Kardashians reality TV series - here’s a quick rundown.
Basically, one of Kim’s four children was playing Roblox when they came across an advertisement in the online game platform that hinted at Kim having a second sex tape. Obviously, this shocked Kim and viewers at home who were on the edges of their seats asking themselves: Wait, another tape? How could this be? And: Maybe I need to watch the old one again, just to refresh my memory (just kidding about the latter).
More back and forth drama continued as threats of a new sex tape weaved their way throughout the episode, and it turned out that it was Ray J’s manager who was threatening to expose the additional clip.
Eventually, however, good old Ye managed to retrieve a laptop from Ray J that contained the last remaining footage from the pair’s 2002 sex tape. As it turns out, according to Kim, the remainder of the clips weren’t sexual and only included her and Ray J dining at a restaurant and going clubbing.
Whew - that was a lot. Are we all up to speed? Great, now we can continue to…
PART III - THE KARDASHIAN KOMEBACK
Luckily, we now know that Ray J saw the episode and became upset at how he was depicted, because he was kind enough to provide screenshots of his and Kim’s online interaction at the time.
In one message, he tells his ex: “YOU KNOW WHAT WE DID!” reminding her that it was allegedly Kris who “controlled this whole sex tape deal,” and that all he did was “agree.”
“Now you want to make it seem like I’m doing it again without your control. All those fake tears. Your fans trusting you to be honest and sincere but it’s all fake for the cameras. I was playing my part until you started doing all of this!” he added in a further message.
He then continued: “What are you trying to ruin me when you know I was just a player in this! You have to stop believing you own lies! I have to let the world know the real [because] you’ve taken it too far now. Somebody needs to explain the play you are doing to me ASAP or I will have no choice but to protect my brand and family and expose real.”
Kim responds to Ray J after several exchanges, saying: “We are both parents now with young kids and careers and I’m sure you want to move on from this just like I do. But your manager is the person who brought this all up out of nowhere and I have a right to share how it affected me.”
In later messages she eventually tells him that he will be painted in a good light on the next episode of The Kardashians after he returns the laptop to her. She added that her and her team would “get something out tomorrow” to clarify that the rumoured existence of a second tape was a “joke.”
Kim concludes by apologising to Ray J, saying that it wasn’t her intention to affect him.
So, while Kim and Ray J actually seemed to end on good terms, it’s obvious that Kris’ lie detector test was truly the straw that broke the camel’s back for Ray J.
PART IV - THE GENESIS OF KARJENNER SUCCESS
While I am not one to pick sides - possibly due to a strong subconscious urge to automatically side with a woman who was thought to have been wronged for so many years - some valid points were brought up in Ray J’s Instagram rants. After announcing to Kris and Kim that they had “f***ed with the wrong Black man,” he discussed how he felt villainized by the tape’s release, and added that his romantic partners since then have not fully trusted him.
And, let’s face it, while Kim shot to fame, Ray J’s career essentially remained stagnant in comparison. I mean, I literally only know the guy for ‘Sexy Can I’ and for being Kim’s ex…
If we look back - and if we are completely honest with ourselves - Kim has gone from being a trashy reality TV star “famous for nothing” after her sex tape in 2007 (but still, significantly more famous than she was before), to walking the Balenciaga show at Paris Couture Fashion Week and influencing global fashion trends. Many people claim that his was due to her ex-husband Ye’s influence, an opinion prolifically detailed in an intense yet incredibly entertaining Twitter thread.
The thread makes various claims, including that Ye changed the clothes Kim wore and even switched up her make-up. The rapper has even said in interviews that fashion houses didn’t even want to dress Kim, who hadn’t yet made a name for herself in the fashion world.
In fact, when Kim eventually started being dressed by more high profile brands, her younger half-sister, Kendall Jenner, also began landing more serious modelling gigs. Kim’s other half-sister, Kylie Jenner, was also given the tools from her sister’s newfound mega-fame to launch one of the world’s most profitable cosmetic brands, Kylie Cosmetics.
The tweets even go as far as writing that Kim was barely successful pre-Kanye, writing: “Kim’s success before Ye: The sex-tape, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, selling merchandise, dating low-level athletes and divorcing after 72 days [sic].”
Moreover, a New York Times interview from 2019 revealed that Ye was essentially the “ghost creative director” of Kim’s insanely successful shape-wear brand, SKIMS. “He designed the bubble-shaped SKIMS logo, and helped with everything from hiring photographers, approving models and selecting packaging,” Kim said in the interview.
I think I can end that there, as I’m concerned I’ll go on a tangent and take this off-topic (something my editor often tells me I do habitually).
But, if you can remember back to the start of this piece - I came up with the following argument: Two of Kim’s exes, Kanye West and Ray J, seem to believe they are the reason for the celebrity clan’s fame - both of them asserting that it is Black people who leveraged the Kardashian’s status and brought them further into the spotlight.
What do you think? I’ll leave my final thoughts with you: There’s absolutely no denying that Ye launched Kim as a name to watch in the fashion and beauty industry, turning her into a 21st century cultural icon and diversifying her fan-base. But, maybe, it was the potentially underestimated Ray J who actually helped put her on the map. Though, that’s up to you to decide.