Kim Kardashian: Almost Famous (2007 Cover Story & Gallery)

It's true, Complex had her first. Revisit Kim K.'s first-ever magazine shoot, back when she was a little-known sexy socialite.

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Image via Complex Original
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Socialite Kim Kardashian has never been in a movie, but it hasn't stopped her from being the hottest woman in Hollywood.

This feature originally appeared in Complex's February/March 2007 issue, marking Kim Kardashian's first-ever magazine shoot and cover. Can it be that it was all so simple then?

Word to Grand Puba, Kim Kardashian is a real gold winner, just like Bruce Jenner—and not just because the Olympic legend happens to be her stepfather. Despite what people may assume of Paris Hilton's childhood B.F.F., Princess Kim (as she likes to call herself) is no trust-fund hussy. Sure, she’s the daughter of late music mogul/O.J. Simpson lawyer Robert Kardashian, but she’s also incorporated like Irv and Jeffrey. Kim owns a high-end L.A. boutique, Dash, reorganizes closets professionally (she's doing Linday's next week!), styles celebs, and slangs closet accessories on infomercials. Beautiful and ambitious, the divorced 26-year-old (music producer Damon Thomas…sucker) caught Complex’s eye as the way hotter friend of (insert A-list Hollywood chick here) in tabloid photos. Here, for the first time, the new "it" girl bares all.

So why exactly are you doing this photo shoot?
All my friends have photo shoots and have fun doing it, so why not?

Which friends?
From Jillian Barberie, who’s one of our best family friends, to Paris, to Nicole—all the girls. This is what they do. And growing up with them forever, it’s just fun.

What’s the biggest misconception about your socialite crew?
That we’re all trust-fund kids and we have it so easy. If anything, I find it the complete opposite. I know people think we drive around in these nice cars and we do whatever we want and our parents will pay our credit cards, but that’s not the case. Sure, my parents were generous; I got a nice car at 16, but at 18 I was cut off. I’ve worked really hard. I opened the store myself. Even Paris and Nicole—they’re completely independent, too.

The argument would be: you have a huge safety net and mega financial backing to start from.
Well, I’m never gonna be on the streets, so there is that comfort there. I get how people would feel like that’s not fair, but that’s my last resort.

What do you do for fun?
Lately, I go to parties and hang out. But I love to go skydiving, I love skiing. I’m a really outdoorsy sports person. I love to go on trips. I remember, I used to tell one of my really good friends, Brandy—the singer Brandy—you know she has every purse and shoe and every outfit. I’d be like, “Let’s not buy a $5,000 bag for once and let’s go on vacation.”

Do you see funny things at the parties?
The other night Paris went to Area,and next to us was Britney’s table and I was walking around and I saw Justin and I was like, “Ah! We have to wait and see if there’s a dance-off!” I wanted to go home, but I’m not gonna lie, I stayed a little bit longer. There wasn’t a dance-off.

Did you and The Game ever actually date?
Game and I have been friends for years. He came to Paris’s album release party and we all took a picture together—me, Paris, and him—and yet he and I are “dating.” It’s crazy that if you take a picture with someone, automatically people think you’ve slept with them.

 

 

 

 

What about Nick Cannon?
Hmm. I’m gonna have to get back to you on that one. Me and Paris and the girls are trying to stay single for one year. In March, that’ll be up. I’m a relationship kind of girl, but I think that everyone needs a year in their life to be single. I was in a long relationship before I was married, then I was married for four years, and then I was in a relationship with Ray J, Brandy’s brother. I’ve never been single, and this is my year. It’s hard when you meet really cool, talented, amazing, fun people like Nick.

 

What does staying single mean?
Just not having to answer to anyone but yourself. Trying to do you.

Does that mean you have to put limits on physical intimacy too?
I have to be in a relationship in order to be intimate. I’m not the one-night-stand kind of girl. Despite the rumors.

That’s a good way to be. Let me continue down the list. What was up with you and Nick Lachey?
We went out on a few dates, and it didn’t really progress. He’s a great guy, but we never took it to that level. I was just in Australia with Paris and I was looking at a newspaper and there was a big picture of me and Paris on the cover. It said that I have a sex scandal going on and that I’ve dated a few U.S. rappers. I’m like, If you call Ray J and Nick Cannon rappers, then.... I was married for four years, had a three-year relationship with Ray, and have been with one person after that. It really bothers me that people perceive me this one way.

 

Speaking of Ray J, what’s up with the sex tape rumors?
There is no sex tape! Ray J’s not the kind of guy who would do something for revenge. There is no amount of money that could ever convince me to release any tape, even if I had one. I don’t need the money!

Are sex videos the new stepping stone?
[Laughs.] I don’t know, that’s a weird thing. I’m not gonna lie—when someone has one out I go look it up on the Internet. Everyone does.

So, you have watched Paris’s infamous sex tape?
I never watched it.

Okay, here come the sex questions. How would you rate yourself in bed?
Twenty, on a scale of one to ten.

I appreciate your confidence. What makes you a twenty?
I’m really passionate and sensitive. I don’t really have sex with people I don’t have a connection with, and if you have a connection with someone, it’s so much better.

Are you dominant or submissive?
More submissive.

What do you think about the recent surge in up-the-skirt shots?
I think that is so annoying. Paris has an SLR, you know, the Mercedes? The doors flip up like a Lamborghini. The seat is, like, lower, so in order to get out, you have to literally put your legs up and hop out. Those are the famous shots people have seen lately, getting out of that car. The paparazzi’s motives are so disgusting.

 

 

 

 

But aren’t they giving the photographers what they want?
It’s all crazy. The other night we were all at Hyde. Paris walked me out to my car ’cause I wanted to go home and she was waiting for Britney. When she pulled up, all these cars came and parked backwards in the middle of Sunset. They just wanted their shots, they didn’t care who they blocked. They’ve taken it to a different level.

 

The girls or the photographers?
The photographers...I mean, if it were me, if they had those shots of me, I’d be mortified. But if it happens three times in a row—

Put some underwear on!
Yeah. Then, that’s just weird.

Are there different L.A.’s, depending on your status and wealth?
We were talking about this last night. We call it Hollywood High. We were saying we’re the seniors and this newer group is the juniors.

What’s your role as a senior?
They try to make out like we’re mean girls. There was this ridiculous story that Paris is being a mean girl to Kim and they’re not friends anymore because she’s friends with Britney, which is so ridiculous. We were laughing at it last night.

Is there hazing?
No, definitely not. You know, one of my best friends happens to be best friends with Lindsay Lohan, and if Paris and her are fighting and I was at a party [with one of them], it’s like, Oh, she’s stepping over! But it’s like, No! We’re all friends at the end of the day.

Yeah, what is up with Lindsay and Paris? One day they’re friends, the next there are Internet videos of them dissing each other.
How can I explain it? They’ve been friends, they’ve known each other for a long time. Friends fight, they go through things, grow apart, and come back. Hollywood High, like I said.

Do you enjoy the drama of the tabloids?
It’s upsetting if a friend gets hurt. This Paris and Britney thing sort of upset Paris because she’s the sweetest girl and just likes to help people.

Why? Because she got a bad rep?
Yeah, just for partying...

Being a bad influence on Britney?
Yeah, and she’s not at all. They just make a big deal out of things that never even happened. Sometimes it’s irritating. But [we’re in the tabloids] so much that we don’t really get upset anymore. You just have to laugh it off. If you can’t make fun of yourself and laugh at yourself…

It’s a hard life.
Exactly. It’s a hard life.

NOTE: After we discovered Kim was lying to us about the existence of her sex tape, Complex's Joe La Puma conducted a follow-up interview with Kim in the spring of 2007. Click next to see what Kim had to say for herself just weeks after her Complex cover (and sex tape!) dropped.

 

NOTE: After we discovered Kim was lying to us about the existence of her sex tape, Complex's Joe La Puma conducted a follow-up interview with Kim in the spring of 2007. Keep reading below to see what Kim had to say for herself just weeks after her Complex cover (and sex tape!) dropped.

Since you graced our Feb/March cover how's the response been?
The response has actually been amazing. I have everyone calling me, I mean, the most random people saying that they've seen me on the cover and it's been great. I'm so glad that I did it. It was my first cover—and I'm doing a lot more.

So getting right into it, in our Feb/March issue you said that there was no sex tape.
Well at that point I really didn't think that one was coming out. I heard rumors of things as degrading and disgusting as a golden shower, like absolutely ridiculous things that never even happened in my lifetime, so I didn't think that what everybody was talking about had any truth to it. So I apologize for not publicly being honest, but no one wants to hope that that's the truth and you hope that will never come out so I felt like at the time that's all that I could have said.

So the video was sold for a lot of money, I think the figure that was circulating was one million dollars. Was that an accurate amount?
That's what they're saying. I'm in litigation right now, so I can't answer too many questions, but on the website that's what they're saying.

 

 

 

 

Now Vivid is distributing it on March 21st?
Yes. I'm still in litigation, the judge has not ordered the tape to be stopped yet, [Vivid] did that on their own. I met them with my attorneys, but we haven't come up with an agreement so far. So I'm fighting them with the court—now it's gonna be up to the judge, but in the meantime they can do what they want until the judge either accepts or denies my request. So that's what I'm waiting for.

 

At any point did you feel like, "you know what, it may be a good idea to release this tape"?
Never once have I thought that. I have little sisters that hear things at school then come home and ask me questions, and it's humiliating to have to talk to my nine and 10-year-old sisters and explain to them what certain things mean and what certain things I've done and have to talk to my grandmother, my uncle, my whole dad's side of the family. My dad would've been mortified and I'm not happy about it. You know, I thought I was gonna marry this guy; we were in a three-year relationship. I didn't think that our personal business would be for the world to see, and frankly it was so many years ago and there were so many different vacations that we've gone on that were taped that are all being meshed together to this one tape that they made. I don't even remember the things that I say and I do in our personal stuff from years ago. It's humiliating. So no, I would not think twice to – I don't think that this will come out as something positive for me.

The TV gossip outlets, the blogs, Page Six—is this something you envisioned happening, this crazy media attention?
Um, not at all. I'm shocked at where people get their information from. Things that are to me disgusting and degrading – things that I have never done in my life – and yet it's all over the place saying that this happens [on the tape]. Never even done it in my life. That's why I thought it wasn't true for so long, until I saw a clip. But I can see how people go crazy—I'm on a completely tiny scale, and it bothers me when people get their information wrong, so I can only imagine how other people would feel. Britney Spears and stuff thatreally deal with it on a completely different, bigger level.

Well, you obviously knew that it existed because, I mean, Ray J was filming it. But is it that you never thought it would surface?
I mean of course I knew that we had one tape, but it was a few different times throughout the few years in our relationship. I obviously knew that that existed, I just never thought that it would happen. He made a comment about a sex tape on my Myspace page months ago—he was kidding, but people took it the wrong way and I think people were looking for it.

Now, I mean the thing was shot like a movie, is that something that if he and you were gonna do it –
We were, I mean, in the tape you can clearly see that we were kidding around like, "we're making a movie, wait, wait, I need to do my make-up." He did the lighting, he's like bringing lamps over. We're totally kidding around. He sets it up and we're messing around and then, um, we would laugh so hard because – from what I remember – some of it was good and some of its bad. He was totally messing around.

We're just all surprised at how – I mean, did this dude have cinematography experience?
He wants to be a director first of all, so we would joke around about that, like, "this is gonna be your debut movie." That's his passion and that's what he loves to do. That's another rumor: people were like, "oh, it was shot by a cameraman." I'm like, "well, whoever's putting this up, they're choosing the right clips."

 

 

 

 

So what's the status of you and Ray J since it leaked? Is it different, are you mad?
I'm not happy that it's out; I haven't spoken to him. Before this, we'd remained friends, but I'm not really supposed to speak on that part. You know, I was in a two-year relationship with the guy. He's a good person.

 

What do you think his motivation was behind it to push it out like this?
I really can't talk on that because there's no evidence that he's behind it. Just between you and me, I can't say or do anything that I can possibly get sued for by anybody else. You know?

Are you happy with how you look in it?
I saw one clip of something when it came out, the trailer. Um, people always look at themselves differently. The whole thing is not funny to me. I wouldn't want anyone to see that besides the people I choose to be intimate with, so I don't look at it like that.

You were linked to Nick Cannon around the time our issue came out. Did that kind of cool down? What's the status of your relationship with him?
We were never really…we were always friends. He was someone who I enjoyed spending my time with, but we were never really a couple. And I think it fizzled out way before that even happened.

So the tape really didn't have anything to do with it, or did he kind of get turned off by it, or –
No, we weren't together. We never in a relationship like that. [The tape] has nothing to do with it.

Are you seeing anyone now or…
No, I really am happy being single and I feel really good about it. I'm not really into looking for a relationship right now and I just kind of want to be by myself in every aspect. Even if you have friends, you know, people assume completely different things: I just got back from a business trip with people, and if someone takes a picture they automatically think you're dating people and it's just so wrong. So I am really into being by myself.

Did the tape have anything to do with, "I need to be single now" or –
Um, a little bit just because I feel like people would, especially when they see you acting a certain way with someone, they might assume you're gonna be that way. You know, I can act however I want to act. If I have a boyfriend and in the privacy—you know what? I learned my lesson. I won't again, never again. But at that time and at the age I was at, everyone makes mistakes. You just don't know what peoples intentions are now and that's what sucks. Guys see a video of you and, you know, they might assume that you're that way with everyone when I'm not.

Now, the golden shower thing you kept alluding to—it was rumored that you OKed it, like, "you can put the tape out as long as that scene is cut."
Absolutely ridiculous. I would love to hear who these people spoke to. I was getting all these emails from all these different companies and I just sent them all to my attorney I have not spoken to a soul about this. That's absolutely not true.

Well in the end, I mean, you're breaking necks in the issue so that's a plus.
[Laughs] Yeah, cause I'm a good liar.

Styling By Monica Rose; Hair By Stephanie Pohl/ArtistsByTimothyPriano.com; Makeup By Yuji/The Rex Agency; Black Bra and Panties By Agent Provocateur; Black Vest by Development; Black & White Bra By Vionnet; Red Polka Dot Bottoms by Frederick's of Hollywood; Pink Panties by Agent Provocateur; Bracelets by Jessica Elliot; Necklace by Heather Hyde; Shoes by Christian Louboutin

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