Popular reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians is ending. What is the reason for the show ending after twenty successful seasons on air? There are a few reasons that can be contributed to the E! network finally pulling the plug on one of its most viewed shows. Like the old saying goes, “all good things must come to an end” and the Kardashians are no exception to this rule.

Keeping Up with the Kardashians first aired on October 14th, 2007 on the E! network. The new millennium had brought many new changes and the world was still adjusting to the new phenomenon known as “Reality TV.” The Kardashians brought a new edge to the Sunday night lineup with each family member having a unique personality that made viewers want to keep coming back for more. In its first season, Keeping Up with the Kardashians became the highest-rated series aired on Sunday nights for 18-year-old to 34-year-old adults. Over 1.3 million viewers tuned in every week to watch the Kardashians. So, why is the show ending?

It’s no secret that the Kardashians are one of the most famous families in the world. Initially, KUWTK served as the perfect platform for the Kardashians to propel to superstardom and become a household name. The emergence of social media in the early 2010’s saw the Kardashians making the move from television to the internet to further promote themselves and their brands. With each Kardashian raking in over one hundred million followers on Instagram, social media became the family’s main marketing engine. The more followers the Kardashians amassed on social media, the less people tuned in to watch KUWTK on televisioncausing a huge decline in the show’s ratings.At its peak, KUWTK raked in 4.8 million total viewers. The ratings eventually dropped to 810,000. Viewership proved to be just one reason for the show ending. After twenty seasons of being on air, the Kardashians needed a break. Kim Kardashian explained the decision to end the show in an interview with Grazia magazine stating:

“Sometimes we just need a break. It’s really simple. We just need a minute to regroup. You know, we haven’t had a break for 14 years. We’ve gone in filming a season, then a spin off and I think there’s no other way to say it other than, we just live such big lives. And we have kids now. And they need us.”

Kim Kardashian was undoubtedly KUWTK’s breakout star. Prior to KUWTK, people might have known Kim Kardashian because of her friendship with fellow reality TV star Paris Hilton. KUWTK‘s success turned Kim Kardashian into America’s new “It Girl” and she was able to use her fame to launch her popular makeup line KKW Beauty and her clothing line Skims. Kylie Jenner also used her newly found fame to become a successful business woman in her own right. Kylie’s makeup brand, Kylie Cosmetics would eventually bring in over nine hundred million dollars in revenue making her one of the richest women in the world. Khloé Kardashian saw huge success outside of KUWTK as well launching her notable clothing brand Good American in 2016. However, the show proved to be not so much of a stepping-stone for the eldest sister Kourtney Kardashian. In 2019, Kourtney publicly announced that she was leaving KUWTK to spend more time with her children. Kourtney Kardashian’s departure from KUWTK was another sign that it was time to wrap things up on the set.

Finally, after twenty successful seasons Keeping Up with the Kardashians is ending. But where there is an ending, there is always a beginning. In December 2021, the Kardashians announced that they will be continuing their show on popular streaming service Hulu. Simply titled, The Kardashians, the show will debut on Hulu on April 14th, 2022 and pick up right where KUWTK left off. So, although the Kardashians are ending their ground-breaking show on E!, there are still a bunch of new future projects for the Kardashian crew. Thanks for the ride ladies! -xoxo #BrooklynGirlCode <3

Sources: E! News, Grazia, People, LA Times