The Kardashians don't always address negative headlines, but Kim Kardashian has finally addressed the controversy that quietly haunted her: the elephant Birkin scandal. Kardashian made her major acting debut on All's Fair, which currently has a 6% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes. In one of the episodes, she wore a grey Donna Karan look, and an ultra-rare Hermès Birkin made from elephant leather. At least, it appeared to be.
There is a limited number of carryalls made from an elephant that was allegedly shot and killed during a safari in the 1980s, but Kim is adamant that the one she used was not one of them. She joined sister Khloe Kardashian's podcast Khloé in Wonderland, where she explained, "That was a bag that was fake that we bought for extra props."
She explained that it was one of several fake bags they had lying around that the cast could grab for specific outfits. “If you look at it, I actually have pictures of it. The hardware is upside down. It’s like an actual, full fake one.”
Still, Kim said the real issue wasn’t the bag but her failure to see beforehand that it was bad to have a fake one on screen when people can't tell the difference. “What I was so annoyed with myself about is just that message that the elephant Birkin was okay,” she said. “So even just like putting that out there… I wish I were a little bit smarter on that and made a better choice.”
One person who reached out privately was Ellen DeGeneres. Kim said DeGeneres texted her saying, "Hey, I see this story with this elephant Birkin. Like, what is this?” Kim, of course, told her it was fake.
She also praised the former talk show's approach, “She always has - no matter what it is - if there’s an issue, she’s always been really thoughtful,” Kim said.
According to Kim, the comedian is the reason she stopped wearing fur. “She’s the reason why I went to full faux fur and really toned down a lot of things. It was her approach and the way that she communicated with me," the billionaire continued. “I don’t blame that story or the outrage of that story. I really don’t," she continued.
Koko then asked her sister why she didn’t publicly shut it down right away. “I was overwhelmed,” Kim said. “I’m a firm believer of addressing something head-on and quickly… but sometimes I’m like, ‘I’m not going to give it attention because I can’t just sit there all day and shut everything down.’”
She compared it to other rumors she’s ignored - fake AI scandals, fabricated tweets, viral misinformation. “You shut down a few, and then if you don’t shut down one, people will be like, ‘Oh, she didn’t shut that down, so it must be real.’ But it’s not.”
In the end, Kim admitted, “Sometimes I get pushed to the limit." “It could be the most random thing where I’m just like, ‘I have to speak up.’”