Kim Kardashian’s former assistant Stephanie Shepherd revealed what led to the end of her business relationship with the reality TV star.
Shepherd — who rose to become COO of the Kardashian brands — shared that she was no longer fulfilled by the role, and that Kim could feel it, in a recent episode of The skinny confidential podcast about him and her.
“Well, I’m fired. Fired in the best sense of the word,” Stephanie – whose wedding Kim attended earlier this year – shared, adding: “I cried and she cried because we are friends.”
“I just inherently felt like, ‘It’s time to move on. I don’t know if I can contribute anything to this anymore.’ I think she probably felt that and saw that.”
DailyMail.com has reached out to Kardashian’s representatives.
How it happened: Kim Kardashian’s former assistant Stephanie Shepherd revealed what led to the end of her business relationship with the reality TV star
Unfulfilled: Shepherd – who was the COO of the Kardashian brands – shared that she was no longer fulfilled by the role, on The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast; Kim seen in 2023
Shepherd continued, “(So) she said, ‘I want you (to thrive). You need something more. You have this thing – pursue that. I’ll support you (with) whatever you need.’
Shepherd was Kim’s personal assistant and eventually the Chief Operating Officer of all Kardashian West Brands from 2013 to 2017, before she was let go.
Despite being fired, Stephanie revealed that she still regularly seeks professional advice from Kim.
‘It was the most beautiful disconnect and we have never been so close. She is still someone from whom I constantly receive personal and professional advice,” she said.
“But I think it was just that feeling inside where I was like, ‘Okay, it’s time for me to move on.’ And I didn’t really have a plan. But I just knew it was time to try something different.”
Shepherd further stated that everything she learned in the entertainment business came from her work for the reality star.
‘It’s a machine and it’s meticulous. I always say it’s my graduate school. Because I learned everything I know about sending an email to an agent or speaking to a manager, booking glam or finding a photographer, handling product development or working with a publicist.”
‘I learned every step of everything you need to know as an entrepreneur in the entertainment industry by working under Kim.’
Fired: “Well, I’m fired. Fired in the most beautiful sense of the word,” she shared, adding, “I cried and she cried because we are friends,” she explained
Moving on: ‘I just inherently felt like, “It’s time to move on. I don’t know if I can contribute anything to this anymore.” I think she probably felt and saw that.”
Sweet: Despite being fired, Stephanie revealed that she still seeks professional advice from Kim and that everything she learned in the entertainment business came from working for her
Grateful: ‘I learned every step of everything you need to know as an entrepreneur in the entertainment industry by working under Kim’; Kim seen in 2023
Shepherd also noted that she was baffled by the fact that people still ask her about working with Kim.
‘It was long ago. It’s also very interesting to be identified for a job I had ten years ago.’
At the time, it was reported that Kardashian’s decision was driven in part by Shepherd’s Refinery29 profile — which came out earlier that year — in which she discussed her work for the SKIMS founder.
‘Stephanie started to think she was a celebrity herself, and Kim didn’t like that. Everything started going downhill after the Refinery29 article came out,” a source said We weekly.
“Stephanie still hangs out with the family, and she and Kim are cordial when they see each other, but it’s different.”
Another source added that there was no feud between the duo: “Kim respects Steph and wants her to do well.”
Meanwhile, Kim addressed her business split from Shepherd in a 2018 video, sharing, “She wanted to go in a different direction. I respect that. I love giving that encouragement to everyone I work with.”
‘The fact that people no longer work together does not mean that they have a fight and are no longer friends.’
In the drama that unfolded on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Steph Kim’s sister Kourtney Kardashian had confided that she was feeling “unfulfilled career-wise,” which eventually got back to the KKW Beauty founder, sparking a dialogue.
Still friends! Shepherd was Kim’s personal assistant and ultimately the Chief Operating Officer of all Kardashian West Brands from 2013 to 2017, before she was let go
Close: She remains part of Kim and sister Kourtney Kardashian’s inner circle and has appeared in several SKIMS campaigns and as a columnist for POOSH; pictured with Kourtney
Happily Married: Shepherd co-founded Future Earth – a climate change nonprofit – and married Apple Music chief content officer Larry Jackson earlier this year; seen in 2022
‘I said, ‘I love you very much, like a sister, and this conversation is very difficult for me. But I just think you’ve outgrown your position here,'” Kim shared of their conversation on the show.
“She said, ‘I totally get it and I totally respect you and you taught me everything. I’m so grateful and I’ve been with you for five years,’” she continued during a phone call with Time.
Steph and Kim appeared to rekindle their friendship in 2019 and both made it clear that while things didn’t work out professionally, there was “never a feud.”
She remains part of both her and Kourtney’s circle, having appeared in several SKIMS campaigns and also serves as a columnist for POOSH.
Shepherd co-founded Future Earth – a climate change nonprofit – and married Apple Music’s head of content Larry Jackson, who is also a friend of Kim’s ex-husband Kanye West, earlier this year.