Kim Kardashian has given so much to the world of pop culture, but there are arguably few more epic moments in reality TV history than when she lost her earring in the ocean. This clip from Keeping Up with the Kardashians gives us Kim’s ugly cry face. It gives us Kourtney’s iconic response. So, the internet is revisiting this scene for the umpteenth time, only now they’re seeing a different perspective, and this is something I’ve been saying all along.
The earring in the ocean moment (which you can always rewatch on KUWTK Season 6, Episode 11 with your Hulu subscription) has haunted Kim Kardashian for 15 years now. North West trolled her mom over the viral moment on TikTok, and Kourtney Kardashian has put her famed response of, “Kim, there’s people that are dying,” on cocktail napkins. But as the clip circulated on X (Twitter) this week, some began to wonder: What did Kim do that was so wrong? As one fan wrote:
I always thought this scene was interpreted backwards because if Kim was truly spoilt, she would not care about losing $75k diamonds. Caring about losing such an expensive thing indicates she understands its value even if she is not significantly impacted financially by its loss.
So, we all remember what happened, right? The Kardashian-Jenner family was out on a boat with Kim’s then-boyfriend Kris Humphries. Humphries unexpectedly threw his girlfriend in the water, which caused her earring to fall out. Kim cried, and Kourtney tried to make her see that losing a piece of jewelry was not the most tragic thing happening in the world.
However, just like the social media user above, I’ve always thought it would have been worse if Kim Kardashian didn’t care about losing such an expensive item. Others seem to think the same thing, writing:
- Caring about an expensive item doesn't automatically make someone spoiled it just means they understand how much it’s worth – onlysafiya
- Thank you cuz like yeah it’s a funny meme and all but who wouldn’t be upset after losing a $75K EARRING? 😭😭😭 i suppose only someone so spoiled and rich that kinda money is valueless to them – anthony64748247
- I mean, if she recognized the value in them, she wouldn’t have worn them to swim in the ocean to begin with. But also i agree, i always thought Kourtney telling her to leave it was far more ~ out of touch ~ – queenathenah
Quite a few fans had the same argument as that last commenter, saying Kim Kardashian shouldn’t have been wearing $75,000 earrings in the water in the first place. But let’s remember — Kris Humphries threw her in the water against her will. She was still fully clothed! One X user pointed this out, saying:
I always felt bad for her in this scene because she clearly didn’t want to be thrown into the water and he threw her in. He was rough with her and she probably spent all sorts of time trying to look nice, picking out jewelry she would not wear in the ocean.
After looking at it from this perspective, it’s easier to see why Kim Kardashian hates the earring comments so much. The story had a happy ending anyway, with Kylie Jenner diving down and recovering the pricey piece of jewelry.
Look, I’m not saying this Keeping Up with the Kardashians scene isn’t iconic, hilarious and fun to mock. However, I’ve always thought people would have had an even more negative reaction had the budding reality star simply shrugged off losing an earring that cost her 5 figures. I’m glad to know there are others who see the situation from my POV.
