The Kardashians Are American Icons (Whether You Like It or Not)
Published on May 22, 2026, 2:00:00 AM
Total time: 00:37:09
Published on May 22, 2026, 2:00:00 AM
Total time: 00:37:09
The Kardashians are one of the most famous families of our modern era.
Since their hit reality TV show first debuted in 2007, the family has become synonymous with American culture. Their celebrity has only grown with each new beauty and fashion enterprise.
Author MJ Corey analyzes the family’s staying power in her new book Dekonstructing the Kardashians: A New Media Manifesto. She talks to Sam about how the family built their media empire, how Kim Kardashian normalized selling her own image and what it says about our digital age, and how the family mirrors our deepest fears.
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The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.
The Sam Sanders Show from KCRW is your guide to entertainment. Find out what makes your favorite artists tick, dissect the trends that shape our culture, or just make sense of that random meme you can’t stop thinking about. Join us every week to unpack the pop culture we love.
Sign up for Sam’s Newsletter to get behind the scenes stuff from every interview each week.
Sam Sanders is an award-winning podcast and radio host. He’s been named best podcast host by both The Ambies and the iHeart Podcast Awards. He was one of the founding hosts of The NPR Politics Podcast and the host who launched both It’s Been A Minute from NPR and Into It from Vulture.