On October 3rd, 2016, Kim Kardashian West was sleeping in her hotel suite in Paris, where she was staying for Fashion Week 2016. Kardashian was woken with a gun to her head by five men dressed as police. She was then bound, gagged and locked in a bathroom. The men proceeded to rob Kardashian of approximately $10 million worth of jewelry.
Her husband Kanye West was performing on stage in Queens, New York when he was pulled aside on stage and told the news. The star promptly stopped the show, quickly apologizing to the crowd.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, family emergency. I have to stop the show,” West said, before rushing off the stage.
Fans could be heard screaming angrily in outrage in the background of the video, but West acted as any husband or father would.
It is unclear whether Kardashian’s children were in Paris during this incident, as some articles have stated that they flew home with her later that day, and some report Kim pleading to her attackers, mentioning her children. Her children, North and Saint West, are often kept out of the public eye except for Kardashian’s own Snapchats and Instagram photos.
As Kardashian has yet to speak on the incident, there are many discrepancies in articles being published; no one but Kardashian is going to be able to explain exactly what happened. Kardashian has also been absent on her social media platforms following the attack.
There has been speculation that Kardashian faked the robbery to gain attention in the media. However, the star is already so famous that this seems unrealistic. Just days before Kardashian was sexually assaulted when a supposed fan tried to kiss her infamous butt as she walked out of her car and past the paparazzi. This shone an even brighter spotlight on her as the media world connected her with Gigi Hadid. Hadid was randomly grabbed by the same “supposed fan” as Kardashian, quickly landing him an elbow to the face. The idea that Kardashian would stage something much more traumatic is ludicrous. Furthermore, she filed an official report with the police, and doing so falsely would have been illegal – a game Kardashian doesn’t often play.
Hotels are not normally scary places. They have cameras in the lobbies, the hallways, and the elevators to ensure the safety of their guests. They use key cards instead of keys so no locks can be picked and there is normally a deadbolt on the inside of the door for added security. The secure feeling most people take for granted when staying in a hotel was ripped from Kardashian. Being the star that she is, Kardashian often stays in hotels. The ordeal will have shaken a fundamental feeling when traveling. We can only hope that Kardashian will still be able to enjoy her travels in the future, despite the events of Monday morning.
Here at Her Campus Western Ontario, our thoughts are with her.