by Margaret Gardiner
All’s Fair is a sumptuous soap dealing with divorce and retribution, in which women lawyers swish around in fabulous fashion against amazing backdrops and men are forced to “eat crow”.
It’s a new Ryan Murphy show, which should give you some idea of the spectacle you can anticipate on the screen. The cast is a who’s who of critically acclaimed talent including Niecy Nash-Betts, Naomi Watts, Teyana Taylor, Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson and, relative newcomer to the world of acting, Kim Kardashian. You can hear the rumble of social media trolls asking: how did that happen?
Murphy initially pitched a new reality show to Kardashian’s mother, Kris Jenner. “When she picked up her phone in the middle of my pitch I knew I’d lost her,” jokes Murphy. “When I finished my spiel, she said, ‘You should build a show around Kim.” When you have power, clout, influence and 335-million followers, you can say and do just about whatever you want.
Murphy and Kardashian met at the Hulu offices, but Murphy didn’t get through the first sentence of his pitch before Kardashian answered. The “yes” was immediate, a good decision for both of them — the preview for the show reached 134-million global views in its first week.
The interest in the show really comes down to Kim, who understands the power of social media. She and her family have leveraged that knowledge into a multimillion-dollar industry for both individual family members and the Kardashian/Jenner unit itself. More than any big star, the energy when she walks on stage is palpable.
In the show she looks exactly like she does on Instagram. She’s diminutive with wide shoulders that match her wide hips — that hourglass figure with an impossibly small waist. Not to objectify her, but as ample as she is in her décolletage, she’s matched in her derrière. I mention this because so much attention has been focussed on her body parts in the media. She seems to endorse it. Her eyes are like a Disney drawing of a princess, slanted ovals of onyx, outlined in black and fringed with additional lashes. Her three-inch platform shoes with heels that elevate her another eight inches ensure that she walks slowly. She wore a chocolate, form-fitting gown that got everyone’s attention among the rest of the female cast, who are themselves accustomed to the spotlight.
At the afterparty at the famous Chateau Marmont hotel in Los Angeles, Kardashian looked iconic in a black silk Dior corset originally worn by Courtney Love to the 1995 VMAs, paired with a lace-trimmed jacket, Skims (her own label) capri pants and ankle-wrap stilettos. The next day I was eager to hear her interview. Her naysayers will be disappointed. Seated in the centre, between the five leading ladies of the show, she tended to answer first.
The show is about a group of lawyers who are unhappy with the inequitable treatment they receive in male-dominated law firms. They decide to leave to start their own firm.
In the first episode, they leave their respective firms, each delivering a monologue of fire and brimstone. Fast forward and they’re established in their own successful firm. While generally supportive of each other, Allura Grant’s (Kardashian) heart is broken when her younger boyfriend leaves her for (spoiler alert) another woman in the firm, but the brokenhearted lawyer is unaware of that treachery — fireworks are sure to ensue later.
Driving in luxury automobiles and dripping in designer clothes, the women’s clients are power couples, mostly where the man has the money and is trying to leave his partner with nothing as he walks away. The intrepid lawyers have to finagle inventive solutions to ensure the women get what they deserve. It’s juicy!
When asked about the message young audiences may take from watching ruthless women succeed, Kardashian answered. “I grew up watching my grandmother and great-grandmother working hard. My great-grandfather and my grandfather stayed home with the kids. I had a different experience in my household. My father, Robert Kardashian — (who famously defended OJ Simpson in the 1995 murder trial in which the football player was acquitted of murdering his wife) was an attorney. My father was the breadwinner in my household until my parents got divorced, but I grew up seeing strong women, which my friend found unusual. This show may inspire young girls who want to grow up to be attorneys or have successful careers. It’s important to represent strong women on TV.”
For audiences who wonder whether an influencer like Kardashian is believable as a professional lawyer, think again. Kardashian has completed a four-year law office study programme and has apprenticed with a firm (instead of going to law school), which makes her more qualified than her award-nominated fellow cast members to portray a lawyer.
“I often had conversations with my dad about going to law school. I was the kid, especially during high-profile cases, who got into trouble for going through papers in his office, including crime scene photos,” she said. “He knew I was interested in his work and gave me advice about becoming a lawyer. He said, ‘I know my baby girl. The law profession will stress you out too much. It isn’t the field for you.’ I don’t think he thought I’d end up going to law school, but he was a huge influence on me. I loved his discipline, the work he did, and I wanted to emulate him. It’s fun to play the role of a lawyer on the show and connect with real female family law attorneys.” She added: “The goal of the lawyers on the show is to uplift women and reassure them that they’re not alone in this process. I’m inspired not only by my dad, but also by female attorneys I’ve worked with who’ve helped me grasp family and divorce law.”
Kardashian has been married three times, first to music mogul Damon Thomas (2000 to 2004), second to basketball player Kris Humphries (2011 to 2013) and to Kanye West (2014 to 2022), who she divorced because she says she didn’t feel emotionally or financially safe with the controversial rapper. She recounted on the Call Her Daddy podcast that West gave their five Lamborghinis to his friends without any discussion with her. Kardashian and West have four kids: North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm, ranging from six to 12 years old.
Close said, “Kim had flashcards for her law exams with her during the scenes. While we were doing camera setups, we’d quiz her.” Kardashian’s co-stars piled on praises: “She’s the calmest person I’ve met, which is crazy considering how busy her life is. Her multitasking is next level,” said Watts. “Her juggling is incredible to watch.”
Nash-Betts agrees: “She’s got her baby on the iPhone, her law books, the flashcards, a script and she’s running her businesses on her laptop. It hurts your brain, but Kim was fine.”
Why did she take on the show with all the other balls in the air? She shrugs, “I’m not getting any younger. You’ve just gotta go for it,” she said. “In life there’s no right time for anything. You have to do what feels right at the time.”
