Why the Kardashian-Jenners Cut Out These Members of Their Inner Circle

The Kardashian-Jenners have been in the entertainment business for more than a decade (even longer than that, for some of them), meaning that they’ve seen a lot of people come and go as they continue to build their empire. Some of these ex-employees have gone nameless. Others have made national headlines.

Ahead, we’re breaking down the (rumored) reasons five of the Kardashian-Jenners’ former friends, workers and inner circle members were cut out. As we can expect from a family who has starred on a reality series for more than a decade, these reasons are nothing less than dramatic and juicy.

Joyce Bonelli—Makeup Artist

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In June 2018, People reported that Bonelli, a longtime Kardashian makeup artist who worked with them for more than a decade, was fired. A source claimed that the reason for the split was that Bonelli went around the Kardashians for a deal, so that only she would make money off of it. “After Kim and her parted ways, she would upload pictures of Kim and call Kim her ‘twin,'” the source said. “Joyce also claims she came up with the tagline for Kanye’s hit ‘That Shit Cray,’ which is a lie. The Kardashians were just over her lies and the trying to cheat them out of money was the cherry on top.”

Though there’s no confirmation of their deal, Bonelli told The Cut in 2017 that she was working on a beauty line, Joyce Bonelli Cosmetiques, which many believe to be the deal that led to her firing. The source claimed that Kim was the first to unfollow Bonelli. Kourtney, Kendall, Kylie and Kris followed, with Khloé keeping a friendship with the makeup artist until she cut ties too.

However, Bonelli denies being fired from the Kardashian’s glam team. A month later, in July 2018, she told People that she’d “never been fired.” “I’ve never been fired,” she said. “When something personal happens, it’s just a personal thing and I don’t think it’s anyone’s business. But people should know, too, that I wasn’t fired and I love all of them and I’m proud of them, too.”

Though Bonelli had kind words to say about the Kardashians, some believe she was shading Kim with this backhanded compliment at KKW Beauty’s “conceal, bake and brighten” brand. “I love Kim’s whole ‘conceal, bake, brighten’ saying. It’s great. Not that it hasn’t been done before, but that’s all what us makeup artists have been working with from the beginning,” Bonelli said.

In June 2017, a year before their rumored split, Bonelli told The Hollywood Reporter that the Kardashians were her “sisters,” and they text “every other day.” “I’ve been with the girls for so long and we’ve been through so much. It’s been over a decade. We’ve known each other since the beginning, before they were famous,” Bonelli said.

Stephanie Shepherd—Assistant

Rob Kim/GC Images.

Last year, in November 2017, People reported that Shepherd, Kim’s personal assistant, was fired. As fans of Keeping up with the Kardashians know, Shepherd has been working for Kim for years and has a personal relationship with her sister, Kourtney, which created a riff in their relationship, as Shepherd would use Kourtney as a confidant to complain about her work. “I do think it’s inappropriate for her to talk to you and not to me,” Kim told Kourtney on an episode of KUWTK. “Don’t you think that’s a little unprofessional? That’s, like, a convo she should have with me.”

A source claimed that Shepherd was let go after Kim promoted her to a bigger role in her brand and business. After a test period, Kim learned that Shepherd wasn’t a fit for the role and subsequently fired her, according to the source. “Kim made a decision to let Stephanie go,” the source said. “She was a good assistant, but when Stephanie wanted to transition into a larger role with Kim’s brand and businesses, it just didn’t work. Kim gave her the chance, but after a short period of time it became clear that Stephanie just didn’t have the knowledge to take on a role like that. Kim made an executive decision to part ways.”

A second source told People that Shepherd, who has been working with Kim since 2013, became too close with the family, which is why she had to cut professional ties.” Kim needed an assistant where the relationship is more professional,” the source said. “It’s very difficult to work with friends, so Kim decided to hire someone else. The bottom line is that Steph was hired as an assistant, and Kim wanted to keep it like that.

The source also claimed that Shepherd’s fame and Instagram following (she has a million followers) also bothered Kim, who thought that Shepherd’s notoriety was hindering her work. “Steph went from being an assistant to being a celebrity,” the source said. “For a regular girl, she has a huge social media following. She loves the attention, but it took away from her job. There was a feeling that being Kim’s assistant, Steph should stay more in the background. But Kim is the one who helped her get the followers by posting pictures with Steph.”

However, it looks like Kim and Shepherd are back on good terms. In August 2018, Kim published a video on her website with her ex-assistant, shutting down any rumors that they had beef. “You guys, we’ve never had a feud,” Kim said. “She wanted to go in a different direction and I respect that. I love giving that encouragement to whoever I’m working with, and just because people stop working together doesn’t mean that they’re feuding and stop being friends.”

Monica Rose—Stylist

Donato Sardella/Getty Images for the Hollywood Reporter.

In April 2017, People reported that Khloé stopped working with her longtime stylist, Rose. “At my fattest, Monica would always come with racks of clothes and make me feel special,” Khlo told Harper’s Bazaar in 2016. It’s still unclear why Khlo and Rose split, but a couple months later, Khlo tweeted some cryptic messages about a friend who stole from her, which many believe to be Rose. What would you do if you found out a friend was stealing from you?” Khlo tweeted. “Would you cut off the friendship and let God handle it? Or would you go the legal route?”

A source later told TMZ that this friend stole tens of thousands of dollars of designer clothes from Khlo, which she never saw again. It’s unclear whether this friend was Rose or someone else. Likewise, the reason that Rose was fired has never been nailed down. Though, in an interview on Watch What Happens Live, Kim revealed that she stopped working with Rose years ago after she changed her image.

“I haven’t worked with her in maybe four years, so my reason is not connected to this,” Kim said. “But I will say that I read that it was said that she was the reason for my makeover—my makeover when I met Kanye—and I will say that Kanye got me a new team and we kind of documented it. So I think people think that’s the reason, and for me, maybe that is the reason. I needed a new vibe.”

For her sisters’ reasons, she added, “You’d have to ask Khloe and Kendall and Kylie and the girls.”

Tammy Hembrow—Good American Model

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Hembrow, an Australian model and Instagram influencer, became a part of the Kardashian-Jenner circle after she modeled for Khlo’s denim line, Good American, in 2017. She was soon followed on Instagram by many members of the family, including Kylie, Kim, Kris, Kendall and Kourtney. However, that all changed in August 2018 when Hembrow attended Kylie’s 21st birthday party and had so much to drink that she had to be wheeled out of the event in a stretcher. After being put in an ambulance by paramedics and being transported to the hospital, Hembrow recovered. But her relationship with the Kardashians didn’t.

Though Khlo and Kylie still follow the model, Kim, Kris, Kendall and Kourtney all unfollowed her. There’s no definitive reason for why the Kardashians turned on Hembrow, but one can assume that it’s because of her drunken behavior. In an interview on Kyle and Jackie O, Kris wished the model a trouble-free recovery. “I hope she’s OK. I actually left before any of that happened. I typically go to bed at 9 o’clock so it was way past my bedtime,” Kris said.