Perez Hilton is launching a so-called “Kardashian Kleanse” on Monday, pledging to go the full work-week without posting a single story about the Kardashians and Jenners. Gossip Cop believes this is both hypocritical and self-serving.
In his announcement, Perez asked, “Do U ever feel like there’s just TOO MUCH Kardashian news out there?????” He went on to vow that between August 17 and 21, “You can come here for all of the juiciest entertainment news without having to be bombarded by Kim Kardashian, Caitlyn Jenner, and everyone in between.” And, in an effort to wring every last bit of traffic out of the family, Perez created a photo gallery for readers to click through to see every single person the Kardashian-Jenner ban applies to.
Perez’s logic (see video below) seems to be that if there’s less coverage of the Kardashians, even just for a little while, everyone will be “healthier” and better off from the “detox.” There’s no denying the Kardashian empire is a beast. But Perez helped create that monster. He’s spent years profiting off the family, and made a living off them through thousands of posts.
Not to mention much of what Perez has written about the Kardashians has been patently untrue. For instance, in 2012, Perez falsely claimed Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were headed for a “public split.” Last year, he wrongly said Kourtney Kardashian was expecting a baby girl. And even way back in 2009, Perez bizarrely and erroneously said Brody Jenner skipped Khloe Kardashian‘s wedding because of a supposed feud with… Joe Francis?! Gossip Cop has repeatedly pointed out such lies, and it’s why Perez has had us blocked on Twitter for years.
Perez’s ban extends to the most peripheral of Kardashian-related figures, such as Kim’s ex Reggie Bush and Caitlyn’s transgender friend Candis Cayne (see full list below). While surely neither of them are clamoring for Perez coverage, to effectively punish and penalize them for being loosely associated with the family is absurd. And Perez even notes that, in place of Kardashians stories, his site will be “highlighting DAILY inspiring stories about amazing women from all around the world,” as if these two things are mutually exclusive and can’t be done together all the time.
Let’s be clear: This isn’t about Gossip Cop being Kardashian cheerleaders. It’s about calling out Perez on his bullsh*t. He isn’t trying to make a statement about the Kardashians. He’s trying to garner attention for himself (and admittedly, we’re giving him some). He’s created a publicity stunt, the very things the Kardashians are accused of.
Here’s what the real pledge should be: Readers, cleanse yourself of Perez. Many of us here at Gossip Cop are reformed gossip addicts. One even used to keep Perez open on her browser and refreshed all day to never miss a post. But just cut the cord for a week. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to go without him.
Because the real truth is, Perez needs readers. And he needs the Kardashians a lot more than they need him.
A photo posted by perezhilton (@perezhilton) on Aug 12, 2015 at 10:21pm PDT