Who is Kris Jenner? She is the mother, manager and business partner of the Kardashian-Jenner family, and one of the most powerful women in American entertainment. Born Kristen Mary Houghton on November 5, 1955, in San Diego, California, she created and produced Keeping Up with the Kardashians and turned her six children into a global brand. She even trademarked the word momager to describe her role.
In this profile we explain who Kris Jenner is: her early life, her two marriages, how she built a reality TV empire and what she does for her family today. We focus on her public life and on facts she and her family have shared themselves.
Kris Jenner at a glance
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kristen Mary Houghton |
| Born | November 5, 1955, San Diego, California |
| Known for | Managing the Kardashian-Jenner family, producing their TV shows |
| First husband | Robert Kardashian (married 1978, divorced 1991) |
| Second spouse | Caitlyn Jenner (married 1991, divorced 2015) |
| Partner | Corey Gamble (since 2014) |
| Children | Kourtney, Kim, Khloe, Rob, Kendall and Kylie |
| Zodiac sign | Scorpio |
Early life
Kris grew up in San Diego. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she was raised mainly by her mother, Mary Jo, who later remarried. After high school she worked as a flight attendant for American Airlines, a job she has often said taught her how to deal with people and stay calm under pressure.
In her late teens she met Robert Kardashian, a lawyer and businessman from Los Angeles. They married in 1978, when Kris was 22, and settled in Beverly Hills.
Marriage to Robert Kardashian
Kris and Robert had four children together: Kourtney in 1979, Kim in 1980, Khloe in 1984 and Rob in 1987. Robert later became famous as one of the lawyers on O.J. Simpson’s defence team in 1995, a role that brought the Kardashian name into newspapers around the world.
The couple divorced in 1991. Kris has spoken openly about her regret over the end of the marriage, and she and Robert remained on good terms for the sake of their children until his death from cancer in 2003.
Marriage to Caitlyn Jenner
In 1991, the same year her divorce was finalised, Kris married Caitlyn Jenner, then known as Bruce Jenner, the 1976 Olympic decathlon champion. Kris took over the management of Caitlyn’s career, booking motivational speeches, fitness videos and TV appearances. Looking back, many people see this as the moment she discovered her talent for managing a family business.
The couple had two daughters: Kendall in 1995 and Kylie in 1997. They separated in 2013 and their divorce was finalised in 2015, the same year Caitlyn publicly came out as a transgender woman. Kris has said she will always care about Caitlyn as the parent of two of her children.
The Kardashian-Jenner family
| Child | Born | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Kourtney Kardashian | 1979 | TV personality and founder of the lifestyle brand Poosh |
| Kim Kardashian | 1980 | Businesswoman, founder of Skims |
| Khloe Kardashian | 1984 | TV personality and co-founder of Good American |
| Rob Kardashian | 1987 | TV personality and sock designer |
| Kendall Jenner | 1995 | One of the world’s highest-paid models |
| Kylie Jenner | 1997 | Founder of Kylie Cosmetics |
Kris is also a grandmother many times over. She has often joked that family gatherings now feel like a small school, and she regularly shares photos from holidays and birthday parties with her grandchildren on social media.
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
In 2007, Kris pitched a reality show about her family to the producer Ryan Seacrest. Keeping Up with the Kardashians premiered on E! in October 2007, with Kris as executive producer. Few people expected it to last, but it ran for 20 seasons until 2021 and made the family household names worldwide.
In 2022 the family moved to a new show, The Kardashians, on Hulu in the United States and Disney+ in many other countries. Kris remains an executive producer and one of the main characters on screen.
What is a momager?
Momager is a mix of the words mom and manager. Kris made the term famous, and she has trademarked it. As the family’s manager, she negotiates deals, plans launches and advises her children on their businesses, usually taking a percentage of what each project earns, as any manager would.
- Negotiating TV contracts and brand partnerships
- Helping launch businesses such as Kylie Cosmetics and Skims
- Planning product launches and publicity
- Keeping a famously busy family schedule organised
Kris Jenner’s timeline
| Year | Milestone | Age |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Marries Robert Kardashian | 22 |
| 1991 | Divorces Robert and marries Caitlyn Jenner | 35 |
| 2007 | Keeping Up with the Kardashians premieres | 51 |
| 2014 | Starts dating Corey Gamble | 58 |
| 2015 | Divorce from Caitlyn Jenner is finalised | 59 |
| 2021 | Keeping Up with the Kardashians ends after 20 seasons | 65 |
| 2022 | The Kardashians launches on Hulu | 66 |
| 2025 | Celebrates her 70th birthday | 70 |
How the family business works
One of the most interesting things about the Kardashian-Jenner family is how closely they work together. Each sister runs her own companies, but Kris is involved in many of them as an adviser, and the family often promotes one another’s launches. When one daughter starts a new brand, the others share it with their huge social media audiences, which gives every product an instant head start.
The TV shows play a key role too. Storylines often follow product launches, business meetings and family decisions, so viewers see the companies being built in real time. Kris has said that the family treats the show as both entertainment and a way to share their work with fans.
- Each family member owns and runs their own brands
- Kris advises on deals and timing
- The family cross-promotes launches on social media
- The TV show follows the businesses as they grow
Lessons people take from Kris Jenner
Kris is often studied as an example of personal branding. She understood early that the family’s private life, shared in a controlled way, could become a platform for business. She is also known for her work ethic: in interviews she describes long days filled with calls and meetings, and she says she still loves the job.
Her critics argue that the family has made fame itself into a product and that their influence on beauty standards is not always positive. Her supporters reply that she spotted the power of reality TV and social media years before most traditional businesses did. Either way, few managers in entertainment have had such a lasting impact.
Kris Jenner on screen
Although she is best known as a producer and manager, Kris has also become a TV personality in her own right. Viewers of the family’s shows know her for her catchphrases, her love of organised schedules and her habit of answering business calls in the middle of family moments. She briefly hosted her own daytime talk show, Kris, in 2013, and she regularly appears as a guest on other programmes.
Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble
Kris has been in a relationship with Corey Gamble, a business executive and talent manager, since 2014. He is about 25 years younger than her, and the age difference has often been discussed in the media. Kris has said that age does not matter to her and that Corey is a big part of the family. The couple are not married, but they remained together in 2026.
Kris Jenner today
Kris turned 71 on November 5, 2026, and she is still working full time. She continues to manage her children’s careers, appears on The Kardashians and attends major events such as the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. She also has her own business interests outside the family brands.
Business magazines regularly describe her as one of the smartest operators in modern entertainment. Many people who once dismissed the family as reality TV stars now study Kris’s strategy as a lesson in personal branding.
Frequently asked questions
How old is Kris Jenner?
She was born on November 5, 1955, and turned 71 in November 2026.
What is Kris Jenner’s real name?
She was born Kristen Mary Houghton. Kardashian and Jenner are her married names.
How many children does Kris Jenner have?
Six: Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob Kardashian, and Kendall and Kylie Jenner.
Who was Kris Jenner’s first husband?
Robert Kardashian, a lawyer and businessman. They were married from 1978 to 1991.
Is Kris Jenner married now?
No. She has been in a relationship with Corey Gamble since 2014, but they are not married.
What does momager mean?
It combines mom and manager. Kris uses it to describe her role as both mother and business manager to her children.
Did Kris Jenner create Keeping Up with the Kardashians?
Yes. She pitched the idea with producer Ryan Seacrest and served as an executive producer from 2007 to 2021.
Conclusion
Kris Jenner is Kristen Mary Houghton, a former flight attendant from San Diego who became the manager of one of the most famous families on earth. Through two marriages, six children and two hit reality shows, she turned family life into a business empire and gave the world the word momager. At 71, she is still at the centre of it all.
See how the whole family fits together in our famous families explorer, or read more about famous parents.
