Kim Kardashian Says New Season of 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians' is Coming Soon
By Ryan Carroll
The final few episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians Season 16 were explosive, chronicling Khloé Kardashian’s ongoing spiral following the revelation that her now-ex-boyfriend, Tristan Thompson, cheated on her (again) with Jordyn Woods, the best friend of Khloé’s sister Kylie Jenner. Despite this drama, E! has not yet renewed KUWTK for another season--though this week, Kim Kardashian confirms that a new season is coming soon.
Ahead of the season finale of KUWTK on Sunday, Kim tweeted that “Season 17 is right around the corner!” Whether Kim was speaking literally or hyperbolically was unclear; the show’s three-year contract with the E! network ends this year, according to Bustle, requiring the Kardashians’ to negotiate a new contract with the network--and it’s uncertain how long this might take.
Bustle also reports that Kris Jenner has reportedly been in "tight negotiations" with E! since April of this year, and that she “is trying to broker a deal that will keep their show on until the end of season 21,” wanting “complete wraparound control over the entire production.”
While the lucrative nature of the Kardashians’ business means that Jenner is in a good position to negotiate, there is not yet word on a deal being reached. Some have speculated that E! is more reluctant to extend the Kardashians’ contract, given the ratings drop in Season 15--though the show recouped that loss in Season 16.
The Kardashians themselves definitely seem to be planning on being renewed: in addition to Kim’s comments on Twitter, this season of KUWTK marked the first confessional appearance of Mason Disick, the son of Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick, potentially ushering in the next generation of the family.
As for us, we’re excited to see how these negotiations play out. We just can’t imagine how we’d spend our time--or what we’d write about--if Keeping Up With the Kardashians wasn’t on the air.