All hail the new queen of the KarJenner clan!
Yes, as you may know, Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner have been battling for social media supremacy for several years now, and this week, Kylie declared a major victory.
After gaining on Kim throughout 2019, Kylie is now the most popular member of her family … at least on Instagram.
On Saturday, Kylie’s followers totaled 156 million, edging out Kim’s following of 155 million.
(Of course, Kylie follows 132 people to Kim’s 14, but we don’t think the ratio matters when the follower/followee gap is that wide.
For perspective, here’s how the follower count breaks down for the rest of the family:
Kendall has a following of 120 million, Khloe follows with 102 million, and Kourtney comes in a distant third with just 85 million.
Despite being hailed as the social media genius, Kris Jenner boasts a paltry 31 million
Meanwhile, Rob Kardashian brings up the rear with just 1.1 million.
You might be tempted to throw Rob a pity like, but it’s worth noting that he uses his account to sell socks and post revenge porn featuring his exes, so it’s best to keep your distance.
So does any of this matter? Well, yes and no.
Social media basically made the Kardashians, and that’s a fact they haven’t forgotten.
Sources say Kim and company keep close watches on their follower counts, and they do take declines in popularity very seriously.
The Kim vs. Kylie feud has reportedly been an intense one, with 39-year-old Kim reportedly attaching major symbolic importance to the challenge from her 22-year-old upstart sister.
Insiders say Kim has been jealous of Kylie ever since the latter earned the title of world’s youngest “self-made” billionaire.
The mother of four reportedly took the Instagram battle so seriously that she bought fake followers to keep up with Kylie — but in the end, it just wasn’t enough.
In addition to its symbolic importance, social media count can lead to big bucks from sponsored content.
Interestingly, Kendall leads the pack in that respect.
In fact, with earnings of $15.9 million in 2019 — she reportedly charged $611,000 per sponsored post — the runway model is one of the top earners on all of Instagram.
In other words, if you’re one of those people who was hoping that the Kardashians would quietly go away in the 2020s, you’re probably out of luck.