The peculiar hazards of authorized biography have been well documented over the years, from the danger of being captured by one's subject to the temptation to trade access for affection. Jonathan Van Meter, the veteran magazine writer whose celebrity profiles have appeared in Vogue, Vanity Fair and other glossy publications, has now written a book-length study of that occupational risk — though he seems not to have intended to.
Mr. Van Meter's "Citizen Kim," an authorized biography of Kim Kardashian that took five years to complete, arrives this month with all the trappings of serious cultural examination. There were no written contracts, he said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, only a handshake agreement that Ms. Kardashian could review the manuscript for factual accuracy.
(What could possibly go wrong?)
The author, who first profiled Ms. Kardashian for a Vogue cover story in 2019, acknowledged that the process grew complicated. "I definitely lost the plot," he said. "My therapist said, 'You have been induced with her feelings.' I put that on a Post-it on my wall."
Ms. Kardashian, for her part, read every page and raised objections to certain passages, including material about her late father and her first marriage to Damon Thomas. Mr. Van Meter said she ultimately accepted nearly all of it, though he cut two sentences at her request for safety reasons.
Notable absences from the book include Kanye West, Ms. Kardashian's former husband, whom Mr. Van Meter declined to interview on ethical grounds given what he described as a mental health crisis. Paris Hilton, Ms. Kardashian's former employer and friend, canceled scheduled interviews 17 times over four months before Mr. Van Meter gave up. Ray J, whose involvement with the sex tape that launched Ms. Kardashian's fame remains a subject of speculation, also did not participate.
The subtitle of the book calls Ms. Kardashian "The Woman Who Created the Future," a phrase Mr. Van Meter initially resisted before coming around to it.
His therapist, one imagines, had thoughts about that too.
Original story published in The Hollywood Reporter: "Kim Kardashian Read Every Page of Her Authorized Biography. Here's What She Pushed Back On."