Kim Kardashian reveals how she outsmarted the paparazzi before she was famous

Kim Kardashian has revealed she once staged a paparazzi moment by pretending to visit Britney Spears in a calculated move to get herself photographed early in her career.

The reality TV star opened up about the incident during an appearance on her sister Khloé Kardashian’s Khloé In Wonderland podcast, reflecting on how determined she was to break into the public eye before fame followed naturally.

Kim recalled overhearing that Spears was staying at a New York hotel while dining out with longtime friend Jonathan Cheban. With paparazzi gathered outside waiting for the pop icon, the pair seized the opportunity.

After securing a ride in a luxury Rolls-Royce belonging to someone they had just met, Kim and Cheban arrived at the hotel, deliberately exiting the car as photographers swarmed the entrance.

“They weren’t following us at this point,” Kim said, explaining that the paparazzi immediately assumed she was there to visit Spears and began calling her name.

The duo then hid inside the hotel for around 20 minutes before exiting again — long enough to sell the illusion. 

When photographers asked how Britney was, Kim played along, later discovering that the images had landed on magazine covers.

“We totally scammed the system,” she admitted, adding that at the time, the attention felt like a major breakthrough.

During the podcast, Kim also credited Cheban with shaping her early paparazzi strategy, including advising her to adopt a more serious expression inspired by Victoria Beckham to appear more fashion-forward and mysterious.