The Kardashians are once again under scrutiny, this time because of North West. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s eldest daughter debuted in The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl this past weekend. While it was a star-studded affair celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Disney classic, North stole the show. Dressed in a lion costume, the 10-year-old performed Simba’s song “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King.”
The audience gave her a standing ovation and proud mom Kim posted photos from the event. However, not everyone was feeling the love.
As videos of her performance went viral, internet trolls blasted the family for nepotism. Critics argued it was the family name, not talent, that landed North West the role, which should’ve gone to another child star.
As it turns out, there might be some truth to the nepo claims. According to Daily Mail, a source reveals that the Kardashians played a part in getting North in the show.
The Lion King at the Hollywood Bowl and The Kardashians are both produced by the same production company, Fulwell 73 Productions.
The source then explained that Gabe Turner, a partner for Fulwell and the creative showrunner helped secure the role for Kim’s daughter.
This was a shoe in for North and she was told that if she can carry a note the gig is hers.
Publicity is another reason why the showrunners were adamant about casting the youngster.
They were hoping to draw publicity for this, which they did. But North didn’t have to compete against anyone else and anyone else who would have auditioned would have not gotten it anyways.
The source then concluded by saying, “This is 100 percent the result of her family’s relationship with Disney and with Fulwell.
Fans might not have seen the last of the girl’s performance. Another insider tells the news outlet it will be featured in an upcoming episode of the family’s reality series.
The promise of the moment being shown on the show and to go and be seen everywhere was also a major selling point for having North a part of the festivities. Like everything the Kardashians do, this was well documented and planned. They have to keep the brand somehow.
The family succeeded in what they wanted to accomplish by generating publicity. However, most of it is negative, with the claims of nepotism, criticism of West’s performance, and questioning of Kim’s parenting skills. Despite the backlash, it was a huge moment for the family that will be discussed and seen for a while.
