There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and the Kardashiansâ burning desire for attention.
But unlike the rest of the Kardashian Klan, the only boy buried amid a sea of estrogen, Rob Kardashian has, with the exception of a nervously confident 2011 stint on ABCâs Dancing with the Stars, largely shunned the media spotlight. The 28-year-old has been noticeably absent lately from the familyâs lucrative E! reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians, as well as the flock of cameras covering stepmother Caitlyn Jennerâs highly publicized transition to womanhood, opting for a more subtle display of support, tweeting the following after her Diane Sawyer interview:
Itâs not just the Caitlyn Jenner hullabaloo that Rob has divorced himself from, but virtually all of the familyâs spotlighted ventures. And it is no secret that Rob, who was just 4 when his mother, Kris, married Bruce Jenner, has been struggling with his weight and depression. And since heâs been absent from the cameras, the paparazzi has taken it upon themselves to stalk him relentlessly as he goes about living his life. Even a photo of Rob behind the wheel of his car made news when it was captured by a particularly mercenary paparazzo on June 4.
On Thursday night, photos emerged of Kardashian out in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. He was reportedly making a trip to burger chain In-N-Out. Twitter, as is its wont, erupted with mean-spirited scrutiny:
There is, it seems, some serious drama brewing between Rob and his family. On March 22, Rob posted (and later deleted) a photo to his Instagram account from the movie Gone Girl featuring Rosamund Pike in a blood-spattered nĂ©gligĂ©e with the caption: âThis is my sister kim, the bitch from Gone GirlâŠâ No explanation was given for the critical comparison.âI just feel, especially over the last year, Rob has become very introverted and has a kind of social anxiety,â big sis Khloe Kardashian told Wonderwall recently. âHeâs definitely not at his happiest place that he once was, and I know he can get to that happy place and he will.â
Last May, Rob bowed out of attending Kim Kardashian and Kanye Westâs lavish wedding in Florence following what TMZ reported was âmajor family drama.â
âRob said he was sickened by Kim and Kanyeâs display of wealth and clothes and beauty and called it âsuperficial bulls--t,ââ reported the New York Daily News. âKim was pissed that Rob hadnât made an effort to drop any weight over the past few monthsâŠRob basically thinks Kim cares about him only for his appearance and he said heâd âmake life easierâ for her and just leave.âYes, this recent Twitter paroxysm hasnât been the only bout of body-shaming that Rob has endured over the past year-plus. The tabloid media, blogosphere, and Twitter have all treated him like a sideshow act, cataloguing his every move obsessively in order to feed their awful thirst for schadenfreude. In May, he took on his legion of âhatersâ in a series of tweets that have since been deleted, writing, âIâm aware that Iâm fat that def aint a surprise to me lol and my only therapy will be in the gym anyways had to say somethingggggggggg.â
Just the other week, the gossip site Radar ran a story claiming that Rob was âcrushedâ by Krisâs behaviorânamely, that she attended the birthday party daughter Kim threw for her hubby, for which Kim rented out the Staples Center for a private basketball game. Kris later posted a gushing image to Instagram of West, referring to him as âmy son Kanye.â
This would all be fine if Kris hadnât allegedly skipped out on Robâs birthday in March in favor of a Mexican getaway with her friends. âThe fact that Kris was at Kanyeâs birthday party says it all,â an insider told Radar. âShe was also super involved in planning the party with Kim. But for her own son Robâs birthday, she ditched him to go on vacation with her friends! Rob thinks it is just disgusting and tactless and he was crushed by that.â
On a recent episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashiansâwhich, it seems, is filmed almost entirely from the perspective of momager Krisâthe Kardashian matriarch spoke to a specialist with daughters Kim and Kourtney about Robâs problems. The sceneâs inclusion was particularly odd given that Rob wasnât present, and given his apparent desire remain out of the spotlight and not be reduced to a KUWTK plotline.
âIf I donât help him do something drastic, heâs going to die,â Kris told Kim and Kourtney. âIâm just waiting for this horrible thing to happen and thereâs nothing we can do about it.â
Rob has remained silent, and he has not responded to requests for comment from The Daily Beast. But rumors have been swirling of late that heâs considering another bow on the reality competition series Dancing with the Stars to help him combat his weight gain. Either way, itâs time for everyone to let the young man battle whatever demons heâs facing in private, away from the prying lenses of the paparazzi and the reality show cameras.
âI think heâs just going through a phase where heâs not comfortable in his own skin,â Kim has said of her brother. âAnd he is working really hard to get back to where he wants to be.â