Los Angeles, December 4, 2025 – In a deeply emotional episode of Hulu’s The Kardashians that aired Thursday, Kim Kardashian revisited the traumatic 2016 Paris robbery that forever altered her life, tearfully revealing that her ex-husband Kanye West once accused her of staging the entire ordeal for television ratings. The 45-year-old reality star and business mogul described the accusation as feeling like “a knife to my heart,” highlighting how painful it was that someone so close to her refused to believe the terror she endured.
The episode, titled “Paris Revisited,” focused entirely on Kardashian’s emotional return to Paris in May 2025 to testify at the long-delayed trial of the men who held her at gunpoint and stole over $10 million in jewelry. Through a mix of archival footage, courtroom testimony, and new confessional interviews, the episode powerfully reconstructed one of the most shocking celebrity crimes of the decade.
“In 2016, my life changed forever,” Kardashian said quietly. “This was less than 10 minutes of my life. I’ve lived an amazing life. That’s always given me a little bit of peace — just to know that 8 or 9 minutes of pure terror and panic aren’t going to ruin me.”
The night of October 2–3, 2016, unfolded during Paris Fashion Week. Kardashian was staying in a private luxury residence with no visible address or traditional hotel security. Her sisters had gone out for the evening, leaving her alone in the suite with childhood friend Simone Harouche, who was sleeping downstairs. What began as a relaxed night quickly turned into a nightmare.
At approximately 2:30 a.m., five masked men disguised as police officers forced their way into the building after threatening the night concierge at gunpoint. They had arrived on bicycles to avoid detection. Kardashian, wearing only a robe and scrolling on her phone in bed, initially thought the heavy footsteps on the stairs were Kourtney and Kendall returning early — until armed intruders burst into her bedroom.
She recounted the terror in vivid detail: “I kept thinking, ‘Are we gonna die?’” The robbers zip-tied her wrists and ankles, wrapped duct tape over her eyes and mouth, and dragged her into the bathroom, leaving her helpless in the bathtub with a gun pointed at her head. Convinced she was about to be raped or murdered, she silently prayed and begged for her life in broken French.
One of the men rifled through her belongings and discovered the 20-carat diamond engagement ring Kanye had given her — valued at $4 million — shouting in triumph, “The big one!” before stuffing it and other jewelry into a bag. In just minutes, the robbers fled with an estimated $10 million in valuables, escaping into the Paris night.
Downstairs, Simone Harouche hid in paralyzing fear, too terrified to move or call out. She frantically texted Kourtney, who didn’t know the French emergency number (17). Kourtney and Kendall rushed back to the residence and contacted Kris Jenner, who alerted authorities. When Kardashian was finally freed, she was so traumatized by the fake police uniforms that she initially refused to open the door even for real officers.
Meanwhile, Kanye West was performing at Madison Square Garden in New York when he received the news. He immediately stopped the concert mid-song, told the crowd there was a “family emergency,” and flew to Paris to be with her.
In the years that followed, conspiracy theories flourished that the robbery had been staged for ratings on Keeping Up with the Kardashians. The most painful accusation, Kardashian revealed through tears, came from Kanye himself.
“Even my ex-husband had said, ‘And you faked your robbery for a TV show,’” she recalled, her voice breaking. “Just to think that someone who’s so close to you wouldn’t believe you… that should know how much that affected your life… it just really bothered me. You don’t know who I am.”
Khloé Kardashian, visibly angry in her own confessional, added: “People even in the vicinity near us questioning if this really happened — that was really gross.”
After the robbery, Kim withdrew almost entirely from public life for months. She stopped posting on social media, became hyper-vigilant about security, and later admitted the trauma contributed to the eventual breakdown of her marriage to West. The couple finalized their divorce in 2021 and share four children: North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.
Nearly nine years later, in spring 2025, the French judicial system finally brought the case to trial. Ten individuals — mostly men in their 60s and 70s, nicknamed “les papys braqueurs” (the grandpa robbers) by French media — faced charges of armed robbery, kidnapping, and criminal association. The trial had been repeatedly delayed by COVID-19, investigative complexities, and even scheduling conflicts with the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On May 13, 2025, Kim Kardashian returned to Paris for the first time since the attack, accompanied by Kris Jenner and Simone Harouche. Determined to face her attackers, she wore diamonds — including a new 22-carat ring — as an act of defiance. “I just want to get this over with,” she told cameras. “I want to go in, tell my story, and that’s it.”
During her five-hour testimony, she recounted every detail, even physically demonstrating how she had been bound. The alleged ringleader, Aomar Aït Khedache, now deaf and frail at 69, sent a letter of apology through his lawyer. Kardashian responded with grace: “I do appreciate it… I forgive you.”
On May 23, 2025, the court delivered its verdict: eight of the ten defendants were convicted, receiving sentences ranging from three to eight years (most suspended due to time already served and advanced age). Two were acquitted. While much of the stolen jewelry has never been recovered, the convictions finally validated Kardashian’s account after years of doubt.
Reflecting on the trial’s conclusion, she said through tears, “To finally be able to go and face these people and hear their accounts and apologies — I’m like, see, guys? It was real. I’m happy it’s over.”
Kris Jenner, watching her daughter testify, marveled at her strength: “I don’t know anyone who could’ve handled what you did the way you did.”
The episode closed on a note of hard-won closure and resilience. From launching SKIMS to advocating for criminal justice reform, Kardashian has channeled her pain into purpose. As she walked the streets of Paris once again — this time surrounded by love, security, and her own unbreakable spirit — she proved that while trauma may change you, it does not have to define you.
“I’m happy it’s over,” she said simply, a quiet but powerful victory nearly a decade in the making.
