Kim K.'s candy Snap story is proof that the Kardashian PR machine is strong as ever
Though it may appear effortless, the Kardashian PR machine is always churning-- this week harder than ever.
To recap: On Tuesday Kim Kardashian posted a Snapchat story from her New York hotel room, offering fans a preview of her upcoming kids clothing collection. On a dark tabletop in the background, viewers spotted what could maybe be misconstrued as two lines of cocaine, and tweeted their suspicions.
Kim famously doesn't drink, but when have relevant details deterred trolls in the past? Instead of privately dismissing the accusation, however, Kim hit Twitter immediately to address the rumor.
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Kim and her daughter North West did, indeed, stop by Dylan's Candy Bar on Monday. Hours later -- after her response had circled the pop culture news cycle -- Kim posted an update. Turns out, the lines were just streaks on her hotel room's marble table.
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This ha-ha moment prompted another round of stories written well into Wednesday. In the hours after her update, a quick search of "Kardashian" in Google News produced tons of hits on the story. You know, just another day in Kardashian land.
But what's cunning about Kim's tweets isn't that she's squashing drug rumors with ease; it's that she's handing the press a lighter story in what has otherwise been a deeply shameful week for the Kardashian empire.
Last Wednesday, Kim's brother Rob Kardashian made headlines for his disgusting decision to post revenge porn of his ex-fiancée Blac Chyna to his personal Instagram and Twitter accounts. The nude photos were posted amid accusations of drug abuse and cheating, and were removed from both accounts later that day.
By Friday, Chyna had hired a lawyer -- civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom -- to seek a restraining order against Rob, a request she was granted on Monday. In the state of California, posting revenge porn is a crime punishable with fines or jail time. Chyna also appeared on ABC News where she said she was "devastated" by Rob's actions, and said that he has physically abused her in the past.
In a statement sent to TMZ on Monday, Rob's lawyer Robert Shapiro claimed his client felt "regret" for his decisions.
Per Shapiro, the disturbing incident was "a spontaneous reaction that he regrets," and that "Rob's only concern is for the well-being of baby Dream," the couple's infant daughter.
News about the incident and its fallout has yet to slow down, and with suggestions that the ABC News interview may have violated a non-disclosure agreement Chyna allegedly signed in 2016, the press is unlikely to drop the story.
Still, Kim's cocaine-rumor story has managed to pull some of the spotlight away from her brother's mistakes.
The Kardashians aren't the only celebrities able to deftly mold the news cycle. Taylor Swift's team is also famously savvy at directing media attention. Many think the musician employed a budding romance with actor Tom Hiddleston to distract from the on-going feud between herself and -- who else -- the Kardashian-Wests.
We'll wait and see if the Kardashians can use their PR savvy to shield Rob from further scrutiny.
