The TMZ Primary

America’s gossip machine pivots to politics.

- Felix Gillette And Gerry Smith

Harvey Levin, founder of the celebrity news site TMZ, locked his gaze on a toy monkey. It had fuzzy hair, brooding eyes, and a wan smile. Levin appraised the toy monkey, which is named Annabell and has belonged to reality TV star Kris Jenner since she was 7 years old. “In a way,” Levin said of Annabell, “she symbolizes overcoming obstacles.”

Levin was taping an episode for the second season of Objectified, a Fox News series in which he interviews celebrities about their most cherished possessions. At one point he referred to Jenner, from the long-running show Keeping Up With the Kardashians, as the matriarch of the “most famous family on the planet.”

This seemed unquestionably true until Election Day 2016. But lately the Kardashian-Jenners have been eclipsed by a family no less skilled at cashing in on public notoriety. Ever since Donald Trump became president, even the affairs of once- peripheral Trump-Kushner characters—say, Don Jr. and his budding romance with former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle—have overshadowed Kardashian-Jenner plotlines. It’s now the Kardashians who are having trouble keeping up with the Trumps.

Perhaps as a result, there’s been talk of late about various Kardashian-Jenners going into politics, a notion Levin and TMZ have enthusiastically promoted. Standing across from Jenner at a kitchen island, he tried to coax an announcement out of her, noting that the family has together amassed some 700 million followers on social media. “Have you ever thought of using that to push a political agenda?” Levin asked. “Because you could probably get people elected and voted out of office.” Jenner responded that she was focused on her family’s philanthropic efforts. “Can we take that as a maybe?” Levin asked, grinning.