Is Khloe Kardashian Getting Too Comfortable with Criticizing Black Women?

Khloé Kardashian’s recent rant against Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has sparked intense debate, with many calling the reality star a hypocrite for what they say is her targeting of Black women.

The whole controversy started when Kardashian took to social media, calling the mayor a “joke” and blaming her for rumored budget cuts to the fire department amid devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

On January 11, 2025, Kardashian shared a clip of an interview with Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley in which she continued to blame budget cuts for inhibiting the department’s power to fight the fires effectively.

Kardashian came to Crowley’s defense: “I stand by YOU Chief Crowley!!!! You spoke the truth and you had tears in your eyes because I can tell you didn’t even want to say that but it was THE TRUTH!!!!” And she concluded, “Mayor Bass you are a joke!!!!”

Khloé Kardashian’s Instagram Story

Critics quickly lashed out at Kardashian, calling her a hypocrite, especially considering her family’s history of overusing water during California’s severe drought.

In June 2022, reports showed her sister Kourtney Kardashian’s home in Calabasas was over its water budget by 101,000 gallons, and Kim Kardashian’s properties had exceeded their limits by 232,000 gallons. Although Khloé was not directly involved with these violations, the association has led to public scrutiny.

One social media user posted, “Khloé Kardashian has no room to criticize when her family exceeds water usage during droughts.” Another noted, “Khloé got some nerve calling the mayor of LA a joke when she literally has Tristan Thompson as a [baby daddy].”

The backlash only continued to worsen as observers underlined what they described as a perceived pattern in Kardashian’s behavior was too comfortable openly denigrating Black women.

This definitely speaks to the 2019 incident with Jordyn Woods, a Black woman and former friend of the Kardashian-Jenner family, who received public judgment at the hands of Khloé after rumors emerged of her involvement with Tristan Thompson, Khloé’s then-partner.

“Khloé Kardashian is way too comfortable publicly calling out Black women, and that I don’t like at all,” a user shared. “No matter what, Khloé Kardashian will always find the time to be mad at a Black woman.”

Supporters of Mayor Bass, such as actresses Yvette Nicole Brown and Kym Whitley, have publicly defended her and insinuated that Kardashian’s criticism of Bass has racial undertones. Brown told TMZ, “I’ve never seen everybody react like this to the mayor and blame one person for a natural disaster, I’ve never seen it. Now what’s different this time?” many took this as a jab at Kardashian of double standards in her criticisms.

In response to the wildfires, the Kardashian family has tried to give back to the community. The reality television family donated meals from a local Armenian restaurant to several fire stations across Los Angeles.

Khloé shared on Instagram, “My family and I wanted to feed a few fire houses. They whipped up hundreds of individual.!”

Contrary to these highly acclaimed philanthropic acts, Khloe Kardashian’s criticism further exhorts her on introspection towards what she lets loose into the media, taking broader responsibilities of whatever effects, and desisting specifically from negative talk about Black women.

But as the fires continue to burn across Los Angeles, the focus is on response and recovery. The dialogue surrounding Kardashian’s comments, however, points to the continued chatter on race, privilege, and accountability in the public sphere.