Kim Kardashian

Kimberly Kardashian is a Los Angeles area boutique owner whose friendship with socialite Paris Hilton has made her a gossip-column favorite. Described by the press as a "stylist," Kim is the daughter of attorney Robert Kardashian (1944-2003), who became famous in 1994 when his friend and client O.J. Simpson was arrested and tried for murder. Kim became one of Paris Hilton's party pals and was little known outside gossip circles until she announced in early 2007 that she was taking legal action to prevent the distribution of a naughty home video she had made with then-boyfriend Ray J (born William Ray Norwood, Jr., the brother of singer Brandy). Until Kardashian's announcement, the public at large was unaware of the tape's existence. The tape was widely distributed on the internet, despite Kardashian's attempts to quash it and she was launched into Hilton-like celebrity. Married at one time to music producer Damon Thomas (2000-04), she has been romantically linked to a number of male celebrities, including Jessica Simpson's ex-husband Nick Lachey and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush. She and her sisters Kourtney and Khloe own a dress boutique in Calabasas, California called Dash, and her family is the focus of a TV reality series which began in 2007, Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

Extra credit: Kardashian is the stepdaughter of Olympian Bruce Jenner; her mother Kris married Jenner in 1991.