Whether you love it or love to hate it, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” may be one of the most iconic reality TV shows today. When a series has been running for over an entire decade, it’s almost impossible to find somebody who hasn’t heard of the Kardashian family one way or another. 

But after thirteen years and almost 20 seasons, the series is finally coming to an end. On September 8, it was announced on Kim Kardashian’s Twitter account that “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” will air its final episode during 2021. 

There are plenty of people out there who might feel like this is long overdue. At its core, the Kardashians are known as the family that’s “famous for being famous.” Other than a sex tape scandal that took place in 2007, the Kardashians have not really done much else but be a rich, American family. 

Because of that, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” has always stood out among other reality shows like “The Bachelor” or “Love Island.” Nobody’s competing for a grand cash prize, because they are already millionaires with successful businesses. Nobody is looking for love, because half of the Kardashians are already in relationships and have families. The stakes in the Kardashian’s world are so low that most episodes just seem to center around their everyday lives.

But that might be what has made it last for as long as it has. “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” has been, at its core, a show about the everyday lives of rich people. With more money and status than they know what to do with, the lifestyle of a Kardashian is so extravagant that it almost feels like an American version of a royal family. No matter your personal thoughts on the Kardashian family, it is hard not to pay at least a little attention to whatever the latest drama happens to be.

It’s hard to imagine that the family would become such a staple in pop culture if it was not for the show. Even for people who have never seen the show, its impact is impossible to escape. Kylie Jenner’s lips became so popular that she got a successful lip kit brand sold in most makeup stores. The phrase “break the internet” grew in popularity because of Kim Kardashian’s controversial magazine cover back in 2014. Even people who mock the Kardashian family have created popular memes and reaction images from different episodes. 

It is hard to call the end of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” the end of an era. While there are no doubt fans of the series who will miss it, the Kardashians are not going anywhere. They will still be running their businesses for thousands of adoring fans. They are bound to cause even more drama for haters to memeify and laugh at. 

The series introduced us to the Kardashians and kept us wrapped up in family drama for almost fourteen years, but we’ll never be able to go back to the way things were before it began. Even once the last episode airs, people will still be finding ways to keep up with the Kardashians.