Kim Kardashian addressed criticism after fans questioned the timing of a vacation post that appeared on Instagram the same day Kris Jenner announced the death of her mother, Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon.
On Thursday, July 16, the reality star took to the comments of her post and clarified, “This post was scheduled a few days ago before we lost MJ, so its timing came right alongside her passing.”
The post in question was yet another carousel of Kim and her family’s lakeside getaway. The photos featured Kim with her children and sister Khloé Kardashian.
“I’ve been by my mom and grandma’s side this past week and my heart is completely with my family right now. We love and miss her so deeply and in the days ahead, we’ll be focusing on celebrating her beautiful life,” Kim wrote in response to criticism over the timing of the post.
Following that, she posted another Instagram carousel, honoring her grandmother. In the caption, she called her grandmother “my best friend, my gossip buddy, my forever twin.” Photos included moments from her childhood and some that were more recent.
She credited MJ with founding the family’s emphasis on staying close, writing, “You taught all of us the importance of family and those values are something we’ll carry with us forever!!!!!”
Kim also described MJ as the person who taught her what it meant to run a business. “You were the woman who showed me what it meant to be a hardworking businesswoman,” she wrote. “You gave me my very first job at your store in San Diego and taught me lessons about work ethic, strength and confidence that I’ve carried with me ever since. You always believed in me, championed me and were my safe place.”
The beauty mogul ended the tribute by asking MJ to pass along a hug to her late husband, Harry Shannon, her daughter Karen Houghton and Kim’s own late father, Robert Kardashian, her other close ones who have passed away.
Lewis Hamilton, Kim’s current beau, also shared photos from the same lakeside getaway. The Formula 1 champion captioned his post, “hold your people close,” drawing supportive messages from fans.
Kris also shared her heartfelt tribute to her mother in an Instagram post, describing MJ as the source of every meaningful memory in her life.
She wrote that her heart was “broken into a million pieces” and thanked MJ for giving her what she called the greatest possible childhood.
“Mom, thank you for every sacrifice you made, every piece of wisdom you shared and every moment you loved us so completely,” the momager wrote. “I will miss our daily talks, your smile, your laughter…Your love will live on in our family, in our traditions, in every moment we are together and in every life you touched.”
MJ was a former model, born in Arkansas in 1934. She frequently appeared across multiple seasons of Keeping Up With The Kardashians and its Hulu successor, The Kardashians.
Her cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.