Contagious Workouts, the Robbery and Kanye West, the Jokester: 7 Things We Learned From Kim Kardashian's Assistant Stephanie Shepherd

This woman has a front row view to a Hollywood dynasty.

By Samantha Schnurr May 16, 2017 6:11 PMTags

Stephanie Shepherd may be in the backseat of Kim Kardashian's life, but she has a front row view to a Hollywood dynasty. 

As the reality star's longtime assistant, Shepherd, a former aspiring dancer, has been able to see the world through Kardashian eyes—a view very few ever get the opportunity to experience. So, what does she have to say about one of the most famous families in American pop culture? For one, they're some of the most hardworking people she knows—and working for them simultaneously calls for just as much diligence. 

Thanks to a recent interview with Refinery29, the woman we typically catch glimpses of on the celebrity sisters' Snapchat or in the back of paparazzi shots is revealing what it really takes to keep up with the Kardashians. 

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1. Kris Jenner really is Wonder Woman.  

As the matriarch of the wildly successful six siblings, Jenner definitely knows a thing or two about making things work. However, according to Shepherd, she really always has her eye on the ball.

"Kris Jenner is a f--king G...If someone tells her no, she has no problem standing her ground and saying, 'We're not accepting that, get someone on the phone and make it happen,'" she described to Refinery29. "That woman can literally get on the phone and change the world. And somehow, she juggles all of these kids, all of their careers, and still makes sure that every assistant, every staff member, has a Christmas present, delivered to us by Christmas, with a thoughtful card. And it's a nice ass Christmas present. That's the kind of person I aspire to be one day." 

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Denise Truscello/WireImage

2. Landing this job involved a touch of chance. 

After working as an assistant for choreographer Mikey Minden and his then-main client, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Girardi, Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin approached Shepherd about working for Kardashian. After a meeting with Kris' assistant, she came face to face with Kim, who was pregnant with North West at the time—and they were both wearing braids. "Kim later told me she was thinking 'This girl has good vibes and a braid, I'm into her!'" she recalled.  

3. The jet-setting life is hard work—especially for an assistant. 

"Don't forget that when you're an assistant, with all of that glamour comes schlepping the bags and the suitcases and taking the fall when the car doesn't show up or the flight is delayed or something goes wrong."

However, she's not the only one who's hustling. Her boss is equally always on the go. "There was a period last year, I remember, when we literally went from New York to Miami to New York to Iceland to Los Angeles to Cuba...Cannes was in there somewhere," she remembered. "So we needed those four months [at the end of 2016] to just really reflect on what's important."

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4. But, it also has its perks. 

Shepherd has a trunk full of Kimoji swag, a bedroom of Life of Pablo merchandise, offers from Mario Dedivanovic to do her makeup and snakeskin boots from Mr. West himself. 

"My Christmas present from Kanye," she said.

5. The workouts are contagious.

You know how Kim and her sisters take their workouts to Snapchat? Well, we're not the only ones who are inspired to hit the gym because of them. "Being around Kim and Kourtney and Khloe, I'm always working out," Shepherd said. "I never was a big exercise person before, but they work out religiously."

6. Kanye West has a funny bone. 

"Do people know that he's funny? I know everyone thinks he's so deep and serious, but he's also so funny, like he has me rolling laughing, and sometimes I'm like, 'Is this inappropriate that I'm laughing so hard?'" she told Refinery29.

7. She would take a bullet for Kim. 

Shepherd was in the Paris apartment when her boss was bound and robbed. After making sure everything was "handled" after the incident, Shepherd considers Kim's protection a personal task. 

"Wherever we are, my instinct is just to protect her," she said. "I would truly take a bullet for her."