The Kardashians season 8 premieres today, Thursday, October 8, 2026, on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ around the world, and the family that turned reality television into a billion-dollar business is back with a new run of weekly episodes. Kris Jenner, Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, Kendall and Kylie all return, and the trailer makes clear this season leans hard on health scares, new romances and the business empire that keeps getting bigger.
New episodes drop every Thursday through December 10, according to MEAWW’s season 8 preview, and Hulu has billed it as a season “all about love, reinvention, and what comes next.” For a family whose combined fortune now runs into the billions, the show is less a paycheck than a marketing machine. That is the real story behind today’s premiere.
The Kardashians Season 8: What Happens in the Premiere Run
The headline storyline belongs to Kim Kardashian. The trailer shows her in a hospital gown after a diagnosis of esophagitis, an inflammation of the esophagus. It is not cancer, but the scenes land with extra weight because her father, Robert Kardashian, died of esophageal cancer in 2003.
Romance is the other thread. Kim hints at a private relationship she has kept off social media, Khloé talks about dating again, and Kendall deals with rumors linking her to model Cara Delevingne. Khloé also addresses fan theories about having a baby with Scott Disick, who appears this season alongside Caitlyn Jenner and Travis Barker. Kourtney Kardashian Barker, meanwhile, clashes with her sisters, which has been a reliable ratings engine since the E! days.
Key Numbers Behind The Kardashians Season 8
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Premiere date | Thursday, October 8, 2026 |
| Where to watch | Hulu (US), Hulu on Disney+, Disney+ internationally |
| Release pattern | Weekly, Thursdays, through December 10 |
| Original Hulu deal (Dec 2020) | Reported at about $100 million for 40 episodes |
| Kim Kardashian net worth | About $1.9 billion (2026 estimate) |
| Skims valuation | $5 billion after a $225 million round in November 2025 |
| Executive producer | Ben Winston, Fulwell Entertainment |
How Much the Family Gets Paid for The Kardashians Season 8
Nobody at Hulu publishes the paychecks, but the starting point is well documented. When the family left E! after 20 seasons of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Disney announced a multi-year Hulu deal in December 2020. ABC7 covered the announcement at Disney’s investor day, and Variety later reported the offer at roughly $100 million for 40 episodes. That works out to about $2.5 million per episode, split among the six stars and their production company.
The Kardashians season 8 sits well past that first 40-episode window, which means the family has already been through at least one renegotiation. No new figure has been made public. The safest reading is that the per-episode rate has not dropped, because the show still does the one thing Disney wants: it brings a huge, loyal audience to Hulu every Thursday.
Kris Jenner is the deal maker here, as she has been since 2007. Her role as executive producer and manager is why the money flows the way it does. The sisters get paid for screen time, but they also get something money cannot easily buy, which is 40 minutes of national advertising for Skims, Good American, Kylie Cosmetics, Lemme, 818 Tequila and Poosh every single week.
What The Kardashians Season 8 Means for the Money
Here is the twist most viewers miss. The Hulu check is now the smallest part of the Kardashian balance sheet. Kim’s fortune is estimated at about $1.9 billion, and Newsweek reported in February 2026 that most of it comes from her stake in Skims, which Forbes valued at $5 billion after its latest funding round. A few million dollars a season from streaming barely moves that needle.
What the show does move is product. When Kim’s NikeSkims line or Kylie’s newest launch gets a storyline, sales follow. That is why The Kardashians season 8 matters to the family’s net worth even though the fee itself is modest next to their brands. Think of it as a paid infomercial that also happens to be one of Hulu’s most watched originals.
The family’s estimated net worth going into season 8
| Cast member | Estimated net worth | Main money source |
|---|---|---|
| Kim Kardashian | About $1.9 billion | Skims stake |
| Kylie Jenner | About $700 million | Kylie Cosmetics, Coty sale |
| Kris Jenner | About $170 million | Management, producing, family brands |
| Kendall Jenner | About $70 million | Modeling, 818 Tequila |
| Khloé Kardashian | About $50 million | Good American, TV |
| Kourtney Kardashian Barker | About $45 million | Poosh, Lemme, TV |
These are published estimates, not audited figures, and they move with every funding round. Kendall’s number matches our full breakdown of Kendall Jenner’s net worth, where modeling fees and her tequila brand do most of the heavy lifting.
The People Around The Kardashians Season 8
Caitlyn Jenner returns for guest appearances, and her own finances have been a long, messy story since she left the family home in 2015. We broke that down in our Caitlyn Jenner net worth profile. Scott Disick and Travis Barker also appear, which keeps the Kourtney storyline busy.
Behind the camera, the franchise has changed hands since the E! years. Ryan Seacrest helped create Keeping Up With the Kardashians in 2007 and earned a producer credit for years, one of the deals that built his own fortune, covered in our Ryan Seacrest net worth post. On Hulu, Ben Winston’s Fulwell Entertainment runs production.
FAQ About The Kardashians Season 8
When does The Kardashians season 8 come out?
It premieres today, Thursday, October 8, 2026, on Hulu in the US and on Disney+ internationally, with new episodes every Thursday through December 10.
How much do the Kardashians get paid by Hulu?
The original 2020 deal was reported at about $100 million for 40 episodes, roughly $2.5 million per episode for the whole family. Current terms have not been disclosed.
What is Kim Kardashian’s storyline this season?
The trailer shows Kim being treated for esophagitis, plus hints of a private new relationship she has not discussed publicly.
Who is the richest Kardashian in 2026?
Kim Kardashian, at an estimated $1.9 billion, mostly thanks to her stake in the $5 billion Skims brand. Kylie Jenner is second at roughly $700 million.
The Bottom Line
The Kardashians season 8 starts today with a health scare, fresh romance rumors and the usual sister fights. The Hulu fee is real money, but it is small change next to Skims and the family’s other brands. The show’s true value is the weekly spotlight, and every Thursday until December 10, that spotlight will be selling something.
