The Kardashian Curse, Explained
Lewis Hamilton is the latest man to walk into a Kardashian woman’s life. The F1 racer and Kim Kardashian’s relationship has been the focus of fans and critics since they went public with the romance earlier this year. While they seem to be pretty happy together, Hamilton’s fans have been warning him of the infamous Kardashian Curse. So, what exactly is it, and is there any real evidence to back up the claim?
What is the Kardashian curse?
The Kardashian curse is the tongue-in-cheek idea that men who date or marry a Kardashian or Jenner sister suffer a downturn soon after. Oftentimes, that downturn comes for their careers, their health or their reputations. Chatter about the “curse” has been focused mostly on the athletes who have dated some of the sisters.
Kendall Jenner addressed it on The Tonight Show, joking about the string of NBA players linked to the sisters who reportedly hit rough patches during or shortly after the romances. Kendall even poked fun at the alleged curse in a 2026 Super Bowl ad spot for Fanatics Sportsbook. While the “curse” has been associated with the athletes in the Kardashians’ orbit, it has expanded to include musicians, like Kanye West, actors, like Timothée Chalamet, and comedians, like Pete Davidson.
What evidence do fans point to?
So are the men in the Kardashian women’s lives destined to see a downturn in their careers just from dating them? It’s unlikely, but fans do point to a mountain of personal and professional troubles for several men as evidence that dating a Kardashian is dangerous.
Reggie Bush is one of the earliest examples conspiracy theorists point to. Bush dated Kim Kardashian during her early years of fame. After the high-profile romance, his NFL career stalled, and he even had his Heisman Trophy vacated, though it was eventually restored. Bush has rebounded just fine. He is married with three children and has worked with several brands in recent years.
Lamar Odom, Kris Humphries, Tristan Thompson, Ben Simmons and Devin Booker have all been pointed to as proof of the curse, too. Odom’s NBA career unraveled after his whirlwind romance with Khloé Kardashian. That is likely tied to his drug use and not his attachment to a Kardashian, though. Kris Humphries’ and Tristan Thompson’s reputations suffered after their romances came to an end. Humphries was married to Kim Kardashian for 72 days. Thompson has had an on-again, off-again romance with Khloé Kardashian. His cheating scandals have made headlines.
Booker and Simmons both dated Kendall Jenner and saw dips in their gameplay during the romances. Kanye West’s very public struggles have been tied to the curse, as has Pete Davidson’s chaotic post-Kim dating life.
Is it real?
No, at least not in any supernatural sense. Critics have long argued that chatter about the Kardashian curse says more about the people telling the story than about the sisters. Writers at outlets including Vanity Fair and The New York Times have called it a form of misogyny. The Kardashians are hardly the first women to be blamed for an athlete’s lackluster gameplay, too. Megan Thee Stallion was blamed for Klay Thompson’s NBA falters during her relationship with him, too.
The explanation for bad seasons and difficult life circumstances is far more mundane. Athletes’ careers naturally rise and fall; injuries happen. Sometimes creatives hit rough patches, and not every award can be won. When those things happen while these men are dating members of the most famous family in reality TV, every negative moment becomes front-page news. It could look like a curse, but in reality, it’s just life.
For now, Lewis Hamilton seems to be doing just fine, curse or no curse. The romance between Hamilton and Kardashian appears to be moving along well.
