Kim Kardashian reveals she has esophagitis, a condition linked to her late father Robert Kardashian’s esophageal cancer battle. Here’s what happened.
Kim Kardashian revealed she has been diagnosed with esophagitis during The Kardashians season eight trailer.
The condition has brought back memories of her father Robert Kardashian, who died from esophageal cancer in 2003.
Robert Kardashian’s children later opened a medical centre focused on esophageal health in his honour.
Doctors say untreated esophagitis can increase the risk of developing Barrett’s esophagus, a condition linked to esophageal cancer.
Kim Kardashian has opened up about a health issue that hit close to home because of her family’s painful history.
The reality TV star revealed that she has been diagnosed with esophagitis, a condition that causes inflammation and irritation of the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach.
In the trailer for season eight of The Kardashians, released on September 17, Kim, 45, was seen lying in a hospital bed while discussing her diagnosis.
During the conversation, someone off-camera brought up her late father, Robert Kardashian, asking, “Isn’t it what he died of?”
Kim confirmed the connection.
Robert Kardashian, who was known globally as the lawyer who defended O.J. Simpson during his 1995 murder trial, died from esophageal cancer in 2003 at the age of 59.
According to medical experts, esophagitis itself is not cancer, but if it is left untreated, it can sometimes lead to Barrett’s esophagus, a condition that increases the risk of developing esophageal cancer.
Kim’s diagnosis appears to have reopened old wounds for the Kardashian family, who lost their father more than two decades ago.
Her sister Khloe Kardashian previously spoke about how quickly their father’s illness progressed during an episode of her Khloe in Wonder Land podcast in April 2025.
Khloe Kardashian shared how her father’s sudden cancer diagnosis affected her and her siblings.
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“My dad died really quickly,” Khloe said. “He had esophageal cancer and I think he died six or seven weeks after diagnosis.”
The Good American founder also admitted that she struggled with feelings of guilt after losing her father as a teenager.
“I don’t think he could accept himself that it was terminal, but he never used those words with us,” Khloe explained.
She said she initially blamed him because she felt he did not prepare the family for how serious his condition was.
“That guilt turned into anger,” she recalled. “I was like, ‘I need someone to blame, so I’m gonna blame my dad, ’cause he didn’t tell me that it was terminal.’”
However, Khloe later said she found peace after speaking openly about her grief during the first season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians in 2007.
Kim Kardashian’s family remembered Robert Kardashian, who died from esophageal cancer in 2003.
“A house got lifted off of me after that conversation,” she said, explaining that she was finally able to remember her father with happiness instead of guilt.
The Kardashian siblings have also turned their loss into something positive. In 2019, Kim, Khloe, Kourtney and Rob Kardashian helped establish the UCLA Robert G. Kardashian Center for Esophageal Health, a centre focused on researching and treating diseases affecting the esophagus.
Kim previously said the centre was one of the things her father would have been proud of.
“We weren’t able to save his life with this new technology and with the access to these doctors, but now we can help save other people’s lives,” she said.
While Kim has not shared more details about her current condition, her revelation has highlighted the importance of paying attention to symptoms linked to digestive health, especially for people with concerns about their family medical history.
Kim Kardashian reveals scary diagnosis years after losing dad Robert Kardashian to cancer
