"They Hate Her": Why Kim Kardashian's Latest Christmas Photo Sparked a Parenting Debate

It was meant to be a happy family photo for the holidays, but the internet saw something else entirely. Kim Kardashian’s latest Christmas photos, intended to show festive cheer, have instead become prime meme fodder and the center of a heated online debate.

In the pictures, the reality TV star poses with her children—Saint West, 10, Chicago West, 7, and Psalm West, 6—but viewers noted the kids appear bored, uninterested, or even angry. “They hate her,” one user wrote bluntly. “She thinks she’s being relatable by sharing things like this but it just shows how little her kids respect her.”

The Awkward Photo That Broke the Internet

One image, in particular, became the focal point. In it, Kim beams at the camera while her eldest daughter, North West, walks out of the frame. The other children are looking at their sister, effectively ignoring their mother altogether. For many, the photo was a clear signal of Kim's lack of authority and emotional connection with her kids. “This doesn’t surprise me. Kim doesn’t seem to know how to handle these situations,” one commenter wrote.

Critics quickly pointed to a pattern, recalling past Christmas photo debacles. One user claimed, “I remember when North was 6, they had to photoshop her into the family Christmas card because of North acting out.” Another added, “Kim said most of the family Christmas card photos were unusable when North was around 9 because she kept flipping off the camera.” The sentiment among detractors is that the children resent being used as props for publicity.

The Kanye Factor: Social Media and Parenting

The photo controversy has reignited a long-running public disagreement between Kim and her ex-husband, Kanye West, over their children's social media presence. The timing is notable, as North West, now 12, recently made her Instagram debut. While the account bio states it is “managed by parents,” Kanye has been vehemently opposed to his children having a public social media footprint, especially on platforms like TikTok.

In a 2022Instagram post, the rapper accused Kim of antagonizing him by allowing North to post videos. “I am her father... I said I’m not allowing my daughter to be used by TikTok, to be used by Disney. I have a say so,” he stated at the time. Kim, however, has continued to encourage and participate in her daughter's online content.