Kourtney Kardashian slams 'controlling and bossy' Caitlyn Jenner over step-parenting style

Daily Mail​

26-05-2025

In a candid new interview with sister Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian Barker opened up about her rocky relationship with Caitlyn Jenner growing up - and revealed the tension was so intense, it led her to move out of the family home as a teenager.
Speaking on Khloé's podcast Khloé in Wonder Land, Kourtney shared that she found Caitlyn - then Bruce, before her transition - 'controlling and bossy' as a stepparent, which ultimately pushed her to live full-time with her father, the late Robert Kardashian.
'I'd be like, "I wanna call my dad!" and then he'd, like, hang up the phone,' Kourtney recalled, using Caitlyn's old pronouns. 'We'd have yelling wars.'
Kourtney was around 11 years old when Caitlyn married their mother, Kris Jenner, in 1991, shortly after Kris finalized her divorce from Robert.
At the time, Kim was 10, Khloé was six, and Rob Jr. was just three.
Kris and Caitlyn would go on to have two daughters together, Kendall and Kylie, expanding the already blended Kardashian-Jenner household.
But while Khloé expressed appreciation for Caitlyn's approach to step-parenting, saying she 'never tried to be dad,' Kourtney's experience couldn't have been more different.
'Really, he tried to be dad for you?' Khloé asked in surprise, to which Kourtney replied, 'He tried to be controlling and bossy. Like, certain friends can't come over.'
Kourtney went on to explain that it wasn't just Caitlyn's strictness that pushed her away - it was also the example set by her dad's then-fiancée, Denise, who she credits with showing her what a positive stepparent relationship could look like.
'Denise was our dad's fiancée for five years,' Khloé told listeners. 'We loved her, we still love her.'
Kourtney agreed, adding, 'I think about what an amazing example she was to all of us.
'She taught us so much about being young ladies at the time. I think having that really positive experience with Denise really helped me, too.'
Khloé admitted that she thought Kourtney's negative feelings had to do with thinking Caitlyn was trying to 'replace' her dad, but she said that wasn't it.
She then also hinted that Kourtney's reaction might have influenced Caitlyn's later approach with her younger siblings.
'Maybe mom had a talk with him, maybe your rejection taught him something,' Khloé suggested.
Ultimately, Kourtney revealed that her discomfort with Caitlyn's parenting style became too much to handle.
'That's why I moved into dad's,' she said.
Kourtney has previously shared that she made the move when she was 16, with Kim eventually joining her.
Their father, Robert, tragically passed away from esophageal cancer in 2003.
Kourtney was 24 at the time.
Kris and Caitlyn eventually separated in 2013, and Caitlyn came out publicly as transgender in 2015.
Despite the family's evolution - and their many ups and downs - Kourtney's story is a powerful reminder that even under the same roof, childhood experiences can be profoundly different.
'See?' Khloé said during the podcast, clearly stunned by the revelations.
'You can live in the same house, be raised by the same parents, and have totally different experiences. I'm sorry you went through that.'
'Thank you,' Kourtney replied. 'It was fine.'