Kim Kardashian revealed she has been diagnosed with esophagitis, an inflammation of the esophagus, in a new trailer for "The Kardashians," a condition that carries a personal weight given her father's death from esophageal cancer.
The 45-year-old reality star and Skims founder appears lying on a hospital bed in the upcoming episode, where an unnamed person off camera asks her directly whether the condition connects to how her father died. Robert Kardashian Sr. died of esophageal cancer in 2003 at age 59.
Kardashian's mother and manager, Kris Jenner, reacted emotionally to the question. "I can't. It makes me want to cry," Jenner said in the trailer.
The connection between Kardashian's diagnosis and her father's death is what gives the moment its gravity. Esophagitis, inflammation of the lining of the esophagus, is not the same disease as esophageal cancer. But the two conditions share anatomical territory, and chronic, untreated esophagitis can lead to a precancerous condition called Barrett's esophagus.
About 5% to 15% of people who suffer from gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly known as GERD, develop Barrett's esophagus, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Most people with Barrett's esophagus do not go on to develop esophageal cancer, the NIDDK adds.
Esophageal cancer itself comes in two main forms, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, according to the National Cancer Institute. The trailer does not specify which type Robert Kardashian Sr. had.
When the unnamed person off camera asked Kardashian, "Didn't your father... isn't it what he died of?" the question landed hard enough to visibly shake Jenner. No medical professional appeared in the trailer to clarify the distinction between the two conditions or assess Kardashian's specific risk.
This is not the first medical disclosure Kardashian has made this year. Earlier in 2025, she revealed that doctors discovered a small, unruptured brain aneurysm during an MRI scan. Fox News Digital reported that Kardashian described the aneurysm as something that had apparently been present for years.
"They're like, 'It's been there for, like, years. It was here a few years ago,'"
Kardashian said in an earlier episode of the show, referring to what doctors told her about the aneurysm. No update on its current status or any treatment plan has been made public.
The Mayo Clinic recommends that esophagitis patients work with their doctors on management strategies, which can include dietary changes and medication, depending on the cause and severity. The trailer did not reveal what treatment, if any, Kardashian has begun, or how severe her esophagitis is.
Fox News Digital reached out to Kardashian for comment but did not receive a response. The trailer did not identify the hospital where Kardashian was filmed, nor the specific medical procedure that led to the diagnosis. No episode air date was provided.
Several questions remain open: what triggered the esophagitis, whether Kardashian has a family history of GERD or Barrett's esophagus beyond her father's cancer, and whether her doctors have assessed her long-term risk for esophageal cancer specifically.
When a family has already buried someone to a disease, even a related but lesser diagnosis carries weight. Kardashian is putting hers on camera, and for her family, the memory of Robert Kardashian Sr. makes the medical chart harder to read with detachment.
