Khloe Kardashian’s husband Lamar Odom recently overdosed on drugs, and two of her close friends recently died of drug-related causes. Her sister Kourtney’s husband has been drinking so much the family is going apeshit, yet still she’s moving forward with a TV show set to air this January called Kocktails with Khloe.
Given how addiction has ransacked so many people in her life, on first glance, it’s sort of tough to stomach. Even network executives reached out to her to make sure the project was still on, as they wondered whether any of this would put in a dent in her plan to drink booze daily for her reality show.
Is she really that insensitive?
Too Close to Home
Odom’s drug overdose in October really did scare Khloe. The couple had plans to divorce, and they were immediately called off when the former Laker plummeted into a coma after ingesting too many drugs with too much alcohol at a brothel in Nevada. Specifically, there was evidence of crack cocaine in his lungs, among other substances. He suffered a heart attack and several strokes, and, according to medical reports, may have permanently damaged some organs. Though Khloe has a new boyfriend, basketball player James Harden, she’s technically still married to Odom and has spent much time by Odom’s side as he recovers.
Odom’s yet to enter rehab for drug and alcohol abuse, since his body is still healing. Still, he hasn’t gone on record saying he’ll check himself in, despite his family planning for him to do so.
This was no small incident. It’s not like Odom was brought back to life from a heroin overdose with a quick shot of Narcon. Instead, it was a painful and grueling scenario, one that still has Odom struggling with speech and motor skills.
Khloe’s two friends Bobby Heyward and Jamie Sangouthai both died of drug overdoses in June, leaving the reality star very distraught. Her sister Kourtney’s ex-husband Scott Disick has a well-documented history of issues with alcoholism.
Any sane person would ask how Khloe could move forward with her TV show that stars her and booze.
So What Gives?
According to a network insider who dished to Radar Online, “Khloe basically said that she is not going to stop drinking because Lamar and Scott can’t handle their sh*t.” The source also said Khloe is “ready to roll” on the “hybrid” reality show that will air on FYI.
But, on a closer look, the idea may not be as egregious as one would think.
According to Variety, the premise of the show isn’t so much as tasting a bunch of booze or drinking as it is inviting celebrity guests and friends to spend time in the kitchen with Khloe, cooking and conversing. They’ll then gather around the table for an intimate dinner party to talk about pop culture (ahem, gossip) and play party games.
If these party games involve “beer pong” or “quarters”—drinking games that inevitably wind up with all the players wasted—then her show will definitely be in bad taste and come across as a slap in the face to the trials and tribulations her husband, ex-brother-in-law, and close friends have experienced. If instead these party games include Twister and Pictionary, then, well, it might not be wholly egregious.
Still, sending a message that alcohol is innocuous, something that everyone can just leisurely sip in the kitchen, might not be the best message to send right now to both Odam or Disick. Maybe it’s not technically Khloe’s job to have their backs, but considering how critical strong social support is for those seeking to recover from alcohol abuse, it would be more upstanding if she reworks the show, changes the title and spreads the celebrity gossip over coffee instead.
Photo courtesy of Toglenn (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (https://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
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