‘They are not friends now’: What happened between Kim and Steph?
"Steph went from being an assistant to being a celebrity," so said a source close to the Kardashian family when questioned about Kim's relationship with her former PA, Stephanie Shepherd.
Steph, who was hired by Kim shortly before North's birth in 2013, has been lauded for the mammoth roles she played in the reality star's life over the course of the last four years.
From overseeing her wedding to Kanye to travelling back to the US with her following her robbery in Paris, Steph has been by Kim's side for almost half a decade, so it's no surprise the public want to know more about Kim's decision to drop Steph from the payroll.
According to an insider, Kim realised the boundaries were becoming blurred, and while she always championed the idea of treating staff like family, in Steph's case it went too far.
"Steph was very friendly with Kim’s family — she was almost part of the family, " the source told People. "Kim needed an assistant where the relationship is more professional."
"It’s very difficult to work with friends, so Kim decided to hire someone else. The bottom line is that Steph was hired as an assistant, and Kim wanted to keep it like that. They are not friends now."
It appears Kim's decision to bring Steph into the spotlight backfired somewhat when Steph's supposed celebrity status detracted from her ability to assist the mother-of-two.
"Steph went from being an assistant to being a celebrity. For a regular girl, she has a huge social media following. She loves the attention, but it took away from her job."
"There was a feeling that being Kim’s assistant, Steph should stay more in the background. But Kim is the one who helped her get the followers by posting pictures with Steph," the source added.
The attention of Keeping Up With the Kardashians viewers was piqued in a recent episode when Kourtney told Kim that Stephanie had hinted she didn't feel entirely fulfilled in her role.
Kim, unsurprisingly, took umbrage with this piece of information, and despite having promoted Steph to COO of Kardashian West Brands earlier this year, ultimately decided to part ways with the Ohio-native.
