Kylie Jenner on Why It's Hard to Live With a Family ‘Secret’
In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres airing Monday, Kylie Jenner opened up to the talk show host about her father’s transition and what it was like to meet Caitlyn for the first time.
Though Bruce Jenner didn’t publicly announce that he would transition to a woman until this past April, 18-year-old Kylie said she learned more than a decade ago that something was going on in her family, though at the time she couldn’t quite identify it. “I’ve honestly known about it for a really long time, and we actually caught him dressing up as a girl, when my sister and I were like 6 and 7, maybe,” the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star said. “So we’ve known for a while that there was something, but it was never talked about.”
STORY: Mom or Dad: What Caitlyn Jenner’s Kids Will Call Her
Kylie Jenner with Bruce Jenner in 2013. (Photo: Getty Images)
Now that Bruce has publicly transitioned to Caitlyn, Kylie says family life is much easier. “I feel like there’s not a huge secret in the family. I feel like there was always this big secret,” she said. “Honestly, like, I’d be with my girlfriends sometimes and [Bruce] then would come in and be like, ‘What are you guys talking about?’ and kind of joke around, and I knew there was something, but now I feel like we hang out a lot more. There’s no secrets. She’s really living her authentic, true self. And I feel like that’s awesome.”
STORY: Watch How These Kids React to Caitlyn Jenner
Kylie says that while she initially dealt with her family’s new normal by bottling up her emotions, she’s happier with the way things are now. “I like [Caitlyn] better than Bruce,” she says. “Because we talk about makeup and clothes. We bond a lot more.”
Kylie Jenner says she likes Caitlyn, pictured here, better than Bruce. (Photo: Kylie Jenner/Instagram)
She also hopes that by embracing the changes in her family, she’ll be an inspiration to other teens. “I want to be someone from my generation to be an example because I think that’s so awesome,” she says. “I think that other girls and boys my age will maybe see that I’m so accepting and be accepting of other people too.”
Kylie Jenner on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. (Photo: The Ellen DeGeneres Show)
Kylie is an advocate for embracing all different types of people, not just those in her family. “I’ve been bullied my whole life, whether it was about my peers or comments on Instagram or Twitter, whatever. I feel like I’ve kind of accepted it because I realized that just comes with the territory,” the reality star told DeGeneres. That said, Kylie says she’s inspired by other teens who have overcome struggles with bullying. She even launched an Instagram campaign in September, #IAmMoreThan, to shine a spotlight on those who are helping put an end to bullying. “I wanted [those teens] to use my platform and post their stories on Instagram to hopefully inspire my followers too, because they inspire me so much.”
And despite any bullying she may face in the wake of the transitions in her family, Kylie says she barely notices a change. “Honestly, [Caitlyn’s] the same exact person, she just looks different.”
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