Having your very own reality TV series abruptly end is never easy.
So it’s no surprise to see Kim Zolciak exploring her options after Bravo canceled Don’t Be Tardy.
But there’s a difference between a business venture and trying to bilk your fans for money.
Why is Kim, who is still a millionaire, asking her fans to "support" her financially?
Because Instagram bios only allow for one link, link pages have risen in popularity in recent years.
These services allow people, from regular plebs to full-fledged celebrities, to share multiple links.
Links can be to other social media, to information resources, or to their brand and donation pages.
As you can see on this screenshot, Kim Zolciak is no exception.
She shared links to muliple businesses of hers, including Kashmere, SaltyK swimwear, and KAB cosmetics.
The latter is something that she launched with Brielle and Ariana.
But very conspicuously, at the end of that list, there is simply an option to "support" Kim.
There are buttons set up for fans to donate $5, $10, $20, or even $50, plus options to donate custom amounts.
This is a feature normally used by, well, people who are not literal millionaires.
Online estimates put Kim’s net worth in the low millions.
Whether it’s $3 million or $5 million or several above that can make a difference in her life, to be sure.
But none of those numbers would explain why she might ask for donations from fans.
This is especially odd when Kim so recently boasted about her husband’s financial success.
“Kroy manages all of our careers and [Salty K Swim],” she told a follower who asked what Kroy does for work.
Kim added at that time: “He also made close to $20 million so we are good.”
No, we do not know what may have happened to a solid chunk of that money if neither her nor her husband’s net worths are estimated to be close to $20 million.
But isn’t it kind of weird that she bragged about that?
We get that she was defending her husband, but she could have just said "Being a DILF is a full-time job" and left it at that.
Obvious financial questions aside, it’s weird and arguably exploitative to ask for money from fans.
It’s strange to ask for money when you’re not hurting for it, for that matter.
So we have to ask: is Kim trying to siphon money from fans, or is she hurting for cash?
Net worth, after all, is not the same thing as money in the bank.
Your net worth includes things like the businesses that you own, your house, your cars, other property.
Someone could have a hefty net worth but still have to sell things off to pay bills or put food on the table.
Look, having a reality series can be a vital source of both direct and indirect income.
Kim was getting checks from Bravo for every season.
She was also able to use the show to boost her brand. The cancelation had to hurt.
But the last that we heard, Kim’s swimwear line was selling really well.
There’s always a chance that Kim could return to RHOA.
Maybe what looks like desperation was just a donation link that was there by default but should have been deactivated.
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