The first of a two-part Keeping Up With the Kardashians: About Bruce special aired in the US this weekend. Filmed in January, before his sit-down interview with Diane Sawyer, the show focused on him discussing his transition with Kris and the Kids (As Bruce is yet to ask for a new name or pronoun to be used to describe him, Grazia will continue referring to him by his current name until he does so). Here are five things we learned:
Kim was the first to know about his transition
In her solo interview, Kim revealed that she was the first of the sister’s to be told about Bruce’s transition. ‘It's been kind of my job to keep this secret for over a decade,’ she said.
The kids assumed Bruce was having an affair
‘We would find things like makeup, and we thought he was having an affair at one point, and we didn't know what to do,’ Kendall said in her solo interview. Describing how she once saw Bruce in a dress and hid from him, she added, ‘We didn't want our family to be broken up, so we didn't tell anybody.’ Similarly, Kim revealed that she once saw Bruce in a dress 12 years ago but kept it as a secret to avoid hurting Kris.
Bruce hired a publicist to keep his secret under wraps
As far back as the 1980s, Bruce worked with a special publicist specifically hired to keep his secret. In the special, we hear how a reporter once saw Bruce dressed as a woman, but was convinced by Bruce and his publicist to kill the story.
Bruce has had more plastic surgery than has been reported
Khloe was hurt to learn that Bruce had already undergone a series of procedures – including a nose job, upper lip lift, and work done on his forehead – before telling the girls about his intention to transition.
Bruce wants other families to learn from his experiences
At the start of the special, a written message from Bruce said, ‘Today my family loves, supports, and accepts me as I am - and I'm so grateful.’ The message also explained that part of Bruce’s motivation for doing the show was to provide insight into what happens when a family member comes out as transgender, in the hope that other families can benefit from the Kardashian’s experiences.