Some 15 years since its initial release, the sex tape of Kim Kardashian and then-boyfriend Ray J continues to make headlines, the latest example of which comes courtesy of a reported email regarding the tape’s earnings.
According to TMZ, an email detailing the initial sales of the tape — titled Kim Kardashian Superstar — was sent to both Kardashian and Ray J in the months following its April 2007 release. The email was sent by the boss of Vivid Entertainment, who was behind the distribution of the tape and contains its sales figures and revenue breakdowns.
The figures reveal that the tape earned more than $1.4 million ($2 million AUD) in total revenue in its first month of availability, with the majority of those sales coming from DVD purchases. Internet sales contributed the second-most to overall sales figures, which Vivid boss, Steve Hirsch said were “pretty good” in the accompanying email.
The tape’s reported earnings are the latest revelation in the Superstar saga, which has seen renewed attention since being referenced in the first episode of The Kardashians reality show. In the premiere, Kim worries that unseen excerpts of the tape have been circulating, and enlists Kanye West to retrieve them from Ray J.
More recently, Kardashian matriarch, Kris Jenner denied years-long allegations that she was behind the release of her daughter’s sex tape. Jenner appeared strapped to a lie detector on a September episode of The Late Late Show With James Corden, during which she flatly denied the claim — an answer which was verified by the lie detector.
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In response to the re-emerging interest in the tape, Ray J recently took to social media to insist that Jenner and Kardashian — who’ve long denied any involvement in Superstar — had masterminded its release 15 years ago. During a 44-minute Instagram live, the rapper alleged that Jenner requested he and Kardashian film additional tapes, and provided receipts of Kardashian’s signature on the initial Vivid contract.
