Kim Kardashian debuts true crime podcast The System on Spotify… as she continues to advocate for Kevin Keith’s release following his conviction for 1994 triple homicide
- Kardashian, 41, released The System: The Case of Kevin Keith on Monday
- The podcast delves into Keith’s conviction for a triple homicide
- Kardashian has been advocating for Keith’s release and innocence for years
- She has made criminal-justice reform a cause close to her heart
- Kardashian was fined $1.26 million by the SEC on Monday
- She was accused of advertising cryptocurrency without revealing she was paid
Kim Kardashian has expanded her cultural empire with the release of her new Spotify-exclusive podcast on Monday.
The first two episodes of Kim Kardashian’s The System: The Case Of Kevin Keith are now available to listeners, and they arrive two years after the 41-year-old reality star signed an exclusive deal with the music and podcast streaming service.
The series, which Kardashian narrates, is inspired by her years-long interest in criminal-justice reform and focuses on Kevin Keith, an Ohio man who was sentenced to death for committing a triple murder, before former governor Ted Strickland commuted his sentence to life without parole in 2010.
New venture: Kim Kardashian, 41, launched her Spotify-exclusive podcast Kim Kardashian’s The System: The Case Of Kevin Keith on Monday, with the first two episodes made available; seen September 24 in Milan, Italy
Joining Kardashian in narrating the podcast is Lori Rothschild Ansaldi, a producer and fellow criminal-justice reform advocate. Spotify and Tenderfoot TV are producing the audio series.
The current show will focus on Keith’s attempts over the years to prove his innocence after he was convicted in 1994 of committing three murders in Bucyrus, Ohio.
Kim has previously said that there was no physical evidence connecting the convict, who is currently jailed at Marion Correctional Institution in Ohio, to the crime.
Although concerns about the evidence used against him at trial led former Governor Strickland to downgrade his sentence to life in prison, he still faces the possibility of dying in prison unless his conviction is overturned.
‘I’m really hopeful for this podcast, just to get your story out there, because I think it’s so important for people to understand that… our system is so f***ed up,’ Kardashian says during a conversation with Keith on the podcast, via Variety.
Looking back: : The series is inspired by her interest in criminal-justice reform and focuses on Kevin Keith, an Ohio man sentenced to death for a triple murder, before former governor Ted Strickland commuted his sentence to life without parole in 2010; Kim seen in 2019
Reaching out: Kardashian, who narrates the eight-episode show, previously urged former President Donald Trump to free Alice Marie Johnson in 2018 after she was sentence to life for a non-violent drug offense. He commuted her sentence that year; seen in 2019
In recent years, Kim has taken her passion in reforming the justice system by advocating for the release of prisoners widely believed to be innocent of the crimes they were convicted for.
Part of her advocacy included appealing to people in positions of power, including former President Donald Trump.
Her 2018 appeal to Trump on behalf of Alice Marie Johnson was one of her highest-profile success, as he subsequently commuted Johnson’s sentence.
She had been sentenced to life in prison for a non-violent drug charge and had spent 22 years behind bars before Kardashian was able to secure her freedom.
Keith, the focus of her new podcast, has already been in prison for 28 years for a crime he claims he is innocent of.
In 2019, Kardashian revealed that she had had a conversation with Keith about his conviction.
‘The police rushed to judgment when they arrested Kevin,’ she said in a subsequent post from 2020. ‘This innocent man went from living freely to having his world upended by a murder trial to death row in under 4 months. That’s more than enough injustice for one person. OH needs to correct its mistake before it’s too late.’
Early on during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the fashion star advocated to get Keith released for his own safety as Covid-19 swept through prisons, where measures to slow its spread have been particularly lax.
Advocacy: Keith has been in prison for 28 years for the triple murder, but Kardashian has previously claimed there is no physical evidence linking him to the crime; seen in 2019
Making contact: In 2019, Kardashian revealed that she had had a conversation with Keith about his conviction. She advocated for his release in 2020 as Covid-19 swept through prisons
Variety notes that Kim shares how she decided to go public with her interest in the case while making an appearance on Family Feud.
As part of her goal to raise awareness about criminal-justice reform, Kardashian and her podcast are partnering with the organizations Color of Change and Calling All Crows.
Color of Change is described as the largest online-based organization focused on racial justice, and it will share facts about wrongful convictions with The System’s fans and listeners.
Calling All Crows is an organization that helps raise awareness about criminal-justice reform among music fans.
Kim’s interest in criminal-justice reform has developed at the same time that she has been studying to get her law license.
In December, she gushed that she had passed the Baby Bar exam after failing it multiple times. The test is an essential step to becoming a lawyer for those who do not go to law school.
Making progress: In December, she gushed that she had passed the Baby Bar exam after failing it multiple times. The test is an essential step to becoming a lawyer for those who do not go to law school; seen with Van Jones in 2018
Kardashian’s renewed focus wrongful convictions comes as she recently faced her own legal issues.
The SKIMS founder was hit with a $1.26 million fine — which she agreed to pay — by the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday.
The SEC accused her of advertising the cryptocurrency Ethereum Max in June 2021 without disclosing that she had been paid to promote it.
She was reportedly paid $250,000 for sharing an Instagram Stories post about the crypto coin.
As part of the agreement, Kardashian will be banned from promoting cryptocurrency for three years.
Michael Rhodes, a lawyer for Kardashian told DailyMail.com in a statement: ‘Ms. Kardashian is pleased to have resolved this matter with the SEC.
‘Kardashian fully cooperated with the SEC from the very beginning and she remains willing to do whatever she can to assist the SEC in this matter.
‘She wanted to get this matter behind her to avoid a protracted dispute.
‘The agreement she reached with the SEC allows her to do that so that she can move forward with her many different business pursuits.’
Legal issue: On Monday, Kardashian was hit with a $1.26 million fine — which she agreed to pay — for hawking a cryptocurrency on Instagram without revealing that she was paid $250K to promote it
Source: Read Full Article
