Robert Kardashian’s Ex-Wife, Ellen Pierson, Once Sued the Kardashians for Defamation
Khloe Kardashian has said Ellen married her father "on his deathbed."
Published Dec. 12 2025, 3:37 p.m. ET
The Kardashians have undoubtedly come a long way in their lives and careers. But part of the reason they’ve remained connected with fans is that they've been candid about where they came from. Throughout their reality TV careers on Keeping Up With the Kardashians and The Kardashians, they’ve often discussed their family’s patriarch, attorney Robert Kardashian, Sr.
Robert, who defended O.J. Simpson during his infamous 1995 murder trial, passed away from esophageal cancer in 2003.
Since his passing, his children — Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, and Robert Kardashian, Jr. — have kept his memory alive by sharing how much he contributed to their lives.
Though the Kardashians don’t mind sharing fond memories of their father, one topic they rarely discuss about his life is his third and final wife, their stepmother, Ellen Pierson. So, who is Ellen? And what has the family said about her? Here’s what to know.
Who is Ellen Pierson?
Ellen and Robert began dating in 2000. Their courtship came nine years after the lawyer’s divorce from Kris Jenner, who was married from 1978 to 1991. Robert was also briefly married to a woman named Jan Ashley, and annulled their marriage 30 days later.
There isn’t much information about Ellen besides her connection to Robert and his family. The pair married six weeks before he died, and his children reportedly disapproved of the decision.
Khloe, who shared that she lived with her father during his final days, had the most tension with Ellen at that time. According to Ian Halperin's biography, Kardashian Dynasty, the Good American CEO feuded with her stepmother over her father’s toy monkey, Jocko. Ellen reportedly didn’t let Khloe take the monkey after Robert’s funeral, and she allegedly took it and ran away.
Khloe Kardashian accused her stepmother of taking all of her father’s belongings.
As time passed, Ellen’s relationship with The Kardashians became even more strained. According to TMZ, in 2013, she sued the entire family, as well as KUWTK EP, Ryan Seacrest, for defamation. Ellen accused the family of trying to involve her in a shady deal that would make her look like a gold digger. She also had some choice words for Kris, stating the momager is a “manipulative and devious mother and ex-wife who simply used and exploited her children.”
The case was eventually dismissed in 2014.
The Kardashians didn’t address Ellen’s lawsuit publicly and rarely discuss her or their issues. However, in December 2025, Khloe made a rare comment about her stepmother in an episode of her podcast, Khloe In Wonder Land. On the pod, the mother of two discussed how her sister, Kim, gave her one of her father’s Bibles during Season 7 of The Kardashians. The SKIMS mogul bought the personal Bible her father had given to O.J. in 1994 for $80,000 after it was auctioned in 2024.
During the episode, Khloe shared that the gift was sentimental for various reasons. She said one reason was that she didn't have anything of her father’s to remember him by.
“I don't have really anything of my dad's,' Khloe said. “When my dad died, a woman married him weeks on his deathbed and took everything from us, so I don't have anything of my dad's. Long story.”
Ellen didn’t respond to Khloe’s podcast comments. It’s unclear what she’s up to now.