Kim Kardashian Testifies in Paris Robbery Trial: “I Absolutely Thought I Was Going to Die”

Kim Kardashian waves as she arrives to testify regarding a robbery of millions of dollars in jewels from her Paris hotel room in 2016, in Paris Tuesday. (Aurelien Morissard/The Associated Press)

By Daniel Whitaker

staff writer

May 13, 2025

Nearly a decade after one of the most shocking celebrity crimes in recent memory, Kim Kardashian returned to Paris to deliver harrowing testimony in court. The reality TV star and entrepreneur, now 44, took the stand on May 13 to speak about the traumatic night in 2016 when she was robbed at gunpoint in her hotel room during Paris Fashion Week.

Kardashian, who appeared composed yet emotional, described the ordeal as a defining moment that changed her relationship with the city forever.

“It changed everything I used to love about Paris,” she told the court, according to NBC News.

Kardashian recounted that she was in bed alone at the time of the incident. She recalled hearing loud stomping noises outside her room, followed by the sudden appearance of multiple men dressed as police officers. They were accompanied by the hotel concierge, who had been restrained and was clearly terrified.

“I was very confused,” Kardashian said. “I kept asking the concierge what was going on. I understand how shocked he was, he was just a victim like me.”

The intruders were looking for valuables, repeatedly demanding Kardashian’s ring. She said she pleaded with the concierge to tell them she had children and needed to survive.

“I said, ‘I have babies. Tell them, I just have to make it home,’” she remembered. “He said, ‘I don’t know. I don’t know if we’re going to die.’”

The situation escalated as one of the assailants pushed her onto the bed, bound her hands and legs with plastic cables and tape, and taped her mouth shut. Another man pointed a gun at her while she lay helplessly exposed and vulnerable.

“He grabbed my legs and pulled me. I was naked, and my everything was exposed,” she told the court. “I was sure I was going to be raped.”

Throughout her testimony, Kardashian expressed the sheer terror she felt, believing she would not make it out alive. “I absolutely thought I was going to die,” she said when asked by the judge if she feared for her life.

Her thoughts turned to her sister, Kourtney Kardashian, who had traveled with her to Paris but was out at the time. “I kept thinking about Kourtney, she’s going to come back and find me dead in the room. She’ll be traumatized for the rest of her life.”

After the robbers fled, leaving her on the bathroom floor, Kardashian was able to loosen the bindings on her wrists. She then sought out her stylist, Simone Harouche, who had been staying on a lower floor. Together, they managed to escape and hide outside in nearby bushes.

Kardashian provided additional chilling details to the court. At around 2:56 a.m., she called her bodyguard, and shortly afterward, saw two men approaching through the sliding doors. Both wore jackets with the word "Police" printed on them. One had a ski mask and gloves. It was this masked man who stayed with her throughout the incident, holding her at gunpoint and demanding to know where the jewelry and cash were kept.

According to Kardashian, he was the one who tied her up using tape and plastic restraints before ransacking the room.

The ongoing trial, which began on April 28, involves 10 suspects, most of whom have denied any involvement. However, some were linked to the crime through DNA evidence found at the scene.

Kardashian had previously spoken about the robbery during a 2020 appearance on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, where she admitted the incident profoundly changed her.

“I don’t share as much on social media anymore, especially about where I am in real-time,” she said at the time. “It made me reevaluate everything.”

While justice is still unfolding in the courtroom, Kardashian’s testimony marks a significant moment not only in the case but also in her personal journey of confronting and reclaiming one of the most terrifying experiences of her life.