Forbes recently named Kylie Jenner the youngest-ever self-made billionaire and, despite some eyebrow raises, the 21-year-old is standing by the title.
“There’s really no other word to use other than ‘self-made’ because that is the truth,” the Kylie Cosmetics CEO said in the Spring/Summer 2019 issue of Interview Germany. “That is the category that I fall under.”
That said, Jenner acknowledged she is “a special case” because she “had a huge platform and lots of fans” before founding her cosmetics company in November 2015.
“I did not get money from my parents past the age of 15,” she persisted. “I used 100 percent of my own money to start the company, not a dime in my bank account is inherited … and I am very proud of that.”
Forbes put the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star on the cover of its magazine in August 2018 when her billionaire status seemed imminent. In March, she officially achieved the feat as her fortune climbed past ten figures. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg previously held the youngest-ever title at age 23.
“I never thought that this could happen,” Jenner told Interview Germany. “I believed in Kylie Cosmetics but I didn’t even know what I was getting myself into. It feels amazing, it’s wild, and being the youngest ever to do it is a blessing. I now want to focus on giving back to people and doing things that I’m passionate about.”
The Lip Kit mogul teased that she has “so many amazing projects coming out this year,” but for now, her lips are sealed.
“I can’t share too much now but you guys are just going to have to wait and see!” she told the magazine. “As for Kylie Cosmetics though, I just want to keep expanding and touch other parts of the world.”
As for the critics who dismiss her “self-made” title due to her family’s fame? “I can’t remember the day when I didn’t have millions of people telling me their opinion on everything that I do, so I have no idea what it would be like for that not to happen,” she said. “It does get to me sometimes but I feel like God put me in this position because he knew that I could handle it.”
Jenner and her boyfriend of nearly two years, rapper Travis Scott, are the parents of 13-month-old daughter Stormi.
