At the end of last year, many news and entertainment outlets reported that Kim Kardashian West had cut ties with her personal assistant and close friend, Stephanie Shepherd (otherwise known as Steph Shep).
In November, a source told People:
"Kim made a decision to let Stephanie go. She was a good assistant but when Stephanie wanted to transition into a larger role with Kim's brand and businesses, it just didn’t work. Kim gave her the chance but after a short period of time, it became clear that Stephanie just didn’t have the knowledge to take on a role like that. Kim made an executive decision to part ways."
And many took that to mean that the pair had fallen out.
Shepherd had been working for Kim since 2013, and for more than four years had been an integral part of the reality star's life. There had been some obvious tensions between the pair before, such as the time when Shepherd apparently spoke to Khloe behind Kim's back (something that Kim described as "a little bit unprofessional" on an episode of KUWTK) - but nothing out of the ordinary for a close working relationship.
Shortly after they parted ways, Shepherd posted something on Instagram which many fans believed was a subtle dig at Kim.
"Self-care isn't always lush bath bombs & $20 face masks," she wrote. "Sometimes, it's going to bed @ 8pm or letting go of a bad friend. It's forgiving yourself for not meeting your impossible standards & understanding you are worth it. Self-care isn't always luxury but a mean for survival."
In a recent video posted by Kim, however, she and Shepherd can be seen hanging out as if nothing ever happened - and that's because nothing ever did happen (or so they insist).
"You guys, we've never had a feud," Kim in the video, which is available to subscribers on her website. "[Shepherd] wanted to go in a different direction. I respect that. I love giving that encouragement to whoever I'm working with. People just took it… just because people stop working together doesn't mean that they're feuding and stop being friends."
Kim then went on to explain that her intention in releasing the video was to prove to people that she and her former assistant were still on perfectly amicable terms.
"It's hard to not pay it attention because people really believe things," she said, referring to the rumours about the falling out. "That's why we're doing this. People really believe things."
For once, then, it turns out that a Kardashian scandal has turned out to be nothing more than hearsay. It's certainly possible that the two had a little bit of a tiff, sure, but all friends do - don't they? Either way, it seems that the pair are back to being pals again.
Or, at least, they will be until Kim kicks off on KUWTK again, and, with the new season having just aired its first episode, that might happen sooner rather than later...