Kourtney Kardashian says KUWTK was ‘toxic’ after stepping back from family reality show this year

She stepped away from Keeping Up With The Kardashians earlier this year, and Kourtney has not held back about the series in a recent interview.

Kourtney Kardashian made headlines late last year when she announced she was stepping back from the reality show that made her family famous.

The eldest Kardashian sister, 41, surprised fans when she said she would no longer be a central cast member on Keeping Up With The Kardashians after more than a decade of filming the series, with the latest season streaming on Binge.

Viewers got an insight into friction between Kourtney and her sister Kim Kardashian West, 39, during an episode of KUWTK that aired in March, which showed the pair get in a physical fight over Kourtney wanting to keep a portion of her life private.

Elaborating on her decision to ease her workload in a cover story interview with Vogue Arabia, Kourtney said the environment had become “toxic”.

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Kim punched Kourtney in the face in a season 18 episode of KUWTK.

“I have been filming the show non-stop for 14 years … I was feeling unfulfilled and it became a toxic environment for me to continue to have it occupy as much of my life as it was,” Kourtney said.

“Privacy is something I have come to value and finding that balance of private moments with being on a reality show is hard.

“People have this misconception that I don’t want to work, which isn’t true. I am following my happiness and putting my energy into that which makes me happy.”

The mother-of-three, who has kids Mason, 10, Penelope, 7, and Reign, 5, with her ex-boyfriend Scott Disick, last year launched her lifestyle website Poosh, which has since become her leading work priority.

Apart from that, Kourtney said she was enjoying quality family time.

Kourtney and her daughter Penelope. Picture: @kourtneykardash/Instagram

“I always try my absolute best when I’m with my kids not to be on my phone, to be present in what we’re doing, and have those moments where you’re looking in each other’s eyes and connecting. It’s so important,” she told Vogue.

“I usually take one day on the weekend when we have no plans. We hang out at the house in pyjamas or sweats. We sleep in. I like to not be on a schedule on that day.”

Kourtney has been busy running her lifestyle website, Poosh. Picture: kourtneykardashian/Instagram

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After her explosive argument with Kim, Kourtney broke down in a video confessional about feeling misunderstood.

Kourtney and Kim. Picture: Michael Loccisano/Wire Image

“I don’t understand why there’s all this judgment about the way we each want to live our lives. We should be accepted for what we each want to do,” she said.

“It’s not a positive environment for me to want to be in every day when I feel like they’re so critical of me.

“Every day I’m coming in, I’m like, ‘Why am I choosing to be in this environment?’ And I think I just reached my point of not being able to tolerate it anymore.”

Keeping Up With The Kardashians season 18 streams on Binge