Entertainment
How Much Is Kim Kardashian West's Surrogate Making?
Not to be outdone by Beyoncé and JAY-Z, it looks like another famous power couple are adding to their family, and everyone's wondering the same thing: how much is Kim Kardashian West's surrogate being paid? Multiple sources are reporting that a deal's been made, but she and her husband, Kanye West, have yet to share any details publicly. A representative for Kim has not yet responded to Romper's request for comment. Paying a surrogate is illegal across much of Europe, according to the BBC, but the Wests happen to live in California, one of the most surrogacy-friendly U.S. states, where prospective parents are not only free to hire a carrier, they can also legally establish parental rights to the fetus, and terminate the surrogates' rights.
Another important detail of California state law, particularly for famous couples, is that all the legal agreements and court orders relating to the surrogacy "shall not be open to inspection by any person other than the parties to the proceeding and their attorneys and the State Department of Social Services, except upon the written authority of a judge of the superior court," meaning that it's possible that the public will never know who the Wests' allegedly hired, or how much she was paid. Still, TMZ has reported (without citing a source, mind you) that the couple will shell out six figures to rent their new baby's temporary home.
The gossip site claims that the Wests will pay a $68,850 deposit to a surrogacy agency, but does not specify how much of that goes to the surrogate herself. It further claims that the surrogate will personally receive $45,000 in 10 monthly installments, a $5,000 bonus per baby in the case of multiples, and $4,000 compensation if she "loses reproductive organs," which honestly seems a little low. In exchange, the report alleges, the surrogate has agreed to avoid smoking, drinking, raw fish, kitty litter, and saunas, which all seems pretty reasonable, and also agrees not to color her hair, which according to me, my doctor, and the Mayo Clinic is a bit much. However, for the price of a new car, it's not a deal-breaker for some people.
It's long been public that Kim has been considering surrogacy. On a November 2016 episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, she was advised that due to her history of complications, a third pregnancy could be life-threatening. According to People, Kim liked that idea that she could "have a new baby and have no one know and live my life for a good year before we announce it," which seems very off-brand, but who knows? On the season finale, which aired earlier in June, Kim encouraged an ambivalent Khloé to be evaluated as a possible candidate. According to The Cut, filming for those scenes took place between February and March. It looks like ultimately, Khloé decided against it, and now some lucky lady might be in for quite a payday.