Kim Kardashian has revealed that doctors found “irregularities” on her esophagus that need to be removed. The disclosure follows her recent esophagitis diagnosis and comes in a preview for the next episode of The Kardashians on Hulu.
“The doctor says my esophagus has these irregularities, and I have to have them cut out,” Kardashian says in the preview. “It’s the same thing my dad had.” In the clip, she wears a hospital gown and is wheeled in a bed, with her mother, Kris Jenner, beside her. The preview does not say what the irregularities are, whether they are cancerous, or what procedure she will have.
Fear Behind the Diagnosis
On the October 29 episode, Kardashian, 46, opens up about the diagnosis. “I’ve seen a couple of doctors, and it’s been heavy on my mind lately,” she says. “I haven’t really told too many people about this, just because I think it’s something that really hits home for me, and I just don’t really wanna go there.”
Her father, attorney Robert Kardashian Sr., died of esophageal cancer in 2003 at 59, shortly after his diagnosis. “Hopefully I can just take medication, and this will go away,” she says. “But I just don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The episode shows her filming Netflix’s comedy The Fifth Wheel, which she also produces. She plays a crasher who disrupts a friends’ getaway in Las Vegas. On set she fights fatigue and a headache. “My throat is, like, killing me today,” she says. She later gets her diagnosis on a Zoom call. “I think you have a little bit of inflammation of the esophagus, and I think you have esophagitis,” a doctor tells her. He suggests starting medication, then having a procedure to look closer.
What Esophagitis Is
The Mayo Clinic describes esophagitis as swelling and irritation of the tissues lining the esophagus. Symptoms can include difficulty swallowing, a burning feeling in the chest and acid reflux. Acid reflux is a leading cause, though medication or a buildup of white blood cells can also trigger it.
Esophagitis and esophageal cancer are different conditions. Chronic inflammation can, however, raise cancer risk. The University of Washington’s gastroenterology division says one in 10 reflux patients could develop Barrett’s esophagus, where the esophagus lining is replaced by tissue prone to cancer.
A Family Cause
In 2019, UCLA Health opened the Robert G. Kardashian Center for Esophageal Health in his memory. “We hope to save lives and help the community for many years to come in honor of our father,” Kardashian said then.
This is not her first health scare on the show. In a November 2025 episode, she said doctors told her she had a brain aneurysm that had “been there for years.”
New episodes of The Kardashians stream Thursdays on Hulu.
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