Kim Kardashian is being blasted online for allegedly trying to "outdo" daughter North West and steal the Lion King-themed spotlight from the 10-year-old, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
North, the eldest daughter Kim shares with ex Kanye West, starred as Simba in Disney's 30th-anniversary concert in honor of the widely loved 1994 cartoon classic, 2019 remake, and Broadway musical.
North took the stage as a "special guest" alongside actress and singer Jennifer Hudson at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday and Saturday, wearing a furry hooded sweatshirt with matching shorts, socks, and slippers.
Ahead of the shows, Kim, 43, posted a series of photos on Instagram showing North posing in the fuzzy getup, with a lion emoji as the caption. She also shared videos of her daughter preparing for the role.
A week later, the Skims founder posted another collection of snaps, this time of herself in a strikingly similar fluffy yellow costume, complete with an oversized hat, matching pants, and cross-body bag. Kim wrote in the caption, "kk in erl," referencing the brand behind both costumes, ERL.
"You couldn't let your daughter have a moment u had to wear it too," one comment with nearly 6k likes read, as another agreed, "Lol just takes her kids spot light."
"Why can’t she ever let anyone have their moment," another commenter wondered, "Always [wants] to outdo the original."
"Was this a Kim campaign all along?" yet another user questioned.
The wave of backlash surrounding the billionaire businesswoman came after North was also mocked online over a viral video of her singing I Just Can't Wait to Be King."
The choice to cast North in the show spurred a fiery online debate over the apparent "nepotism" at play. Several critics were "infuriated" that the celebrity offspring scored the Simba role, doubting whether she was more deserving of the part than a less famous child.
TV personalityMegyn Kelly, for one, said on her show recently, "I'm sorry, I am a public person. And I certainly don't want my kids to not get opportunities because I've chosen this life."
"The nepo baby situation that's happening there with double billionaire parents, so that this kid could get this role that could have gone to somebody else and honestly, should have gone to somebody else, is infuriating," she added.
Despite the scrutiny, North's performance was met by a standing ovation from the live audience, which included her parents, siblings Saint, Chicago, and Psalm, grandmother Kris Jenner, aunt Kourtney Kardashian,and new uncle Travis Barker.
A Disney+ special of the anniversary show is slated to air at a later date.
