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‘Is this a prank?‘: Inside Kim Kardashian’s $264 ‘worst advent calendar ever’

Read the original at The Sydney Morning Herald ↗
Cite

Ironmonger, L. (2026, November 11). ‘Is this a prank?‘: Inside Kim Kardashian’s $264 ‘worst advent calendar ever’. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/is-this-a-prank-inside-kim-kardashian-s-264-worst-advent-calendar-ever-20261111-p61cug.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Sydney Morning Herald · collected 2026-11-11 · by Lauren Ironmonger

Quick Summary

Kim Kardashian’s Skims company released an Accessories Advent Calendar priced at $264 in Australia on October 29, but it quickly faced backlash due to its contents, which included items like hair elastics and keychains. Influencers criticized the calendar as a joke or prank because of the poor value compared to the price. In response to complaints, Skims removed the product from sale and offered refunds or credits to customers who bought it. The company’s annual advent calendar typically features more on-theme products; this year’s edition did not meet expectations according to customer feedback.
Written by AI on 2026-11-11, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Kim Kardashian's SKIMS brand is offering refunds after facing intense backlash over its $148 Advent calendar. The calendar, which was meant to offer "twelve days of fun surprises," instead contained low-cost items like hair ties, keychains, and ornaments, leading social media users to express disappointment and frustration. One TikToker noted that the contents were similar to items often found at Dollar Tree, questioning their value given the high price tag. After videos mocking the calendar went viral, SKIMS acknowledged the complaints and personally contacted each customer to offer a full refund or credit toward other products. The company stated that for some customers, the Advent calendar did not meet expectations.

Written for “Kim Kardashian's Skims Advent Calendar Controversy” on 2026-11-11, grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
No political leaning scored for article 143431 · logged 2026-11-11

Story

Kim Kardashian's Skims Advent Calendar Controversy
Entertainment · 9 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
BBC News
Hedges 1 of 9 claims Outlet record 66/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
12%
2 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
61/100
The Sydney Morning Herald's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
9
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-11 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Sydney Morning Herald · 6687 article(s) · 15 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 15 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Lauren Ironmonger
9 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Also by Lauren Ironmonger
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 9 articles by Lauren Ironmonger →

Topics

Accessories Advent Calendar Australia British Skims TikTok

Subjects

Skims ORG · 5× @kaylaryan PERSON · 1× Australia GPE · 1× British NORP · 1× Chanel ORG · 1× Kardashian PERSON · 1× Kim Kardashian’s PERSON · 1× Mariah Carey PERSON · 1× TikTok ORG · 1× Zoe “Zoella” Suggs PERSON · 1×

Narrative

In a statement to Page Six on Tuesday, a Skims spokesperson said the product “didn’t meet expectations” and that they had “personally contacted every customer who purchased the calendar and offered them a choice of a full refund or a Skims credit to put towards other products.” “We’re aware of the feedback some customers have shared... and we’ve listened carefully.” Skims’ advent calendar has become an annual affair in recent years.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-11
In 2026, the Advent calendar industry has infiltrated just about every tier of retail, and it seems we may already have a winner for the most diabolical offer of the year – all before Mariah Carey has fully defrosted.
2026-11-11 · The Sydney Morning Herald
‘Is this a prank?‘: Inside Kim Kardashian’s $264 ‘worst advent calendar ever’ · assertive framing

Claims (17 extracted, 2 hedged)

In 2026, the Advent calendar industry has infiltrated just about every tier of retail, and it seems we may already have a winner for the most diabolical offer of the year – all before Mariah Carey has fully defrosted. uncertain
Carey → infiltrate → year
On Tuesday morning, Kim Kardashian’s company Skims was forced to remove its $US148 limited-edition Accessories Advent Calendar, which sold in Australia for $264, from its website following social media backlash over its paltry contents. asserted
which → force → contents
The calendar was launched on October 29, but recipients of the Christmas gift box were quick to express outrage over what they discovered inside. asserted
they → launch → what
In one video, US influencer @kaylaryan is shown unpacking the calendar, declaring it “THE worst advent calendar I’ve ever seen”. “This is terrible. asserted
This → show → calendar
I hope nobody buys this calendar. asserted
nobody → hope → calendar
Genuinely, I think the packaging cost more than all of this combined... asserted
packaging → think → this
is this a prank?” she says. asserted
she → say → ?
In a statement to Page Six on Tuesday, a Skims spokesperson said the product “didn’t meet expectations” and that they had “personally contacted every customer who purchased the calendar and offered them a choice of a full refund or a Skims credit to put towards other products.” “We’re aware of the feedback some customers have shared... and we’ve listened carefully.” Skims’ advent calendar has become an annual affair in recent years. asserted
calendar → say → years
The 2025 offering featured 25 pairs of underwear for $US450. asserted
offering → feature → US450
The contents of their 2026 calendar, which sold out in less than 24 hours, is as follows: - A teddy bear keychain. - A three-pack of hair elastics. - A two-pack of hair clips. - Two packs of three bobby pins. - Two packs of three hair scrunchies. asserted
which → sell → scrunchies
For a brand whose primary offerings are shapewear and underwear, many customers presumed its top holiday billing would include on-theme items, though the original product description did stipulate it would offer accessories. “Count down to the holidays with this SKIMS accessories advent calendar, featuring twelve days of fun surprises,” its description read. asserted
description → presume → surprises
The brand did not state the calendar’s combined value, and individual products are not available on its website, but for a total price of $264, each should be worth about $22. asserted
each → state → 264
Kardashian’s lingerie empire, founded in 2019, is worth $US5 billion according to a November 2025 valuation. uncertain
empire → found → valuation
TikTok users have been quick to parody the calendar, posting unboxing videos showing the detritus found between couch cushions, under their bed or at the bottom of their handbags. asserted
users → parody → handbags
Another influencer, who has alopecia, joked about being “so excited” for the hair-centric calendar. asserted
who → have → calendar
This is far from the first time a brand has been called out for overhyping its Christmas offerings. asserted
brand → call → offerings
In 2017, British YouTuber Zoe “Zoella” Suggs was forced to apologise over a £50 advent calendar for being bad value for money, while luxury brands like Chanel and Dior have come under fire for underwhelming offerings at eye-watering prices in recent years. asserted
brands → force → years
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