Ellen Pierson was the final wife of attorney and businessman Robert Kardashian Sr., the father of Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian. Their marriage lasted only weeks before his death in September 2003. Her name returned to headlines during a legal dispute over Kardashian’s diaries and photographs. Her story also raises questions about the family’s inheritance.
Ellen Pierson was Robert Kardashian Sr.’s third and final wife. They married in 2003, about six weeks before he died of esophageal cancer. A former real estate professional, Pierson later became involved in legal disputes with his children over family diaries and photographs, as well as claims about her portrayal on television.
Family Profile
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Ellen Pierson |
| Other Reported Names | Ellen Pearson, Ellen Kardashian |
| Known For | Third and final wife of Robert Kardashian Sr. |
| Husband | Robert Kardashian Sr. (died 2003) |
| Marriage Year | 2003 |
| Widowed | September 30, 2003 |
| Stepchildren | Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian |
| Professional Background | Real estate, insurance, and business management |
| Public Legal History | 2013–2014 litigation involving family diaries and photographs |
| Public Profile | Limited media appearances and interviews |
| Reported Net Worth | No independently verified figure |
Who Is Ellen Pierson?
Ellen Pierson, also identified as Ellen Pearson or Ellen Kardashian in some news reports and court documents, is best known as Robert Kardashian Sr.’s third wife. She became his widow in 2003 and later attracted attention through litigation involving his children. Unlike her stepchildren, she has not built a widely documented career as a television personality.
The different spellings of her surname can make online research confusing. A federal court docket identifies Ellen Pearson, Ellen Kardashian, and Ellen Pierson in the same case. These references concern the same woman, rather than different people associated with Robert Kardashian.
Pierson’s public profile largely concerns events after her husband’s death. Reports about her earlier life are much thinner, so claims about a precise birthday, childhood, or education should not be presented with the same certainty as her marriage and the court record.
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Ellen Pierson and Robert Kardashian’s Marriage
Robert Kardashian had previously been married to Kris Jenner, with whom he had four children. Their marriage began in 1978 and ended in 1991. He later married Jan Ashley in 1998, but that marriage was annulled. Pierson was his third wife, not his first or the mother of his four famous children.
According to People’s account of Robert Kardashian’s relationships, Robert and Pierson married in 2003, shortly before he died. Reporting commonly describes the wedding as taking place approximately six weeks before his death. Some accounts specify August 2003, but the exact ceremony date is not as consistently documented in mainstream coverage.
Robert died on September 30, 2003, at age 59, following a diagnosis of esophageal cancer. His death was reported at the time by the Los Angeles Times, which also identified Pierson as his surviving wife. The short duration of their marriage is firmly documented; claims about the couple’s private conversations or motives for marrying require stronger evidence than retrospective speculation.
Her Career Before and After the Marriage
Ellen Pierson had a professional background independent of the Kardashian family’s television fame. She has been described as working in real estate, including property-related roles. Contemporary reporting about the family’s 2013 litigation also identified her as a private individual with a career in that industry.
A 2025 South China Morning Post profile additionally described work in insurance and a period managing a music business associated with Robert Kardashian. Her career extends beyond her famous family connection.
There is less dependable public reporting about her current employer, business activities, or whether she remains professionally active. Past employment should not be presented as a verified position she holds in 2026.
Ellen Pierson and the Kardashian Children
Through her marriage, Pierson became the stepmother of Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian. The four siblings were born to Robert Kardashian and Kris Jenner; Pierson is not their biological mother. Their relationship with her became publicly strained after Robert’s death, particularly as disagreements over his personal materials reached television and the courts.
The dispute was not about Pierson’s right to call herself Robert’s widow. Instead, the widely reported legal conflict involved possession, publication, and ownership of diaries and photographs. Accounts of family tensions should therefore be separated from the fact of the marriage itself.
While the Kardashians have spoken publicly about Pierson, the available record does not provide a complete, mutually agreed account of their private relationships. Television comments and legal allegations do not establish every event.
The 2013 Dispute Over Robert Kardashian’s Diaries
In April 2013, Robert Kardashian’s four children and Kris Jenner filed a federal lawsuit involving handwritten diary material and family photographs. They alleged that Pierson had wrongfully retained and commercially exploited items they said belonged to the children. The case raised questions about copyright and ownership, not simply whether embarrassing material had appeared in the press.
Pierson disputed the family’s position. The conflict drew attention because some reported diary excerpts related to disputes within Robert’s former marriage, but those excerpts and the claims drawn from them should not be treated as independent proof of personal accusations against relatives.
The court docket for the federal copyright case records its filing on April 4, 2013. It also documents subsequent settlement proceedings, providing a clearer chronology than headlines that present the litigation as one continuing, unresolved case.
What Happened to the Lawsuit?
The parties reached a settlement in April 2014. As E! News reported at the time, the diaries and photographs were returned to the Kardashian family, and the other settlement terms remained confidential. The federal docket records the case’s dismissal in May 2014.
This distinction is important when people ask how much Ellen Pierson inherited. A copyright settlement over family materials is not a public accounting of a deceased person’s entire estate. The confidential settlement did not disclose a definitive value for Pierson’s assets or a verified payout to her.
Why Did Ellen Pierson Sue the Kardashians?
The legal conflict also ran in the other direction. Pierson brought defamation-related claims concerning how she believed the family and the producers of Keeping Up with the Kardashians had portrayed her. Her accusations included the contention that a television storyline unfairly damaged her reputation.
The family challenged her account, and coverage at the time described sharply conflicting positions. Reporting by People in 2025 noted the later dismissal of the defamation action. This was separate from the federal diary-and-photo copyright case settled in 2014.
The existence of competing lawsuits does not establish that every public accusation by either side was true. It does establish why Pierson remained a recurring subject of Kardashian coverage long after Robert’s death.
Where Is Ellen Pierson Now?
Pierson has maintained a much lower public profile than Robert Kardashian’s children. Her exact day-to-day circumstances and present occupation are not well established by recent mainstream reporting. That gap is not evidence that she has disappeared or that unverified accounts of her residence and finances are reliable.
Her name resurfaced on television in April 2025. During the sixth-season finale of The Kardashians, Kim described a dream involving their late father and Ellen; Khloé’s reaction suggested continuing discomfort with the subject. The scene offered insight into the sisters’ feelings, but did not include a new statement from Pierson.
In December 2025, Khloé again discussed family belongings connected to her father on her podcast, as covered by HOLA!. She voiced grievances about what happened to possessions after his death. Those remarks reflect Khloé’s account; they do not establish a complete inventory of Robert’s estate or prove that Pierson received everything.
Ellen Pierson’s Age, Children, and Net Worth
Readers often search for Ellen Pierson’s age, children, and net worth, but those subjects have a much weaker public evidence base than her marriage or court history. There is no consistently substantiated birth date in the established sources reviewed, so an exact current age would be misleading.
Some profiles mention that Pierson has a daughter, but identifying or detailing private relatives adds little to an account of her public connection with Robert Kardashian. The four Kardashian siblings are her stepchildren through marriage, not children she had with him.
Likewise, there is no dependable public figure for Ellen Pierson’s personal net worth or the amount she inherited. Figures circulated by celebrity biography websites are not substitutes for estate records, and a reported property provision does not establish the final value of everything she received.
Conclusion
Ellen Pierson is a documented part of the Kardashian family history because she married Robert Kardashian Sr. shortly before his death in 2003. Her work outside entertainment, the 2013 lawsuits, and the 2014 copyright settlement explain why her name continues to surface. The clearest picture separates those established events from unresolved personal and financial claims.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is Ellen Pierson to Robert Kardashian?
Ellen Pierson was Robert Kardashian Sr.’s third and final wife. They married in 2003, shortly before he died of esophageal cancer. Through their marriage, she became the stepmother of his four children with Kris Jenner.
2. When did Ellen Pierson and Robert Kardashian get married?
Ellen Pierson and Robert Kardashian married in 2003, approximately six weeks before his death on September 30. Their wedding is generally reported as taking place in August 2003.
3. How much did Ellen Pierson inherit from Robert Kardashian?
The exact value of Ellen Pierson’s inheritance has not been reliably established in publicly accessible reporting. The family’s 2014 settlement concerned diaries and photographs, and its confidential terms do not establish the value of her inheritance.
4. What is Ellen Pierson’s net worth?
There is no independently verified estimate of Ellen Pierson’s current net worth. Although she worked in real estate and insurance, those career details are insufficient to calculate her assets or establish a reliable financial figure.
5. Where is Ellen Pierson now?
Ellen Pierson keeps a relatively low public profile. She was mentioned by Kardashian family members during television and podcast discussions in 2025, but those comments did not establish her current residence, employment, or other private circumstances.
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