Kim Kardashian is finally explaining why she kept quiet about a health scare that hit far too close to home. On the Oct. 29 episode of "The Kardashians," the mogul revealed she was diagnosed with esophagitis after feeling unwell for weeks — and that she sat on the news largely in private because the condition struck uncomfortably close to the disease that killed her father.

"I've been feeling a little off lately," Kardashian, 45, says in the episode, before describing how she saw multiple doctors and eventually got her results delivered virtually, with a warning that she'd need to come in for next steps, including medication and further procedures.

A Diagnosis She Didn't Want to Face

The reason for her silence, Kardashian explains, traces directly back to her father, Robert Kardashian, who died of esophageal cancer in 2003 at age 59, just months after his own diagnosis.

"I haven't really told too many people about this just because I think it's something that really hits home for me. I just don't really want to go there with my dad having passed away from esophagus cancer."

Esophagitis — inflammation of the lining of the esophagus, most commonly triggered by acid reflux — is a distinct condition from esophageal cancer and is generally treatable with medication and lifestyle changes, according to medical experts who weighed in when the diagnosis first surfaced. Still, Kardashian admitted the overlap rattled her. "Hopefully I can just take medication, and this will go away," she said. "But I just don't know what's gonna happen."

The diagnosis first became public in a season 8 trailer released in September, which showed Kardashian in a hospital gown and prompted an emotional reaction from mother Kris Jenner, who said the news made her want to cry. Outlets that covered the trailer noted Kardashian had not yet detailed the cause, severity or treatment plan — details that are now unfolding week by week as season 8 airs.

The health scare arrived almost exactly a year after Kardashian disclosed a separate finding — a small brain aneurysm discovered via a full-body Prenuvo scan — during an October 2025 appearance on "Good Morning America." That earlier reveal turned into its own season 8 storyline, with Kardashian saying she underwent additional brain scans at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as a precaution.

"The Kardashians" premiered its eighth season on Hulu on Oct. 8 and has been releasing new episodes weekly, with Thursday's installment marking the fourth of the season. A preview of the next episode teases a surgical procedure tied to Kardashian's esophagitis treatment, though specifics have not been made public.

Fans and health commentators have largely responded with sympathy, pointing to how rare it is for a Kardashian to publicly admit to delaying a health conversation rather than broadcasting it immediately. For now, Kardashian says she's taking it one scan — and one episode — at a time, with new installments of "The Kardashians" continuing to roll out on Hulu each Thursday.