What Happened When Caitlyn Jenner Made Her Shocking Return to The Kardashians

After her appearance was teased at the end of last week’s season premiere, Kris Jenner’s ex and the parent of both Kylie and Kendall Jenner joined her family on reality TV for the first time since their previous show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, went off the air in 2021.

On the show, Kris invited the entire family to her iconic Hidden Hills home( also known as Eldorado Meadow) for one last celebration before it’s officially sold (she put the $13.5 million property up for sale earlier this year). The Kardashian clan in attendance for the gathering included Kim, 45, Khloe, 41, Kourtney, 46, Kylie, 28, Kendall, 29, and Rob Kardashian, 38, before Caitlyn was added as a last-minute surprise guest.

“What’s going on?!” Caitlyn exclaimed as she entered the home, after Kris explained that it didn’t feel right to say goodbye to the house without a special someone in attendance.

“About an hour ago, I called Caitlyn and said, ‘What are you doing?'” Kris explained in a confessional, revealing how the cameo came to be. “Of course, she said, ‘I’m eating dinner and watching FOX News.’ I said, ‘Of course you are.’ I said, ‘Would you like to say goodbye to El Dorado Meadow with us and be with your kids?’ and she said, ‘I’m on my way.'”

Addressing Caitlyn, Kris said “it wouldn’t be the same saying goodbye without you because you were here to make those memories,” before saying in a confessional that it wasn’t just her home, but “our house.”

After Caitlyn joked she was the home’s new buyer, the other members of the family started to reveal their reaction to Jenner’s appearance.

“I definitely wasn’t expecting my dad to be here, just knowing the relationship that my mom has with my dad. Not that it’s bad, it’s just distant,” said Kendall. “I think my mom’s had a hard time inviting my dad to some of our family gatherings in the past, so it makes me happy Kylie and I didn’t have to ask for my dad to be invited.”

For Kylie, she said she wasn’t sure the exes would ever be “best friends again,” but saw the invitation as “a great first step” toward that.

As Caitlyn left the room to mingle with other family members, Khloé told her mother that inviting her ex “was really big of you and I’m shocked you did that.” Kris, meanwhile, said she felt it was the “right thing” to do, adding she knew it would be important to both Kylie and Kendall.

“That’s growth for you, I’m very proud of you,” Khloé added, before opening up a bit about Kris and Caitlyn’s relationship in a confessional.

“For my mom to invite Caitlyn over here when I know how hard that is for her. This is someone she was married to for 25 years and I remember being in that back room with all of my siblings watching that Diane Sawyer interview, realizing for the very first time, ‘Oh, you’re transitioning,'” said Khloé. “They didn’t have a good relationship for years after their divorce, things were said, weaponizing some situations to make my mom look a way that wasn’t truthful. And the fact that my mom can put all of that behind her or on pause for a second, it’s really,lol really big of her.”

In her own confessional, Kendall also opened up about her sometimes complicated relationship with Caitlyn, whom she still refers to as her “dad.”

“I have to compartmentalize my relationship with my dad in a way because I love her, she’s my dad, we have a good relationship,” she explained. “But sometimes I get frustrated with her with certain things, because we just have completely different views on things.”

“I always want to include her. I know she doesn’t have a lot outside of her family and I think that gets lonely,” she added. “You don’t ever want anyone to be sad, especially your dad. At the end of the day, it’s nice to have her around.”

Kim, meanwhile, said she still talks to Caitlyn “all the time,” revealing she recently sent her a card for Jenner’s 75th birthday, thanking her for everything she taught her during her childhood. Kardashian acknowledged that she’s “who I am today because of” a lot of the things she picked up from Caitlyn on car rides and more time together growing up.

“I think it helped shape who I am and why I’m successful today and I’m thankful for that,” she added in her confessional.

As they all shared their favorite memories from the house, Kylie then shocked both of her parents by recalling how she used to smoke marijuana with her friends in the backyard. She added that mom Kris “certainly got more relaxed the more children she had,” saying that while she was “definitely afraid of her and respected her,” she also “got away with a lot” as the youngest in the family.

The weed revelation led Kendall to reveal that she was “so mad” at Kylie when she found out she smoked pot first, recalling how she called her sister a “degenerate” for doing drugs. As Kylie said her sister was such a “hater” back in the day, Kendall admitted she was probably just jealous she wasn’t as “free-spirited” at the time … and had a “great” time when they finally got high together.

“I can’t believe you smoked dope in this house!” exclaimed Caitlyn, before she hugged everyone and made her exit. As she and Kris shared one last embrace, Kris thanked her for coming on such short notice, adding, “That was a really great surprise for the kids.”

New episodes of The Kardashians drop Thursdays on Hulu.