Kim Kardashian has revealed a new health diagnosis that carries an especially emotional connection for her family.

In the Season 8 trailer for The Kardashians, released September 17, the 45-year-old reality star and entrepreneur reveals that she has been diagnosed with esophagitis, an inflammation of the tissue lining the esophagus. The preview shows Kim discussing the diagnosis before cutting to scenes of her in a hospital gown and apparently being taken in for a medical procedure.

“I have something called esophagitis,” Kim says in the trailer.

The revelation immediately brings up the Kardashian family's painful history with esophageal disease. An off-camera voice asks Kim whether her father died from the same issue, and Kim responds, “Yeah.”

There is an important medical distinction, however: Kim has disclosed esophagitis, while her father, Robert Kardashian Sr., died from esophageal cancer. They are not the same diagnosis.

Robert died in September 2003 at just 59 years old, only months after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer. His death came when Kim was 22 and years before the Kardashian family became one of the most recognizable families in entertainment.

The connection makes the moment particularly difficult for Kris Jenner.

In another scene from the trailer, Kris becomes emotional while discussing Kim's health situation, saying, “I can't, it makes me want to cry.”

What Kim's Diagnosis Actually Means

Esophagitis occurs when the lining of the esophagus — the tube responsible for carrying food and liquids from the mouth to the stomach — becomes inflamed or irritated. Symptoms can include difficulty swallowing, painful swallowing and chest pain.

There are multiple potential causes, including acid reflux, certain medications, infections and allergic or immune-related reactions. Treatment depends on what is causing the inflammation and how much damage has occurred.

The trailer does not disclose what caused Kim's esophagitis, how severe her condition is or exactly what procedure she appears to undergo. Those details may be addressed when the new season airs.

And despite the emotional connection made in the trailer, an esophagitis diagnosis should not be interpreted as a cancer diagnosis.

Esophagitis and esophageal cancer are separate medical conditions. In certain circumstances, prolonged inflammation associated with acid reflux can contribute to complications such as Barrett's esophagus, which is associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer. But Kim has not announced that she has Barrett's esophagus or esophageal cancer.

That distinction is particularly important given the way the trailer connects Kim's condition to her father's death.

Robert Kardashian's Death Still Looms Large

Robert Kardashian Sr. died on September 30, 2003, following a relatively short battle with esophageal cancer.

The attorney, who became nationally known as a member of O.J. Simpson's defense team during Simpson's 1995 murder trial, was the father of Kourtney, Kim, Khloé and Rob Kardashian.

His death has remained an emotional subject for the family throughout their years on television, and Kim has repeatedly spoken about wishing her father could have witnessed the lives she and her siblings ultimately built.

The family's experience with Robert's illness also led to something much larger than their television story.

In 2019, the family helped establish the Robert G. Kardashian Center for Esophageal Health at UCLA, created to focus on research, treatment, education and prevention involving diseases of the esophagus.

Kim later celebrated the center's fifth anniversary in 2024 and spoke about its work helping patients, saying she believed her father would have been proud of what had been created in his name.

That history adds another layer to the family's reaction to Kim's diagnosis. For the Kardashians, a medical problem involving the esophagus is tied directly to one of the most devastating losses in their family.

Kim's Health Becomes Part of Season 8

Kim's diagnosis appears to be one of the major personal storylines teased for the upcoming season.

The trailer does not reveal the full circumstances that led doctors to diagnose her with esophagitis. It instead gives viewers brief glimpses of the medical situation, including Kim in a hospital setting and her family's emotional response.

The health scare follows other medical issues Kim has publicly discussed through the series. During a previous season, she revealed that doctors had discovered a small brain aneurysm during imaging before subsequent testing provided additional clarity about the finding.

Her latest diagnosis is different, however, because of its immediate emotional association with her father's illness.

The trailer itself leans directly into that connection: Kim announces she has esophagitis, her father's fatal esophageal cancer is brought up, and Kris is shown struggling emotionally with the news.

Still, until Kim shares more about her diagnosis, there are limits to what can be concluded from the footage. The trailer does not establish that she faces the same disease her father did, and there has been no announcement that Kim has cancer.

For now, what Kim has publicly disclosed is esophagitis — and viewers will likely learn considerably more about the diagnosis, the procedure teased in the trailer and her family's reaction when Season 8 of The Kardashians premieres October 8.