Kris Jenner’s mother Mary Jo Shannon, known as MJ, dies at 91
Kris Jenner announced the death of her mother, Mary Jo Shannon, in an Instagram tribute calling her “the heart of our family.”
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Mary Jo Shannon, the mother of Kris Jenner and a familiar face to Kardashian viewers as “MJ,” has died at 91, Jenner announced Thursday on Instagram.
Jenner shared the news in a tribute to her mother, writing, “Today, we said goodbye to my beautiful Mommy MJ.” She added, “There are no words that could ever capture what she has meant to me or the heartbreak of having to say goodbye.”
Shannon appeared over the years in the Kardashian-Jenner family’s reality TV shows, including “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and the later series “The Kardashians.” Her appearances gave viewers glimpses of her bond with Jenner and the wider family.
On “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” Jenner was shown checking on her mother as Shannon moved into a new condo. In a 2025 episode of “The Kardashians,” Jenner became emotional after a difficult phone call with Shannon, who was then 90.
“It just gets to the point in life where you can’t be by yourself anymore,” Jenner said in that episode, according to Variety. “It makes me sad. I just hate it when she’s in so much pain.”
A family matriarch remembered
In her Instagram post, Jenner described Shannon as the center of the family and credited her with shaping the values passed down through generations.
“My mom was the heart of our family,” Jenner wrote. “She taught me everything that truly matters… to love your family fiercely, to be kind, to show up for the people you love, and to never take a single moment together for granted. She taught us that family is everything.”
Shannon was grandmother to six of Jenner’s children: Kourtney, Kim, Khloé and Rob Kardashian, along with Kendall and Kylie Jenner. She also had 13 great-grandchildren, according to Variety.
Jenner’s tribute thanked her mother for “every sacrifice” and “every piece of wisdom” she shared. She said she would miss their daily conversations, along with Shannon’s smile and laughter.
“Our hearts are broken, but we find comfort knowing that love like yours never truly leaves us,” Jenner wrote. “Your love will live on in our family, in our traditions, in every moment we are together, and in every life you touched.”
Jenner closed the post by saying she sees her mother’s influence throughout the family.
“When I look at my kids and my grandkids, I will forever see pieces of you in all of us,” Jenner wrote. “There is not a part of me that isn’t shaped by you.”
She added that any good she has done came from trying to live in a way that would make Shannon proud, ending the message with, “I love you forever Mommy. Thank you for giving us everything.”
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.