Jonathan Cheban is more than Keeping Up with the Kardashians

Kim Kardashian's best friend and a reality star in his own right, Jonathan Cheban hits Dubai to promote his new lifestyle website thedishh.com.

Reality TV star Jonathan Cheban was in Dubai. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

He is known for being Kim Kardashian’s best friend but Jonathan Cheban has long been making a name for himself as an indepdenent brand. Here we watch up with the 40-year-old entrepreneur and former PR executive in Dubai.

What have you made of the UAE so far?

It’s my first time and I’m obsessed with it. It’s a little bit different and everything is so modern. I feel right at home in Dubai.

What does it say on your business card? Online entrepreneur, PR, restaurateur, reality TV star?

Ha, I haven't had one in about seven years. My logic is if you don't know me, you don't need my card. At this point, I'm turning myself into a lifestyle brand with restaurants and products, and now there's the website, www.thedishh.com.

You first came to our attention as Kim Kardashian's best male friend in the E! reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians. What makes the two of you click?

We trust each other. If I tell her “that looks great” or “that looks bad”, she listens. I tell my regular friends the same thing, the difference is they argue and don’t listen. I say to them “look at this ‘Kim perfection’. [laughs] Are you seriously not listening?” I just see things and know what works. I love the whole family and I’m also very close to Kris and Khloe. We all have the best time and laugh constantly. I was just staying at their house last weekend.

Are E!’s cameras omnipresent at the house?

They’re not there all the time, but a lot. I’m so used to them now, it’s the same for me whether they are there or not – except I need better hair. [laughs]

To what degree do you, and the family, self-censor what you say on camera?

Zero. I may get a bit funnier as you can’t be slumped in a chair, hardly talking. But in general it’s the same.

KUWTK has struggled with ratings of late – what do you think the public want to see more or less of?

Obviously, ratings can never be as big as they were at the start of the show. And as I see it, now that it’s around the world, perhaps more people see it than ever before.

Kim’s more revealing new look since she got together with Kanye has fuelled much debate. What do you say to the detractors?

I think she’s ahead of fashion and they just don’t get it. Kim is getting everything directly from the top and the critics will be wearing what she is in a year’s time.

So this is the best style we’ve seen on Kim yet?

Yes, this is hot. She’s on point with everything.

Let’s talk Kanye. Your disagreements with Kim’s ex, Kris Humphries, were well-documented. So has she now made the right choice?

Oh yeah, it’s perfection. The two of them are two peas in a pod. I’m obsessed with him – I can’t get enough of him. He’s so smart, he’s a genius. It’s easy to be inspired by listening to him.

You were one of the first to see North after she was born. What personality is she developing?

Ah, I go nuts for her. I can’t even look at her. It hurts to look at her she’s so cute, I swear. She’s got the most beautiful perfect skin, she’s yummy.

More on Dishh

How it started

As an extension of my Instagram – all the cool things to eat, to see, to buy. It’s evolved in recent months to a full lifestyle website with 20 staff and writers. It’s a platform that was needed. We’re talking a huge range of different products and apps, shown in a very pretty way.

Who it’s for

Our fans in 170 countries can see the latest pair of cool sneakers, the new Ferrari or even a funky foreign donut – it’s an accessible website. It’s not dark and edgy, as many fashion and luxury sites can be.

What it looks like

I’ve made it pop-y, as I love pop culture. It’s done almost like a celeb site, but without the gossip. It’s a curation of that, my Instagram, and original content; luxury and lifestyle doesn’t have to be purely black-and-white or weird. (A recent update: “$900 face cream – it’s real and it will take 10 years off your face.”)

Dubai Dishh

I thinking Dubai will have its own section and tab! The city is synonymous with luxury and it was aspirational for me to come here, I’m so glad I did.