Kim Kardashian is once again the joke.

A billionaire being booed is rarely cause for concern or intrigue, but in the case of Kim Kardashian, it does pose an interesting question about the one story even an immense level of fame cannot help her evade.

On Sunday, May 5 the reality star, model, and business owner — who could also update her LinkedIn profile to include 'actress' after starring opposite Emma Roberts in American Horror Story: Delicate — walked on stage at the live taping of Netflix's The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady to poke fun (and boost viewer numbers) at the comedic takedown of the football star who is most widely known for his marriage to (and then divorce from) supermodel Gisele Bündchen.

According to media outlets who were present for the taping, the energy in the room was joyful, with a level of positivity that can only be achieved when a group of famous personalities gather together to poke fun at a man who has likely been so protected from negative feedback his entire life that even if a piece of valid criticism did manage to slip through the televised roast, he would most likely be unable to recognise it.

But all this changed when Kim Kardashian stepped onto the stage, and the laughter and cheers that had been filling the room immediately ceased. Only to be replaced by jeers and groans.

Listen to The Spill hosts explain why Kim Kardashian is always the joke. 

According to People magazine, the SKIMS founder tried to make a joke with host Kevin Hart to kick off her section of the roast, but her words were drowned out by a sea of people yelling "boo!" as she tried to speak, to the point where she had to stop what she was saying and try to quieten the crowd down by saying, "Alright, alright, alright."

Offstage, staff behind the cameras could be heard saying, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," clearly surprised by the anger that was emanating from a group of people who had signed up to witness someone be publicly ridiculed and were now offended by the mere existence of a woman who makes underwear and TV shows.

The Roast of Tom Brady is now available to stream on Netflix, but the section where Kim Kardashian was booed has been edited out of show. The version of the special that's now available on the streamer also includes a disclaimer stating that it was "edited from a previous live stream".

While not known as a comedic force in the entertainment industry (although her turn hosting Saturday Night Live did pull in a few positive reviews) Kim Kardashian was present at the roast because there have been long-standing rumours that she secretly dated Tom Brady — a tidbit that made up the majority of her roast section.

Now, if the crowd had been booing Kardashian because they vehemently disagreed with the fact that she has a disproportionate amount of wealth compared to the rest of society, that would have at least been a slight noble cause.

The same could be said for the idea that their jeers were fuelled by that fact that the woman has a strange history of making her expensive pets disappear. Or maybe a few of the footballers present have just been playing The Tortured Poets Department on a loop and were spurned on by Taylor Swift's vengeful wrath against Kardashian via song.

All of these potential stories behind the 'boos' would have been far more interesting than what I believe to be the actual cause of anger from the crowd, and that is the fact that a woman who is still known for a sex tape and being 'famous for being famous' was on stage to engage in an event where comedy and sports — two sectors not widely known for the inclusion of women — were scheduled to meet.

Kim Kardashian is not in need of pity or protection, and a few boos from a crowd, while igniting a slightly embarrassing social media storm around her name, are hardly going to dent the immense Kardashian empire that has built around her.

What it does go to show is how the public and media attach themselves to some narratives with the same strength that a barnacle attaches itself to a passing whale.

In the case of Kim Kardashian at the roast of Tom Brady, it's undeniable that she was the most famous, wealthy and influential person on that stage during the taping, and yet she was still seen as the joke.

It's an interesting turn of events when power, money and the honour Kardashian herself deemed the most impressive from her career achievements — solo Vogue magazine covers — are not enough to erase a story that has been around for decades and is still gaining traction.

Even if you take away the business empire Kardashian and her family have built, and the knack they have for always keeping themselves firmly in the news cycle, it is in no way unusual for beautiful people from wealthy families who have attracted a little bit of infamy to become famous and remain that way.

The very core of Hollywood and much of the fashion industry is built on this model of fame and fortune, and yet we seem the most skeptical and critical of Kim Kardashian when she cashes in on it.

While Kardashian's Met Gala looks will soon drown out the noise of her public ridicule at a Netflix roast, one part of her story remains unchanged. And that is the fact that, even with all the money and power she has attained over the years, if you've ever consumed her TV shows and interviews over the year, you'll know that above all else, the one thing she craves is legitimacy around the personal brand and level of fame she was created.

And no one is willing to give that to her just yet.

Laura Brodnik is Mamamia's Head of Entertainment and host of The Spill podcast. You can follow her on Instagram here.

Feature Image: Netflix.