Jeff Olde, former EVP of Programming and Development at E!, was the first to admit that he loved the idea of Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna having their own reality series. When he first heard the idea, he noted that they seemed like a “fun couple” with a “great, natural” relationship to be shown on TV. He never hesitated to recommend the project to the higher-ups, leading to the series being greenlit.
Olde also admitted that he thought that “Rob and Chyna” was “promising” as the first season delivered “good ratings.” They even had a plan in place for Season 2, but it had to be put on pause when the supposed physical altercation between the couple happened. He went on to say that they hoped Season 2 would still be a go, but the two already stopped talking at the time. “There was no more Rob and Chyna. That was not the show we bought,” he shared, according to a Nicki Swift reporter in the courtroom.
The show was eventually canceled, with the network paying Chyna a $100,000 kill fee. But he said that whatever intervening the Kardashians did had very little influence on the final decision E! had made. When pressed by Chyna’s lawyer about Kylie Jenner’s alleged emails begging him to pass on the 2nd season, Olde stated, “I don’t take direction from 17-year-olds, to be honest with you.” He added that he understood their reaction as plain concern for their family.