Bruce Jenner Is Transitioning Much Sooner Than The Kardashians Expected

Ed note: In his interview with Diane Sawyer, Bruce Jenner said he identifies as a woman and wants to continue using male pronouns. It's our policy to call everyone by the pronouns they prefer, and so until Jenner tells us differently, we'll use "he" and "his" in our coverage.  Watching Bruce Jenner open up about his transition to Diane Sawyer was incredibly emotional. But until now, we’d only seen the situation from Jenner’s perspective. On Keeping Up with the Kardashians: About Bruce, the first of two special episodes of the E! hit, audiences got to see how all the Kardashian daughters — and Kendall and Kylie Jenner — felt about their father figure making such a significant choice. The episode opened up pleasantly enough, with Khloe Kardashian giving Bruce a few new pairs of high-heeled stilettos. But, once Kendall came into the room, the subject of Bruce’s transition from “him” to “her” came up. Together, Kendall and Khloe visibly struggled with the idea that they would be saying goodbye to the Bruce that they know, possibly forever. “[We knew] that Bruce was a cross-dresser,” said Khloe, holding back tears. “But, we were never told that he was going to fully transition and become a woman.” Kendall had to leave the room, saying, “I just don’t like when people say Bruce is going to be gone.” When Bruce sat down with Kim Kardashian, she seemed surprised to learn that he was doing the Diane Sawyer interview. (Filming for this episode took place around January, while the Sawyer episode aired in late April.) Bruce hinted to Kim that he was nearly finished with all the “tweaks” to his face, and had already made an “appointment.” Of all the children, Khloe and Kendall seemed to be taking the news the hardest. Even Kris Jenner remained composed and positive when discussing the news with Kim. But Khloe admitted that she sometimes felt hurt when Bruce showed more concern about Kendall and Kylie’s feelings. “Don’t you think we’re all scared?” Khloe asked Bruce. “I don’t think it’s fair that you don’t tell us how close this is in the near future…We’re still your kids.” Despite the tears and emotion, the one thing the Kardashians and Jenners agreed on was how wonderful Bruce was as a dad. Kendall spoke about Bruce teaching her to ride a bike, driving her to school every day, and letting her be the tomboy that she is. Khloe spoke about being four years old when Bruce became her father figure, and how she’s always considered him her dad. “He is, honestly, one of the greatest people I know,” said Kendall. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly. So, to think of someone giving him hate or not being okay with who he wants to be…that scares me, and that’s more of a worry to me than anything else.” The second part of Keeping Up with the Kardashians: About Bruce airs on E! on Monday, May 18, at 9 p.m.