Kim Kardashian’s original celebrity pairing on the controversial Actors on Actors interview pulled out at the last minute, and now fans have been left wondering who it could have been.

It has now transpired that Oscar-nominee Chloe Sevigny was a very last minute replacement, as the original choice ‘called in sick’ at the last minute.

The move has raised eyebrows on social media, which some suggesting that the star may have had cold feet over being paired with the reality star.

‘Wow, must have been a real emergency for Kim’s original partner to bail last minute,’ one person wrote, while another questioned which ‘actor’ it was that had pulled out. Another person speculated that the mystery A-Lister, ‘Likely didn’t want to do an actor segment with a Kardashian.’

While it is currently unclear which A-List star pulled out, there are many names floating about that it could have been.

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Kim Kardashian ’s original celebrity pairing on the controversial Actors on Actors interview pulled out at the last minute, and now fans have been left wondering who it could have been

Around the same time, rival publication The Hollywood Reporter pulled together a host of major names for their Actresses round table that featured Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Kidman, Jodie Foster, Sofia Vergara, Brie Larson and more.

Within hours of Variety’s editor-in-chief, Ramin Setoodeh, revealing that the actor that was originally paired with Kardashian called in ‘sick’ at the last minute, X users began to speculate who bailed on the reality star and why.

One joked: ‘I would’ve faked a hospital stay to avoid that s**t stain on my career too.’

Another suggested that the decision was most likely made because ‘real actors know another real actor.’

‘Kim is a person who GETS ROLES given to her. Kim [has] never gone to an acting job and done an audition,’ one troll fired.

A third quipped: ‘[They] likely didn’t want to do an actor segment with a Kardashian.

‘Wow, must have been a real emergency for Kim’s original partner to bail last minute,’ a fourth sarcastically remarked.

Others wrote the ‘issue was including Kim at all’ due to her lack of experience in the industry compared to others featured like Sevigny, who has been acting for nearly three decades and been nominated for an Oscar.

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While it is currently unclear which A-List star pulled out, there are many names floating about that it could have been, like some of the other stars featured in The Hollywood Reporter’s Actresses round table like Jennifer Aniston

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Other major household names that ended up participating in Variety’s rival publication include Nicole Kidman , Jodie Foster , Sofia Vergara , Brie Larson and more

Other pairings for the series included, Jodie Foster and Robert Downey Jr., Jennifer Aniston and Quinta Brunson, Naomi Watts and Jonathan Bailey, and Elizabeth Debicki and Emma Corrin.

Setoodeh addressed the criticism while chatting with Meghan McCain on Friday’s episode of her podcast, Citizen McCain.

The mogul insisted that Chloe was just grateful to be there with Kim because she was not originally supposed to be a part of the shoot.

He said the Zodiac star ‘graciously stepped in’ after an unnamed actor ‘called in sick’ just two days before the shoot was supposed to take place.

‘I’m gonna give you a little bit of information. I’m going to break some news: Chloe Sevigny wasn’t supposed to pair with Kim Kardashian,’ Ramin.

‘Kim Kardashian had someone else that she was supposed to pair with and that actor called in sick on a Friday night, and Kim was supposed to do this on a Sunday.’

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Within hours of Variety’s editor-in-chief, Ramin Setoodeh, revealing that the actor that was originally paired with Kardashian called in ‘sick’ at the last minute, X users began to speculate who bailed on the reality star and why

‘Kim is a person who GETS ROLES given to her. Kim [has] never gone to an acting job and done an audition,’ one troll fired

He said they turned to Chloe because she had been in the ‘Ryan Murphy universe’ like Kim, who starred in the most recent season of his show, American Horror Story; Chloe acted in Ryan’s series Feud: Capote vs. the Swans earlier this year.

‘Chloe was incredibly gracious, she stepped in at the last minute and came into this conversation with Kim,’ he continued. ‘But that wasn’t her original acting partner.’

As for who was supposed to partake in the shoot with Kim, he refused to reveal any names because he ‘didn’t want to draw undue attention to the person.’

‘But people can guess,’ he added. ‘And maybe on social media, if someone guesses correctly, I’ll do a little heart on their [post].’

After the outlet unveiled the cover, some people wondered if Chloe was throwing some subtle shade towards Kim when she re-posted the announcement to her Instagram Stories and captioned it, ‘Always nice to be included. Thank you @Variety.’

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After the magazine hit stands, social media was in an uproar , with some people branding the cover as ‘an insult to trained, hardworking actors’ like Chloe and a ‘disrespect for the craft” (Kardashian pictured in April 2024)

Tensions rise in ‘American Horror Story: Delicate Part 2’ promo

Regarding the rumors, Ramin insisted that there was no tension between the two women on set.

‘What was so funny about all the press, everyone was talking about how Chloe was trying to shade Kim, [but] she wasn’t,’ he said.

‘She was saying she was so happy to be included.

‘Chloe was really excited to talk to Kim. I was in the greenroom with her right before she went on and they really liked each other.’

After the magazine hit stands, social media was in an uproar, with some people branding the cover as ‘an insult to trained, hardworking actors’ like Chloe and a ‘disrespect for the craft.’

Ramin theorized that the backlash stemmed from people ‘not liking’ that Kim has joined the world of acting.

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Kim’s acting credits include PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, PAW Patrol: The Movie, Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor, Drop Dead Diva, CSI: NY, Deep in the Valley, Beyond the Break, and Disaster Movie

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As for Chloe, she’s had a successful career spanning across decades

Chloe Sevigny enjoys sunny day out with family on Memorial Day

‘I think people have strong feelings about Kim Kardashian and they don’t like that she’s acting even though she was a star of her own show on FX, American Horror Story,’ he concluded.

Before American Horror Story, Kim had been acting for more than a decade – however, most of her previous roles were so quick that you might miss them if you blink.

Her prior acting credits include PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, PAW Patrol: The Movie, Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor, Drop Dead Diva, CSI: NY, Deep in the Valley, Beyond the Break, and Disaster Movie.

She is currently gearing up to play LA’s ‘most successful divorce lawyer’ leading ‘an all-female law firm’ in a new Hulu scripted legal drama penned by Brothers & Sisters creator Jon Robin Baitz.

As for Chloe, she’s had a successful career spanning across decades.