EXODUS and SLAYER guitarist Gary Holt isn’t afraid to stir controversy—or hustle to make ends meet. In a candid conversation on a recent episode of Talk Is Jericho, Holt opened up about his unconventional side business: selling his infamous “Kill The Kardashians” T-shirts.
Holt revealed that the shirt—while clearly provocative—has played a surprisingly practical role in his life, especially during financially tough times.
“There are times like during the pandemic, s/*t got tough,” Holt said. “I mean I sell ‘Kill the Kardashians’ shirts. When I sell them, I mean I sell them.”
Far from being a distant merch operation, Holt emphasized that he’s personally responsible for the logistics. “When you bought that shirt, if I’m not on tour, I’m the guy who put it in that f**king envelope and took it to the post office,” he explained.
Holt’s DIY ethic extends beyond just packing orders. “I do it. I don’t hire someone else to do it. It’s me,” he continued. “It was out my garage and then we had an extra closet in the spare room. But yeah, I’m the guy shipping that s**t out.”
Despite the shirt’s controversial message—which some interpret as a critique of celebrity culture more than a literal statement—Holt made it clear that, above all, it’s about survival. “It’s like tasteless merchandise brought to you by Gary Holt. Because it helps me keep my bills paid.”
Back in 2017, Holt also explained the origin of the shirt in an interview with RockSverige.
“It was made by a friend of mine, Jack,” Holt said at the time. “[It was] put together just because he knows my deep, bitter, black hatred of them. It’s like… I don’t begrudge them for their money, I just f**king hate people that are becoming superstars for doing nothing. Kim Kardashian was a closet organizer and then she did a sex tape and became famous for it and now they stick their name on products and I hate their guts.”
“So my friend Jack actually made the shirt for me first and then we decided to start our own little merch company No Love Apparel and sold them and it became like a huge viral thing.”
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