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Kris Jenner’s mother Mary Jo ‘MJ’ Shannon dies at 91

Kris Jenner’s mom, Mary Jo (MJ) Shannon, is shown on an episode of ‘Celebrity Family Feud.’ (Byron Cohen/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)

Kris Jenner is mourning the death of her beloved mother, Mary Jo “MJ” Shannon. She was 91 years old.

The TV personality and entrepreneur posted on Instagram Thursday that she and her family “said goodbye to my beautiful Mommy MJ.”

“There are no words that could ever capture what she has meant to me or the heartbreak of having to say goodbye,” Jenner wrote. “My mom was the heart of our family. She taught me everything that truly matters… to love your family fiercely, to be kind, to show up for the people you love, and to never take a single moment together for granted.”

She continued, “She taught us that family is everything. She showed us how to love unconditionally and how to find joy in the little moments. She showed me how to face life’s challenges with resilience and faith.”

The media personality, who is a mom of six — Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Rob Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner — said that her mother’s legacy will continue to live on in their family and traditions.

Over the years, MJ appeared with Jenner and the rest of the Kardashian-Jenner clan on the reality shows Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Kardashians.

She also appeared with the family on an episode of ABC’s Celebrity Family Feud.

Born on July 26, 1934, MJ was a model and also an entrepreneur.

Before the Kardashians opened their famous Calabasas clothing boutique, Dash, and launched their own clothing lines, MJ owned a clothing store called Shannon & Company in 1980, according to People.

Jenner previously talked about what it was like growing up in the store and working there with her mom when she was younger.

MJ was married three times. Her first marriage lasted only four months, according to People.

In 2017, Kim Kardashian shared a conversation with her grandmother talking about how they had similar marriage experiences.

“We have a lot in common,” Kim Kardashian said in the video, which has since been taken down. “We both got married for two months once.”

MJ replied, “History repeats itself.”

MJ is also a two-time cancer survivor, battling both breast and colon cancer.

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Democrats launch prebuttal to Trump’s primetime address: ‘He’s scared to death’ of the midterms

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to members of the media outside the U.S. Capitol on June 18, 2026, in Washington, DC. Sen. Schumer blasted President Trump's new agreement with Iran, calling it an "epic failure" that keeps Americans in the dark due to a lack of transparency while leaving the U.S. in a worse strategic and security position. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Democrats on Thursday offered their prebuttal to President Donald Trump's prime time address that they expect to focus on the 2020 election. Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, whose home state has been the target of many of the administration's election challenges, told reporters Thursday, "If the president declares Georgia's elections illegitimate, or if the president declares Georgia's sitting United States senators illegitimate, he is declaring Georgia voters illegitimate. It's Donald Trump who tried to defraud Georgia voters in that election."Ossoff is up for re-election in November and his seat is being targeted by Republicans as a possible pickup opportunity. He predicted that Trump would use his speech to rehash challenges to the 2020 election that failed in court."Here's what's going to happen tonight: the world's most famous sore loser will deliver a prime-time presidential sour grapes address to pursue his six-year-old grievances about the 2020 election, while his war in the Middle East spirals out of control and the cost of living continues to rise for Americans across the country," Ossoff said.In a White House briefing Thursday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt was tight-lipped about what the president would say besides that he will discuss "protecting the integrity of our elections." When pressed by a reporter about concerns from some Republicans that the president was litigating past elections that could turn off some swing voters, Leavitt said that Trump would focus on secure elections as key to American democracy. "I've seen a lot of reporting and, frankly, misreporting about what the president will say. I think the American people will be relieved to hear what they are hearing from the president of the United States and his commitment to transparency and the focus on the integrity of our elections tonight," she said.When later pressed by ABC News' Rachel Scott about the political concerns of some Republicans, Leavitt said only that people should wait until they've heard the speech.Outgoing Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn and Rep. Thomas Massie said Trump looking back on the 2020 elections is not a productive message for the party as it heads into the upcoming midterm cycle.Asked if he thought Trump focusing on the 2020 election going into the midterms was a good messages for Republicans, Tillis said, "No, not at all. Look, we can't re-prosecute that campaign. Anytime you're looking back, you're not looking ahead and I'm looking ahead to these elections, and the president should as well."Massie said that the White House was "trying to convince the American people the problem is the elections" rather than other issues they are concerned about."The problem is not that we didn't win the elections. The problem is that we broke our promises when we got here ... So, it's a ruse because they're trying to convince the American people the problem is the elections. The problem is the people that they've elected."Cornyn said that he wasn't pleased with Jay Clayton's answers on the 2020 election during his Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing to be Trump's director of national intelligence on Tuesday when he refused to answer who won."I thought a lot of it was pretty silly," Cornyn said of Clayton's performance. "I don't know why we're still talking about the 2020 election on either side of the aisle. We got important work to do and I think the most important is coming up here in the midterms. "In the meantime, to continue to do the people's work, and when we're talking about what happened six years ago, I don't think we're doing them any favors."Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said Trump's speech could influence how he votes on Clayton. "If Donald Trump does what I expect and makes outrageous claims and uses those claims as an attempt to interfere in the elections, boy oh boy, more than ever do you need somebody in that role that'll take truth to power," he said.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer  told reporters that Trump is "scared to death that he will lose in 2026" and is trying to change the subject. "The bottom line is, if Trump wants to win the American people over, instead of the bulls--- that he's peddling about 2020, he ought to focus on lowering people's costs, getting rid of the chaos in administration, getting rid of the corruption," Schumer said.ABC News' Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
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