Kourtney Kardashian says that 'KUWTK' became a 'toxic environment' before she left the show

• Kourtney Kardashian spoke about her decision to leave E!'s "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" in Vogue Arabia's July/August cover story on Tuesday.
• "I have been filming the show non-stop for 14 years… I was feeling unfulfilled and it became a toxic environment for me to continue to have it occupy as much of my life as it was," she said.
• The Poosh founder explained that after dialing back from the show she plans to put energy into "that which makes me happy."

Kourtney Kardashian discussed her reasons for leaving E!'s "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" in Vogue Arabia's July/August cover story on Tuesday.

"I have been filming the show non-stop for 14 years… I was feeling unfulfilled and it became a toxic environment for me to continue to have it occupy as much of my life as it was," she said.

The 41-year-old reality star added that the show, which is now on its 18th season, has made it exceedingly difficult to maintain a private life, a factor that made Kourtney skeptical to join the show in the first place.

Though she plans to step away from the "KUWTK" cameras to focus on her lifestyle website Poosh and her three children — Mason, 10, Penelope, 7, and Reign, 5 — Kourtney clarified that she still wants to work and build a career.

"People have this misconception that I don't want to work, which isn't true," she said. "I am following my happiness and putting my energy into that which makes me happy."

The eldest Kardashian sister has previously been transparent about her desire to distance herself from the show.

In a March 2020 interview with Health, Kourtney said she's spent less time working on "KUWTK."

"I've been taking less time with filming and, in general, with work. My sisters don't like when I say 'setting boundaries,' but it's more about a schedule. I try to make myself available to my kids to really be a mom. And I want to be in charge of my time and schedule in order to do the things that are bringing me happiness," she said.

On the season 18 "KUWTK" premiere, it became clear that Kourtney's sister Kim Kardashian West wasn't thrilled with the amount of time or attention she was dedicating to the show.

After the SKIMS founder criticized Kourtney's work ethic, they got into a physical fight that led production to take a week-long break.

Kim opened up about the confrontation on an episode of "The Tonight Show" on March 31.

"I feel like it's been a lot of built-up resentment from Kourtney, or just feeling like she doesn't want to film anymore. And so she's not the type of person to make a decision and say, 'Okay guys, I'm not going to film.' But she would come to work with an attitude every day and kind of take it out on everyone from the crew to us and wouldn't really make that decision," Kim said, adding that she and Kourtney had since reconciled.

After the fight aired on television, Kourtney responded to a fan on Twitter confirming that she'd quit the show.

Since announcing her decision to leave "KUWTK," Kourtney told Vogue Arabia that she's made an effort to be present around her children and focus on off-screen relationships.

"I always try my absolute best when I'm with my kids not to be on my phone, to be present in what we're doing, and have those moments where you're looking in each other's eyes and connecting," she said. "It's so important."