A new three-part docuseries, Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar, is bringing one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures back into the spotlight. Produced by reality TV star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian in partnership with Passion Pictures, the series premieres Oct. 6 on Fox Nation.
FOX NATION TO DEBUT ELIZABETH TAYLOR DOCUSERIES PRODUCED BY KIM KARDASHIAN
“She knew just the power that she had, she knew her worth,” executive producer Kardashian said.
“She literally is the modern-day everything. She’s the blueprint,” she added.
The project examines how Elizabeth Taylor transformed from a child actress into a powerhouse performer, global businesswoman, and humanitarian whose influence on celebrity culture echoes today.
From child star to Hollywood royalty
The series opens with Taylor’s beginnings in the studio system and how she won over audiences in National Velvet. Even as a teenager, she had an unmistakable command of the screen — and a clear sense of her own worth. Those qualities helped her navigate a male-dominated Hollywood and paved the way for a career that defied expectations.
“I desperately wanted the part, and the producer saw me, and he said, ‘Well, I’m very sorry, Elizabeth, but you’re just too small.’ I mean, I was swinging from doors to make myself grow. I did 40 jumps every morning. I ate steak, breakfast, lunch, dinner. I grew through interest in three months. The producer said, ‘With that kind of tenacity, honey, you got the part,’” Taylor said in a prerecorded interview that served as the majority of the narration.
“She loved being in movies, but childhood was stolen,” said actor and friend George Hamilton.
Love, loss, and controversy
Taylor’s third husband, producer Mike Todd, died in a 1958 plane crash.
Taylor said, “My husband, Mike Todd, he taught me what love really meant. I felt so protected.
“That morning when I got the news, I just started screaming.”
Because of her contract with movie studio MGM, she had to return to work shortly after his death.
“When she’s playing Maggie in the movie Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, that’s the point when she loses everything. She’s left at 26 to take care of three kids, and she has to finish shooting. She’s still not out of contract with the studio,” said Kate Andersen Brower, Taylor’s biographer.
Scandal followed the tragedy after she began a relationship with Eddie Fisher, Todd’s close friend and Debbie Reynolds’s husband. The backlash was fierce, but Taylor stood firm — and the docuseries suggests this was a turning point in her life, in which she stopped trying to win approval and began living entirely on her own terms.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I wouldn’t change my life. The only regrets I have are if I’ve hurt anyone,” Taylor said.
Cleopatra and the birth of a global star
Taylor made history when she negotiated a $1 million contract for Cleopatra, the first deal of its kind in Hollywood. The film’s behind-the-scenes chaos and her legendary affair with Richard Burton turned her into the most talked-about woman in the world.
“Elizabeth really wanted to be Cleopatra, but she also thought the script wasn’t great. She was willing to walk away from it if she didn’t get what she wanted. And what she wanted was an astounding amount of money,” Brower said.
Through interviews and archival footage, Rebel Superstar shows how Taylor mastered the art of turning public scandal into staying power and, in the process, helped invent the modern celebrity playbook.
The scent of success
In Episode Two, it all begins with a scent — not Chanel No. 5, but Taylor’s own signature fragrance, White Diamonds.
“Elizabeth believed that you should have one signature perfume, and it should be very overpowering, but that’s her life,” Brower said.
Viewers get a glimpse into one of Taylor’s lesser-known triumphs: her move into business with the launch of White Diamonds, the perfume that redefined celebrity branding. Decades before it was common, Taylor turned her personal image into a global empire — proof that her instincts extended far beyond the screen.
Remembered by those who knew her best
Rather than relying on narration, the docuseries lets friends, former assistants, and Taylor’s children tell her story in their own words.
“As her son, I’m immensely proud of her. She was a formidable woman,” said Chris Wilding, Taylor’s son.
Through their recollections, a more personal portrait emerges of a woman who was generous, witty, and fiercely loyal to those around her.
“She showed us that love was a priority, no matter how difficult that made her life,” actress and friend Joan Collins said.
Kardashian, who conducted Taylor’s final interview for Harper’s Bazaar in 2011, appears in the series to reflect on her admiration for the star.
“Elizabeth Taylor wasn’t afraid to live her life loudly,” she said in one segment. “She owned who she was — and that’s something I’ve always admired.”
A legacy beyond the screen
The final episode examines Taylor’s transformation from movie star to activist. Her early and outspoken work on behalf of HIV/AIDS awareness made her a humanitarian pioneer who used her fame to fight stigma and fund life-saving research.
“But what she did that nobody knew in every single city, every time, we stop at AIDS hospices,” said Jorjett Strumme, Taylor’s assistant and friend.
The documentary revisits Taylor’s groundbreaking AIDS activism, with former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci recalling how he had testified before Congress countless times but that Taylor really inspired lawmakers to act.
“I testified before the Congress literally hundreds of times, but I never had the Congress drooling over me. She’s good at it. Just good at it,” Fauci said.
Her presence and passion, he said, moved lawmakers to act.
“Reagan was holding them back for years. He hadn’t even said the word ‘AIDS’ in public, and had certainly not done anything to try and address the situation,” Fauci said.
Taylor also personally pressed President Ronald Reagan to address the AIDS crisis publicly, helping to break the political silence surrounding the epidemic.
With appearances from Joan Collins, Sharon Stone, and Paris Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar blends archival footage and firsthand accounts to capture the full scope of her life, from glamour and heartbreak to resilience and legacy.
“She’s paved the way for so many women to live unapologetically,” Kardashian said.
Decades after her Hollywood reign, Taylor’s influence continues to echo in pop culture — even inspiring a new generation of artists. Taylor Swift‘s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, features a song titled “Elizabeth Taylor,” a nod to the screen legend’s enduring mystique and unapologetic spirit.
“I’ve always taken life to its fullest degree. Love is the foundation of everything,” Taylor said.
Through its candid storytelling, the series reminds viewers that Taylor wasn’t just a Hollywood legend — she was the blueprint for the modern celebrity.
Elizabeth Taylor: Rebel Superstar premieres Oct. 6, exclusively on Fox Nation.
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