What comes to mind when you think of the Kardashians? Perhaps the hit reality show(s), or the army of brunette sisters who have shaped modern beauty standards for almost two decades. Maybe even their momager, Kris Jenner, or just wads and wads of cash.

Someone who rarely fits into that image, at least not anymore, is their only brother, Rob Kardashian. Rob is Kris Jenner and the late Robert Kardashian’s fourth child. The couple went on to divorce in 1991 and Kris remarried Caitlyn Jenner (formerly Bruce) with whom she had two more daughters, Kendall and Kylie Jenner. Rob, in other words, remains outnumbered.

The Kardashian-Jenner clan have built a predominantly female empire since they first hit our screens on Keeping Up With The Kardashians in 2007. The family’s collective net worth is thought to be just shy of $3 billion (£224 billion) and has come to include shapewear, make up, perfumes, wellness products, tequila, skincare, jeans, multivitamins, socks, swimwear and, of course, a private equity firm. There’s even a joke in KUWTK that if one of them died, Kris would launch a line of branded coffins. Anything and everything is a business opportunity for this family – and the proof is in their bank accounts.

They also have unadulterated global influence. At the time of writing, the youngest sister Kylie has an Instagram following of 396.7 million, family figurehead Kim is not far behind her with 364.2 million and trailing in ninth place with 3.2 million is Rob.

Rob has not reaped the rewards the same way his sisters have, in fact he has spent a large part of his adult life living in their shadows. In recent years, he has peeled away from public life altogether and when KUTWK left E in 2021, relaunching as The Kardashians on Hulu and Disney+ in 2022, he stepped back from the spotlight. Since then, Rob has only featured on the show occasionally via phone call.

This is why Kim’s Easter photo dump on Instagram, featuring a family picture of Kim, her daughter Chicago and son Psalm, Khloe and her two children, True and Tatum, Kris and Rob with his daughter Dream caught people’s attention. ‘I couldn’t get all the sisters, kids, aunts, cousins and laughs in the pics but the memories are so real,’ Kim wrote on Instagram. ‘Happy Easter everyone.’

Prior to the Easter photo, Rob had not been photographed publicly in close to three years. He has openly struggled with his weight and mental health over the years – something Rob has spoken about himself on social media and has also played out on the show in the past. In 2015, Rob shared a throwback photo of himself and wrote, ‘Started right here with these milkshakes #throwbackthursday.’ He reportedly gained 100 pounds (45kg) that year, which led to him skipping multiple family events, including a holiday. At the time he wrote on X, ‘No one will ever understand how much it hurts.’

That same year on KUWTK, Kris revealed that she cried herself to sleep ‘worrying about Rob’ and said, ‘it’s breaking my heart’. She offered to help him go to rehab, but he said, ‘I don’t believe in rehab or therapy or anything of that sort, and I’m a grown man and will work on myself when I choose.’ At the end of 2015, Rob was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which further complicated his health.

In 2016, however, things were on the up for Rob when he started dating Blac Chyna, with whom he shares Dream. ‘She got me through my darkest times,’ he told People at the time. ‘I wasn’t happy in my skin. I missed out on so many things.’ Unfortunately, their romance was short lived and their acrimonious break up played out largely in the public eye, causing Rob to spiral back into old habits and take a hiatus from filming the show.

Now, he prefers to live quietly – something that can’t be easy as a member of one of the world’s most famous families. He might not feature on the show or their social media profiles very often, but last week Khloe confirmed that Rob is still very much part of the fold. ‘I call him “The Wizard” from The Wizard of Oz,’ she said on her ‘Khloe in Wonder Land’ podcast, ‘cause he likes to be behind the curtain.’

She went on to say that all the siblings ‘live in the same gated area, so he lives right next door to me’. Khloe has always had a strong bond with her brother, who she has lived with on multiple occasions, and is considered a ‘third parent’ to Rob’s daughter. ‘I love all my siblings, but I think with Rob, I identify with him so much,’ she explained to Bustle last December. ‘I feel so deeply what he feels – the struggles that he has, or just wanting to be out of the public eye, or just feeling like he doesn’t fit in or is being judged about his appearance.’ She added that she feels like they were raised in pairs, Kourtney and Kim being one, Kendall and Kylie being another, and her and Rob being a third. ‘I just feel like we are both each other’s protectors. I love him so much.’

To see Rob smiling in the latest family photo dump, then, is a positive sign and one that has been warmly welcomed by those who have followed the family closely since the show first started. ‘BOBBY we miss you!!!’ wrote one fan in the comments section. ‘Roberrtttt’ wrote another with three heart emojis. ‘Thanks for including Rob,’ a third person commented, along with a series of heart and clapping emojis. It might not necessarily mean we can expect to see Rob regularly, or that he is rejoining the show, but it is a sign he is doing well.