Alice Johnson Reveals She Had No Idea Who Kim Kardashian Was Before Pardon Process

There is no denying that Kim Kardashian might be one of the most famous people in the world — but Alice Johnson just revealed that she had no idea who the reality star turned prison reform advocate was a few months ago. Alice, who was incarcerated for 20 years for a first-time drug offense, made the confession during her first face-to-face meeting with Kim ever.

"I didn't. I did not know her name. I didn't know Kim," she told Hoda Kotb on The Today Show. "As soon as I found out who she was, I started getting every magazine I could find. I started reading everything that I could about her. And everyone was amazed. And I was amazed, too." So, how did Kim know Alice? It all started last November when the KUWTK star learned about the great-grandmother who was serving a life sentence for a first-time nonviolent drug offense. Angered by her story, Kim connected Alice with her legal team — and eventually traveled to Washington D.C. to convince President Donald Trump to pardon the 62-year-old prisoner.

The POTUS did, and Alice was freed after two decades behind bars. And it was Kim who shared "the best news ever" to Alice over the phone. "Well, at first, I thought she knew. Because the news was starting to break and we had to get her on the phone," Kim explained. "So she was kind of quiet on the phone. And I know her personality enough to know that, she would have been screaming or something… and I said, 'wait, you don't know?' And she was like, 'know what?' And I was like 'you're going home.' And screams, and cries and we all just cried on the phone."

Now, in their first interview together, Kim could not stop gushing about Alice. "I love this woman," she added. "I already knew from talking to you on the phone and seeing you in videos but you are everything and more that I ever thought." In a letter written a few months before she was released, Alice thanked Kim for saving her life. "Ms. Kardashian you are literally helping to save my life and restore me to my family," she wrote. "I was drowning and you have thrown me a life jacket and given me hope that this life jacket I’m serving may one day be taken off."