Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s marriage and divorce drew considerable attention, and there continues to be fascination with the couple even years after their split. Much of the current chatter refers to the supposed circumstances behind why they actually broke up and where they stand today. Kardashian (44) herself is now opening up about her relationship with West (48) and some of the dynamics involved. She specifically opened up about dating him in the early aughts and explained what caused their union to deteriorate.
The SKIMS founder appeared on an episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast (which was shared on YouTube), where she discussed her career as well as her personal life. Host Alex Cooper eventually asked Kardashian about her relationship with Ye, who she was collectively involved with for “almost 15 years.” In terms of the early days of the romance, Kardashian explained exactly what drew her to the “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” performer in the first place:
I mean, he was larger than life and so smart and just always talked about new ideas and things that I wasn’t really familiar with, and I was always learning with him. And it was always just such a fun time.
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian – who were friends for a while before becoming a couple – became engaged in October 2013 and got married in May 2014 in Italy. During their marriage, the pair also welcomed four children – North (12), Saint (9), Chicago (7) and Psalm (6). When in public, both Kardashian and West seemed to keep a united front for a while but, as has since been revealed, they had their share of issues behind closed doors.
During the former A-list couple’s marriage, it was reported that Ye was dealing with mental health struggles, which occasionally manifested through blunt social media posts he would drop. Following one particular viral tirade, Kardashian shared a message about her husband having bipolar disorder, asking for empathy in regard to not only her husband but others who deal with the condition. On Call Her Daddy, Kardashian weighed in on how her her ex’s health struggles and his behavior factored into their breakup:
People can say that there [were] signs and maybe I wasn't paying attention to them. And I think when someone has their first, like, mental break, you wanna be super supportive and you wanna help figure that out and you wanna really get into that with them and be there for them. But I think that it just – when someone isn’t willing to make changes that I think would be super healthy and beneficial, it makes it really hard to continue on in a relationship that could be toxic. When you have kids, it's definitely harder to leave than it is to stay, and it changes everyone's life and forever.
With children in the mix, Kim Kardashian talked about the need for a person to “take [their] time and wait and see” if their partner makes changes. In her specific situation, though, the billionaire businesswoman felt she needed to take action once her own well-being was being impacted. She also explained how her and Ye’s kids factored into it all:
Once my mental health starts to get affected and then I can't parent the way that I need to and I can't be present and focused, then there's gotta be one of us that can. And I had to save myself in order to be a better mom for everyone, and I think when everyone's older, they'll be able to understand it and see that all.
In late 2020, divorce rumors swirled around the Keeping Up with the Kardashians alum and her former husband and, in February 2012, Kim formally filed for divorce. What followed was a prolonged legal battle that reportedly saw Ye denying the divorce paperwork. The divorce was ultimately settled in November 2022 and, since then, West has made headlines for different controversies. With that, it’s been alleged that Kardashian finds it “ridiculous” that she has to consistently be on alert in case her ex does something.
Ye has since moved on, as it was reported in early 2023 that he married Yeezy architectural designer Bianca Censori. Kim Kardashian, as far as the public knows, remains single, as of this writing. While she’s been linked to other major stars – like Pete Davidson and Tom Brady – since the divorce, she’s indicated that she’s in no rush to jump into another serious relationship. As for how she now views her marriage to Ye, Kardashian says, “an over-a-decade relationship with four beautiful children is not a failure.”
See how the mother of four continues to navigate life by streaming The Kardashians with a Hulu subscription. The show returns for its seventh season on Thursday, October 23, with episodes airing weekly thereafter amid the 2025 TV schedule.
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