From TMZ to Divorce: The Decline of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s Marriage

KimYe was once so many people’s relationship goals—and now they are headed for divorce. When Kim Kardashian and Kanye West started dating in 2011, they seemed like a match made in heaven. The rapper repeatedly said how the KKW Beauty founder was his dream girl and knew he wanted to be with her from the moment they met. It took years, and a decade-long friendship, before the two became an item and fans were able to watch their love story blossom and unfold on Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

The couple went public with their relationship in April 2012, while Kim was still legally married to Kris Humphries. After an extravagant proposal, a gorgeous wedding in Florence, Italy, in 2014, and four beautiful kids under their belt, KimYe seemed unbreakable. But cracks in their marriage started to show in 2016 after West expressed his support for Donald Trump, and later, his controversial rant on TMZ where he said slavery seemed like a “choice” caused a rift in their marriage. Since then, reports of divorce have surfaced, and their separation was confirmed in 2020 after the couple were reportedly living separate lives amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to a report from Page Six published in January, the pair were heading for an “imminent” divorce. Other reports also said the pair were in marriage counseling after having a rocky year, and then she filed for divorce from the rapper in February. But after being one of the most famous and influential couples in the world, how did their relationship crumble? Let’s revisit all that has happened since that ill-fated TMZ interview that has potentially led to KimYe calling it quits.

Kanye expresses his support for Donald Trump as president

Image via Oliver Contreras - Pool/Getty Images

Date: Nov. 18, 2016

What Happened: Having opposing political beliefs can wear any relationship down. Kanye may not have voted for President Trump in the November 2016 election, but he told fans during a concert for his Saint Pablo tour that month that if he had cast a ballot, it would have been for the Republican candidate. Due to Trump’s divisive and often racist discourse during his campaign, fans weren’t pleased, and neither was Kim, who openly supported the 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

The Grammy winner doubled down on his support for Trump

Image via SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Date: April 25, 2018

What Happened: There was no turning back after Kanye tweeted a photo of himself wearing an autographed “Make America Great Again” hat in support of the president. His fans and the public reacted to the image, and people began making memes about him being in the “sunken place” and saying he was “canceled” for siding with Trump—some even blamed Kim and her famous family.

The infamous TMZ rant

Video via TMZ

Date: May 1, 2018

What Happened: Kanye arrived at the TMZ newsroom for an appearance on the show TMZ Live along with Candace Owens. During the conversation, Kanye said: "When you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years?! That sounds like a choice." The rapper’s rant sent social media into a frenzy, and people doubled down on their criticism of the “Blood on the Leaves” MC. Kanye later addressed his wife’s reaction to the rant on his 2018 song “Wouldn’t Leave.” 

He rapped: “They said, ‘Build your own,’ I said, ‘How, Sway?’ I said, ‘Slavery a choice,’ they said, ‘How, Ye?’ Just imagine if they caught me on a wild day. Now I'm on 50 blogs gettin' 50 calls. My wife callin', screamin', say, ‘We 'bout to lose it all.’ Had to calm her down 'cause she couldn't breathe. Told her she could leave me now. But she wouldn't leave.”

Kim attempted to defend Kanye’s political views

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Date: Nov. 14, 2018

What Happened: Kanye’s political stances became a topic of conversation during Kim's interviews and appearances. After Kanye’s controversial visit to the White House in November 2018—while wearing a MAGA hat—Kim attempted to get people to understand his point of view. While speaking at the Criminal Justice Reform Summit, Kim said she knew the musician’s heart and that he didn’t truly support Trump’s policies, saying that her husband “just happens to like Donald Trump’s personality.” Kim said Kanye is “very not political” and that she had tried to step in. 

“I’ve educated him. I think he gets really misconstrued. He will always say that he was friendly with [Trump] before and is friendly with him now. I think what my husband fights for—and again, he’s not the best communicator at explaining it—but what he fights for is the right to like what he wants to like, even if it’s different from what you like,” she said. “So he’s never said that he supports that. I know it’s very confusing because, when you see someone wearing a red [MAGA] hat, you would think that they’re supporting that. But he’s just fighting for free thought. And for the freedom to like a person, even if it’s not the popular decision.”

Kanye publicly shared personal details about Kim and their relationship during a rally

Video via The Guardian

Date: July 18, 2020

What Happened: Kanye announced he was running for president on Independence Day. “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision, and building our future. I am running for president of the United States Flag of United States! #2020VISION,” he tweeted at the time. When the Grammy winner held a campaign rally in North Charleston later that month, he spoke on his pro-life stance and claimed that he and his wife had once considered an abortion when she got pregnant with their firstborn, North West. "My mom saved my life," he said and began to cry. "My dad wanted to abort me... there would have been no Kanye West because my dad was too busy." And added: "I almost killed my daughter." The Skims founder made a public statement on her husband’s mental health at the time, asking fans and the public for “compassion and empathy.” Following the rally, Kim flew to meet with her husband in Wyoming. The pair were spotted having a tense conversation in their car after stopping at a Wendy's, and in the photos obtained by TMZ, the reality star was visibly upset and crying.

There were divorce rumors following the rally, but a source told People that Kim wanted to “save her marriage” and was “not happy about” his presidential run. By late August, the tabloid reported that the rapper was spending more time with his wife and children. A source later told Page Six that they might still be heading for a divorce after Kanye shared his views on abortion again in an interview with Nick Cannon.

Kanye said he had been trying to divorce Kim for years

Date: July 21, 2020

What Happened: Kanye tweeted personal details about his relationship with his wife and her family. The "Wash Us in the Blood" rapper revealed that he has been looking to end his marriage since November 2018, when his wife met with rapper Meek Mill during a Criminal Justice Reform Summit. "I've been trying to get divorced since Kim met with Meek at the Warldolf (sic) for 'prison reform,'" he wrote in a now-deleted tweet. "Meek is my man and was respectful. That's my dog Kim was out of line. I'm worth 5 billion dollars and more than that through Christ, But y’all ain't listen to MJ, and now y’all believe them???" He also called out his mother-in-law, Kris Jenner—nicknaming her "Kris Jong-Un"—in his rant, tweeting: "Kriss and Kim put out a statement without my approval ... that's not what a wife should do."

The couple has been living “separate” lives

Date: Dec. 11, 2020

What Happened: In October 2020, Kanye reportedly joined Kim’s extravagant birthday party for just one day, gifting her a hologram of her late father, Rob Kardashian. One month later, Kim shared a photo of herself and her husband to celebrate the 10th anniversary of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. In December, however, it was reported by multiple outlets that the pair were still together but “doing their own thing” and that “they spend a lot of time apart.” A source told People that the couple "very much live separate lives."

Since purchasing a massive ranch in Wyoming in 2019, Kanye split his time between there and Los Angeles, where his family lives. "Kim has work and projects that are important to her, and Kanye has his," the source told the magazine at the time. "Their lives don't overlap much."

What Happened: The Kardashian family is known for their yearly over-the-top Christmas Eve party, but they canceled it due to the pandemic. Year after year, Kim and Kanye got dressed up and posed for gorgeous holiday photos with their kids, but fans were quick to notice that the “Follow God” rapper wasn’t in attendance. Kim and the family didn’t let the tradition die and hosted a private party for just them. Kim shared photos of herself and her four kids–North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm–and their dad was absent from the pics.

Reports surfaced that a divorce is “imminent”

Image via Marc Piasecki/GC Images

Date: Jan. 5, 2021

What Happened: Page Six was first to share the news of multiple sources confirming that the couple’s “divorce is imminent." “They are keeping it low-key but they are done,” a source said. “Kim has hired Laura Wasser and they are in settlement talks.” The outlet reported that Kim hadn’t been wearing her wedding ring, and it does appear to be missing in her recent Instagram photos. Kanye reportedly spent the holidays in Wyoming instead of spending it with the Kardashians.

 “Kim got Kanye to go up there [Wyoming] so they could live separate lives and quietly get things sorted out to separate and divorce. She’s done,” the source added. “Now this divorce is happening because Kim has grown up a lot. She is serious about taking the bar exam and becoming a lawyer, she is serious about her prison reform campaign. Meanwhile, Kanye is talking about running for president and saying other crazy shit, and she’s just had enough of it.” Another source claimed that the rapper also wants out because he found the reality show “unbearable” and “is completely over the entire family…He wants nothing to do with them.” 

E! News reported that Kim is still holding on for the sake of their four kids. "It's gotten to the point where they haven't spent time together as a married couple in months," a source said. "They've seen each other for the sake of the kids but have been living separately. Kim knows the marriage is over. She's known for a while." "She wants to make sure she's making the right decision for the kids,” the source added. "It's not about the marriage anymore, she'll always care for Kanye but it's over between them. Kim is only focused on what's best for the kids. It's a tough decision for her and she's figuring it out."

The pair was reportedly in marriage counseling

Image via Getty

Date: Jan. 2021

What Happened: Amid reports in early January that the couple was heading for a divorce, TMZ reported that while the couple had a rough 2020, they still hadn’t given up on their relationship and were in marriage counseling. The outlet said that multiple sources confirmed that the marriage had been rocky for the last half of the year and that Kim was ready to call it quits on the marriage but she felt it was "cruel" to do it when Kanye was going through a bipolar episode. The sources claimed the couple had been in counseling for their marriage for "a while."

KimYe has reportedly given up on marriage counseling.

Image via Getty

Date: Jan. 2021

What Happened: The report that the couple was in marriage counseling attempting to salvage their marriage provided some comfort for those who are invested in the pair's relationship. Less than a month later, People reported that they quit counseling and that their relationship might not be on the mend after all and that a split is "fast approaching." A source told the publication that Kim and Kanye have "completely" stopped going to marital therapy and that "he is talking to divorce lawyers this week." Earlier reports claimed the Skims founder was also preparing to file for divorce. "They are just not on the same page when it comes to their future as a family," another source said. "And Kim is okay with it." The insider added: "Kim knows what she wants to do with her life. She wants to keep living in L.A., create the best life for the kids and focus on her work passions."

The couple got married in 2014 in a lavish ceremony but it seems like Kanye's recent presidential run and his Twitter account are to blame for the turmoil in their marriage. "Kim has become more independent and has lost patience with his antics, rants, the presidential campaign, and tweets," a TV industry source told People. "The love story between Kim and Kanye has been over for a long time. They adored each other but have too many differences."

Kanye is reportedly “not doing well” amid the split.

Image via Getty

A source told People magazine that Kanye was not reacting well to the idea of losing his wife amid the alleged split and that he “knows what he is losing in Kim.” The reality of their separation has started to settle, and according to the insider, “Kanye is not doing well.” The source added, “He is anxious and very sad. He knows that the marriage is over, and there’s nothing that can be done right now.” 

Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from Kanye West

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Kim Kardashian officially filed for divorce from Kanye West on Feb. 19. After months of rumors and growing speculation of a split, TMZ and E! News reported that the reality TV star started divorce proceedings nearly seven years after tying the knot with the rapper. Sources say the split was “amicable,” and that the estranged couple are willing to share legal and joint custody of their four children. The couple is reportedly not contesting their prenuptial agreement, but the terms and details of the contract have not been revealed. The documents, filed by attorney Laura Wasser, list the date of separation as “to be determined.”

Kim is reportedly worried about Kanye’s well-being

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The beauty mogul is reportedly concerned about the rapper’s well-being and his mental health after she filed for divorce in February. A source told Entertainment Tonight in early March that Kardashian will “always love Kanye” and the pair are communicating because of their kids, but she’s still worried about his mental stability. “The divorce has been difficult for him, but knowing that he has access to his little ones and has split custody is making the transition easier,” the source said. “Kim and Kanye are in contact with regards to their kids. Kanye has hope that they will reconcile, but he is not expecting that in the immediate future.”

The rapper reportedly cut off communication from his ex

Image via Getty

There was a time when Kim and Kanye seemed inseparable, but according to reports, the pair are reportedly no longer on speaking terms. Their split was reportedly amicable but sources told Page Six in March that Kanye had cut off direct contact with his soon-to-be ex-wife even before she filed for divorce in February. The Yeezy designer reportedly made himself unreachable to her and asked Kardashian to communicate with him through his team only in regards to their four children. “Even before Kim filed for divorce, Kanye changed his numbers and said, ‘You can contact me through my security,’” the source said. 

They are co-parenting their four children

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The famous pair might not be on good terms anymore but insiders say that the two are still focused on co-parenting their four children, North, 7, Saint, 5, Chicago, 3, and Psalm, 1. According to Page Six, Kanye visits their kids regularly at their California home while Kim is away, which he requested, and is now an arrangement they have both agreed upon. “She trusts him around the kids. He loves them and is seeing a lot of them,” a source told the outlet. “She leaves the house and he arrives and hangs out with the kids. They have an army of nannies so the transition is easy.” A previous report from People detailed Kanye and Kim’s alleged co-parenting strategy, with a source telling the magazine the rapper will spend time with his kids with a nanny present but he requested Kim’s absence while he’s there. “Kim has made it clear that Kanye can talk to his children anytime he wants,” the source said. “She has never threatened to keep him from the kids. She only requires that he is not going to damage them. She knows he loves them, and they love him. Kanye can FaceTime the kids anytime he wants.”

Kris Jenner broke her silence on her daughter’s divorce

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Jenner opened up about her daughter’s and the rapper’s split for the first time on The Kyle & Jacki O Show podcast in March. “I think it’s always going to be hard any time … you know, there’s a lot of kids,” she said. “The good thing about our family is that we are there for each other and supportive and we love each other very, very much—so all I want is for those two kids to be happy. And I want the kids to be happy. That’s the goal.” When asked if fans will be able to watch the couple’s relationship troubles on the new and final season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Jenner said they “might,” but that the KKW founder is keeping some things to herself.  “I don’t know what they have decided on in the finale because we haven’t even seen the first show yet,” she said. “I’m sure they’re putting some final touches, but I think it’s just a private time for them.” 

She continued: “Kim wanted to deal with this with her own family in her own time, so I think that’s going to be for her to work through and process. When she feels like it, I’m sure she’ll say what she needs to say.”

Kim avoided speaking about Kanye on ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians’

The Kardashian clan was filming the final season of their hit reality series Keeping Up With the Kardashians while Kim and Kanye were struggling with issues in their marriage. The beauty mogul made it a point to not speak openly about her issues with her husband on camera, but her family alluded to their struggles and how tough the whole situation was for Kim. She said she has always been respectful to Kanye by not sharing details of their private life on the show but did say they were “going through some things,” and suggested that her husband’s tweets revealed what was really going on between them.

The second episode of the 20th and final season of the E! show features scenes filmed in July when Kanye launched his campaign for president. In the rant, he referred to his wife and mother-in-law, Kris Jenner as “white supremacists” on Twitter. In one of scenes, Khloé Kardashian’s best friend Malika Haqq brings up the topic of Kim possibly becoming the first lady, but Kim refuses to discuss the topic while filming the show. “It’s no secret that everybody sees things in the media about my life with Kanye, but I’ve always been really respectful about not talking about issues that Kanye and I have,” she said during a confessional. “You guys clearly see them on Twitter, but I’m still going to choose to not talk about them here.”

Kim’s family expressed their support for her decision

Image via Getty

While the start of their relationship was heavily documented on the reality show, Kim was not revealing much about the end of it in this episode. In one scene, Kim took a private phone call away from her family to speak to someone on her husband’s team about arranging a visit to Wyoming to see him and so they can address their issues in person. While the word “divorce” didn’t really come up during the episode, her family seemed to be concerned about how Kim is handling the stress of her relationship. Kourtney Kardashian said she didn’t think her sister could “possibly navigate this on her own,” while Kris suggested that her two other daughters, Kourtney and Khloé, had a girl’s night to lift Kim’s spirits. “Kim handles things really, really private and to herself. She’s someone who is calm and cool and we all respect that. But I know that because she’s not talking about it, even to us in private, that it’s really affecting her,” Khloé said. During another conversation with Kim about her marital troubles, Khloé said that the family is “here to love and support her” regardless of what she “chooses to do.” 

Kim won’t be removing “West” from her last name

Image via Getty

Date: Aug. 24

Court documents obtained by People revealed that the musician has applied to change his legal name from Kanye Omari West to his stage name and nickname “Ye,” citing that his decision to drop the name was for “personal reasons.”  The rapper had been toying with the idea of changing his name since the release of his album titled Ye. The documents were filed amid his ongoing divorce from Kim, but she has reportedly chosen not to remove his last name even after their divorce According to sources, Kim “will not eliminate West from her name or the names of her children.” According to TMZ, sources close to the KKW Beauty founder said she believes “it’s important for her to keep the same last name as her four children, and there are no plans to change North, Psalm, Chicago and Saint’s last names, either.”

Kim and Kanye are reportedly working on ‘rebuilding’ their relationship

Image via Getty

Date: Aug. 28

Following the Donda event in Chicago, a source close to both Kim and Kanye told TMZ that they were “working on rebuilding the foundation of their relationship.” The outlet reported that the option for divorce is still on the table, but that she could withdraw the divorce petition. On the other hand, sources told People that the couple aren’t “calling off” the divorce. but that they are reportedly on better terms. “They have come a long way since Kim filed for divorce,” a source told People. “It’s taken them months to get to this point. Kim is happy that they get along and that things are amicable.” Fans viewed the vow renewal reenactment at the event as a sign that they were back on, but it may have been more about her supporting Kanye’s art. “The kids will always be her number one priority. She wants to have a friendly relationship with Kanye, because it benefits the kids,” the source said. “Filing for divorce was always the most difficult decision for Kim. She only filed because they had issues that they couldn’t solve. She will always love Kanye though.” Adding: “Right now, she is not calling [the divorce] off though.” 

Another music insider told Page Six that while Kanye is reportedly telling people that he and Kim are back together, he’s doing it all for attention: “Kanye has been telling other rappers that he and Kim are back together, but everybody knows that isn’t true. The real story is that Kanye wants to beat Drake in record sales, and he is putting on a big show of performance art to grab all the media attention.”

Kim talks about the divorce on ‘SNL’

Video via YouTube

Date: Oct. 9

Kim and Kanye were seen spending time together in October, and he even accompanied her on her New York City trip when she was preparing to host Saturday Night Live for the first time. The rapper reportedly helped write some jokes for the KKW Beauty founder and she, of course, mentioned their relationship and divorce during her appearance. “I married the best rapper of all time. Not only that, he’s the richest Black man in America. A talented legit genius who gave me four incredible kids,” she said during her monologue at the start of the show. “So, when I divorced him, you have to know it just came down to one thing: his personality.”

Everyone was anticipating that Kanye would address his divorce during his Drink Champs interview, which aired on Nov. 4. During his long conversation with hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, he talked about his seven-year marriage to Kim and shared some insight as to how their divorce proceedings are coming along. He brought up her Saturday Night Live appearance from Oct. 10, in which she suggested their divorce was finalized, but he made it clear that they were still legally married and said that he has yet to see divorce papers—despite reports that she is dating Pete Davidson after connecting with him during her stint as host of the sketch comedy show. “SNL making my wife say ‘I divorced him’ on TV because they just wanted to get that bar off, and I never have seen the papers,” he said, adding that he was to get back with her. “We’re not even divorced … [It’s] no joke to me. My kids want their parents to stay together. I want their parents — I want us to be together.”

Kanye expresses his desire to “get back home” and reconcile with Kim

Image via Getty

Date: Nov. 24

West attended the Los Angeles Mission’s Annual Thanksgiving event at the Los Angeles Mission on Nov. 24 in California and spoke about his desire to be close to his family again and wanting to get back together with his wife. “The narrative that God wants is for you to see that everything can be redeemed. In all of these relationships, we’ve made mistakes. I’ve made mistakes. I publicly have done things that were not acceptable as a husband,” he said. “I am the priest of my home. I have to be next to my children as much as possible. So when I’m out the house, I got a house right next to the house. I’m doing everything to be right next to the situation.” The rapper said that their reconciling could serve as inspiration for families and couples going through the same thing.  “I need to be back at home. Why is that? If the enemy can separate KimYe, there’s going to be millions of families that feel like that separation is OK,” he added. “But when the Kingdom, when God, who has already won and is so, brings KimYe together, there’s going to be millions of families that are going to be influenced to see that they can overcome the work of the separation, of trauma the devil has used to capitalize to keep people in misery while people step over homeless people to go to the Gucci store.”

Kanye and Kim briefly reunited at the late Virgil Abloh’s final Louis Vuitton show spring/summer 2022 collection in Miami on Nov. 30, just days after the designer died from a rare cancer that affected his heart. KimYe sat in the front row of the show alongside their eldest daughter, North, and the family even posed for photos together. Kim shared a heartfelt tribute for Abloh, who was her husband’s longtime friend and collaborator, on Instagram, writing: “God doesn’t make mistakes. I know that but I still can’t help but ask why. Why Virgil?! Why him so soon? It’s simply hard to understand why. I have a hard time understanding why so many pure souls were taken away so early,” she captioned a post along with photos of them together. “Virgil- you were always so gentle, kind and calm. You somehow made time for everyone. We also talked about your superpower of calmness often. You always gave so much of yourself to the world because you wanted it to be doper. This one is hard to process. I can’t even believe I am writing this.”

Kim files to become legally single

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Date: Dec. 10

Kim filed to become “legally single” amid her divorce proceedings with Kanye on Dec. 10. According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, if the request is cleared by a judge, the order will effectively separate issues like child custody and property ownership from her marital status. She’s also asking for her maiden name to be restored, removing “West” from her name. The filing came a day after the rapper made a public plea for the KKW Beauty founder’s return at his Free Larry Hoover benefit concert featuring Drake. While performing his 2010 hit “Runaway,” the Grammy winner sang, “I need you to run right back to me,” adding: “More specifically, Kimberly.”

Kanye makes a public statement about daughter North’s TikTok

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Date: Feb. 4

Less than a month after the rapper shared a video on Instagram expressing his frustration over not being invited to daughter Chicago’s fourth birthday party, he made a public plea about his eldest daughter North being on TikTok. He shared a screengrab from one of her recent TikTok videos, and captioned the post: “Since this is my first divorce I need to know what I should do about my daughter being put on [TikTok] against my will?”

This comes after he said he was taking control of his own narrative amid the Chicago birthday situation. “I wasn’t allowed to know where her party was, there’s nothing legal that’s saying that this is the kind of game that’s being played,” he said in a video in January. “This is the kind of thing that really has affected my health for the longest and I’m just not playing. I’m taking control of my narrative this year. I’m being the best father—the Ye version of a father—and I’m not finna let this happen.”

Kim fired back with a statement regarding Kanye’s “constant attacks” against her

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Date: Feb. 4

The beauty mogul wasted no time before issuing a public statement in regards to her ex’s Instagram post, saying that his “constant attacks on me in interviews and on social media” are “actually more hurtful” than North being on TikTok. “As the parent who is the main provider and caregiver for our children, I am doing my best to protect our daughter while also allowing her to express her creativity in the medium that she wishes with adult supervision—because it brings her happiness,” Kardashian shared on her Instagram Story.  “Divorce is difficult enough on our children and Kanye’s obsession with trying to control and manipulate our situation so negatively and publicly is only causing further pain for all.”