Why I divorced Kanye West — Kim Kardashian
The news of Kim Kardashian filing for divorce from Kanye West was a pretty big deal and although it ended amicably, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. But as the finale season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians continues to air, we get more insight as to what actually happened between the once aspirational couple.
In the latest episode of KUWTK, Kim revealed what changed in her relationship with Kanye. We saw glimpses of their marriage breaking down (and Kim crying about it); but on Thursday’s episode, Kim spoke to her mother Kris Jenner about “needing a change”.
Kim sad to Kris, “I just feel like I’ve worked so hard in life to achieve everything that I’ve wanted to. And I’ve lived up to my expectations and achieved 10 times more than I even thought was humanly possible. But I don’t have anyone to share that with.”
“Like, I do, obviously my kids and everything. But am I just going to sit here and think, ‘OK, my kids fulfil me and I’m good?’”
Many initially assumed that Kim and Kanye lived in different states because of work commitments. But was actually Kanye’s choice for them to live separately and it was something that made Kim deeply unhappy.
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The Skims founder added that she was at first comfortable with the 44-year-old rapper’s habit of moving “from state to state” and never thought she was “lonely.” But Kim Kardashian started to change her thinking after her 40th birthday in October 2020.
“After turning 40 this year, I realized like, ‘No I don’t want a husband that lives in a completely different state,’” Kim explained. “To me, I thought, ‘That’s when we’re getting along the best,’ but then that is sad to me and that’s not what I want. I want someone that we have the same shows in common. I want someone who wants to work out with me.”
She pointed to her younger sister Khloé’s relationship with Tristan Thompson as an example of what she really wants in a partner.
“Like, every single day Khloé and Tristan and I would workout at 6 a.m., the three of us, and I was third-wheeling it for a good eight months in quarantine and I was so envious of that,” Kim continued. “I was like, ‘Wow, it’s, like, the little things I don’t have.’ I have all the big things. I have the extravagant everything you can possibly imagine and no one will ever do it like that — I know that, and I’m grateful for those experiences — but I think I’m ready for the smaller experiences that I think will mean a lot.”
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Throughout his courtship and marriage to Kim, West was known for his over-the-top gestures of love. When he proposed in October 2013, he rented out an entire baseball stadium and hired Lana Del Rey to perform Young and Beautiful for the Kardashian-Jenner family.
Just last year, Kanye presented his ex with a hologram of her late father, Rob Kardashian, for her birthday. “Kanye got me the most thoughtful gift of a lifetime,” the reality star tweeted at the time. “A special surprise from heaven.”
But it seemed the little gestures and companionship were missing from their marriage. The 40-year-old later emphasized that despite feeling “numb” and “tired” of having “emotional breakdowns,” she’s determined to make it okay. Kim said, “I didn’t come this far to come this far and not be happy.”
Kim Kardashian officially filed for divorce from her husband of nearly seven years earlier this year. Kanye West has since been seen in France with model Irina Shayk.
