On February 19, 2021, Kim Kardashian filed for divorce from Kanye West, ending nearly seven years of marriage and one of the most fascinating celebrity relationships of the 21st century. They'd been together for a decade, had four children, built billion-dollar businesses, and become cultural icons whose influence spanned fashion, music, beauty, and technology. They seemed untouchable—the perfect fusion of pop culture royalty and artistic genius. But behind the Instagram photos and paparazzi shots, their relationship had been unraveling for years, destroyed by mental health struggles, political controversies, and fundamental incompatibilities that no amount of fame, wealth, or love could overcome.
This is the complete story of Kim and Kanye—from their unlikely beginning to their spectacular public collapse.
The Friendship Years: 2003-2012
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's story didn't start with romance. It started with friendship and professional respect in the mid-2000s Los Angeles celebrity scene.
They first met around 2003 when Kim was working as a stylist and closet organizer—notably for Brandy, whose brother Ray J would later date Kim and create the infamous tape that launched her fame. Kanye was an up-and-coming producer and rapper, having just released The College Dropout.
Their paths crossed occasionally over the years. Kanye later admitted he was attracted to Kim from their first meeting, but she was in relationships—first with Ray J, then with NFL star Reggie Bush (2007-2010), then with NBA player Kris Humphries.
Meanwhile, Kanye dated model Amber Rose (2008-2010) and had a long relationship with designer Alexis Phifer. But he watched Kim from afar, later saying he saw her 2007 "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" pilot and thought "I need to be with this woman."
The friendship deepened after Kanye's mother Donda West died in November 2007. Kim attended the funeral, and Kanye later said her presence and support during his darkest moment meant everything to him. It planted seeds that would bloom years later.
The Perfect Storm: August 2011
Everything changed when Kim married Kris Humphries in August 2011 in a televised wedding that E! turned into a two-part special. The wedding cost $10 million, was watched by millions, and seemed like the culmination of Kim's reality TV empire.
Seventy-two days later, Kim filed for divorce.
The marriage was a disaster. Humphries reportedly wanted Kim to move to Minnesota and quit her career. She realized she'd married the wrong person for the wrong reasons—pressure, expectation, and entertainment value over genuine compatibility.
The public backlash was brutal. Kim was called a fame whore who'd married for ratings. She was genuinely devastated—both by the failed marriage and the public humiliation.
Enter Kanye West.
The Courtship: 2012
In April 2012, Kanye and Kim were spotted together in New York. Initially, media assumed they were just friends. But Kanye was making his move.
He later described calling Kim in the middle of her divorce and essentially saying "I'm not going to let you be alone right now. I'm here for you." But it was more than friendship—Kanye had been in love with her for years.
Kanye's approach was aggressive and public. In December 2012, he released "Cold" featuring DJ Khaled, rapping: "I'll admit I fell in love with Kim / Around the same time she fell in love with him / Well that's cool, baby girl, do your thing / Lucky I ain't had Jay drop him from the team."
He was publicly claiming Kim while she was still legally married to Humphries. The boldness was classic Kanye—confident, boundary-pushing, unafraid of public opinion.
Kim was hesitant at first. Dating Kanye meant entering a world of intense media scrutiny, artistic eccentricity, and unpredictability. But she was also drawn to his genius, his confidence, and his genuine love for her.
By spring 2012, they were officially a couple. The tabloids exploded. This wasn't just another celebrity relationship—this was the collision of two massive cultural forces.
The Pregnancy Announcement and Public Scrutiny
On December 30, 2012, Kanye announced during a concert in Atlantic City that Kim was pregnant with their first child. Kim was still legally married to Kris Humphries—their divorce hadn't been finalized.
The media frenzy was unprecedented. Kim was called every name imaginable—gold digger, homewrecker, publicity seeker. Conservative media figures attacked her for being pregnant out of wedlock while still married to another man.
Kanye's response was to double down. In interviews, he defended Kim fiercely, calling her "the most beautiful woman in the world" and attacking the fashion industry for not accepting her.
In April 2013, he released "New Slaves," rapping about racism and classism, clearly influenced by the way the media treated Kim. He was positioning their relationship as them versus the world—a narrative that would define their time together.
Kim's divorce from Humphries finalized in June 2013, just weeks before their daughter North West was born on June 15, 2013.
The Transformation: Kanye Reinvents Kim
If you compare Kim Kardashian's style and public image from 2011 versus 2014, she's barely recognizable. That was Kanye's doing.
He famously went through her entire closet, threw out most of it, and rebuilt her wardrobe with high fashion pieces. He introduced her to designers like Riccardo Tisci and Olivier Rousting. He pushed her toward minimalism, neutral tones, and avant-garde fashion.
The transformation wasn't just aesthetic—it was strategic. Kanye was elevating Kim from reality TV star to fashion icon. He got her a Vogue cover in April 2014 (with him), which Vogue editor Anna Wintour initially resisted. Kanye reportedly called Wintour repeatedly, making the case that Kim represented modern celebrity and culture.
When the cover happened, it was a cultural moment. Kim had broken through the wall between celebrity and high fashion—largely because Kanye forced the industry to accept her.
But the transformation came with a cost: Kim was becoming Kanye's creation. He chose her clothes, her hair, her public appearances. She later admitted she struggled with losing her individual identity and becoming "Mrs. West" rather than Kim Kardashian.
The Wedding: May 24, 2014
Kim and Kanye married in Florence, Italy, on May 24, 2014, in a ceremony at Fort di Belvedere. The week-long celebration cost an estimated $2.8 million and was a who's who of celebrity culture—from the Kardashian-Jenner clan to Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Jaden Smith, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Lala Anthony, and more.
Andrea Bocelli performed. Lana Del Rey and John Legend sang. The bride wore a custom Givenchy Haute Couture gown designed by Riccardo Tisci. The photos were shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz.
It was the wedding of the decade—a perfect fusion of hip-hop royalty and reality TV empire. They seemed unstoppable.
Their vows were deeply personal. Kanye reportedly cried through his. Kim later said it was the happiest day of her life.
But even then, cracks were forming.
The Empire Building: 2014-2016
For two years, Kim and Kanye were untouchable. They were building respective business empires while raising North and welcoming their son Saint West in December 2015.
Kanye's Empire:
- Released Yeezus (2013) to critical acclaim
- Launched Yeezy fashion line with Adidas (2015), which would eventually reach billion-dollar valuations
- Established himself as a fashion designer, not just a musician
- Released The Life of Pablo (2016)
Kim's Empire:
- Launched mobile game "Kim Kardashian: Hollywood" (2014), which made $160 million in its first year
- Released Selfish, her book of selfies (2015)
- Grew her Instagram to 50+ million followers, becoming one of the most influential people on social media
- Launched Kimoji (2015), a personalized emoji app
Together:
- They were worth an estimated $200+ million combined
- They had two children and were talking about having more
- They were cultural tastemakers—what they wore, said, or did became news
But beneath the success, Kanye was struggling.
The First Public Break: November 2016
On November 21, 2016, Kanye was hospitalized at UCLA Medical Center after a "psychiatric emergency." He'd been acting erratically for weeks—ranting during concerts, canceling his Saint Pablo Tour mid-way through, and making increasingly concerning statements.
The hospitalization lasted a week. Reports suggested exhaustion, sleep deprivation, and a mental health crisis. Kim rushed back from New York (where she'd been recovering from being robbed at gunpoint in Paris just weeks earlier) to be with him.
This was the first time the public saw cracks in their perfect image. Kanye was struggling mentally, and Kim was dealing with trauma from the Paris robbery (where she'd been tied up, held at gunpoint, and robbed of $10 million in jewelry).
They'd both experienced significant trauma in a short time. The question was whether their marriage could handle it.
When Kanye emerged from the hospital, he'd bleached his hair blonde and was quieter publicly. He spent months at home in Calabasas, focusing on recovery and family. Kim later said this period was difficult but brought them closer as he worked on his mental health.
The Political Turn: 2018
If the 2016 hospitalization was the first crack, Kanye's embrace of Donald Trump was the earthquake.
In April 2018, Kanye returned to Twitter after a long absence and started tweeting his support for President Trump, calling him "my brother" and posting photos of himself in a MAGA hat.
For Kim, whose family was predominantly liberal and who'd built relationships with the Obamas, this was devastating. She tried to distance herself publicly while supporting him privately.
Kanye's Trump embrace wasn't just political—it was tied to his philosophy of "free thinking" and rejecting what he called "thought control" from the liberal establishment. But to many, including his Black fanbase, it felt like betrayal.
The May 2018 TMZ interview became infamous. Kanye said "slavery sounds like a choice" while discussing African American history. The backlash was immediate and brutal. Even longtime supporters abandoned him.
Kim was left defending her husband publicly while reportedly furious with him privately. She issued statements clarifying that his views didn't represent hers, but the damage to their public image—and their relationship—was done.
The Wyoming Move and Growing Distance
In 2019, Kanye moved much of his operations to Wyoming, buying a $14 million ranch near Cody. He began holding his Sunday Service performances there, recording music, and talking about building a self-sustaining community.
Kim stayed in Los Angeles with their children (North, Saint, Chicago born via surrogate in 2018, and Psalm born via surrogate in 2019). She was building her KKW Beauty and SKIMS shapewear empires while studying law and working on criminal justice reform.
They were living increasingly separate lives:
Kanye in Wyoming:
- Recording albums (ye, Jesus Is King)
- Hosting Sunday Service
- Designing Yeezy
- Becoming increasingly religious and isolated
- Surrounded by yes-men and avoiding mental health treatment
Kim in Los Angeles:
- Running multiple businesses
- Raising four young children largely alone
- Studying for the California bar exam
- Working on White House clemency initiatives
- Maintaining her family's reality TV empire
Friends later said the distance was killing their marriage. Kim wanted a partner present for their children. Kanye wanted to build his vision in Wyoming and expected Kim to join him.
Neither would compromise.
The Presidential Campaign: July 2020
On July 4, 2020, Kanye announced he was running for President of the United States.
Kim was reportedly blindsided. He hadn't consulted her. He hadn't planned seriously. He just tweeted it.
What followed was a disaster. At his first campaign rally in South Carolina on July 19, 2020, Kanye broke down crying, claimed Harriet Tubman "never actually freed the slaves," and revealed that he and Kim had considered aborting their daughter North.
Kim was in Calabasas with their children, watching her husband have a mental health crisis in real-time on national television. She was humiliated, heartbroken, and furious.
That night, Kanye went on a Twitter rampage, posting and deleting tweets claiming Kim tried to lock him up with doctors, that he'd been trying to divorce her, and that her mother Kris Jenner was a "white supremacist."
Kim responded with a public statement—rare for her regarding Kanye. She explained his bipolar disorder, asked for compassion, and acknowledged her powerlessness to force him into treatment as an adult.
"Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions," she wrote.
It was a breaking point. The marriage was effectively over, even if the formal divorce filing was still months away.
The Final Months: August 2020 - February 2021
After the presidential campaign disaster, Kanye retreated to Wyoming. Kim stayed in Los Angeles. They barely spoke.
Friends reported:
- Kim reached her "breaking point" and couldn't continue
- Kanye refused to get consistent mental health treatment
- Their lifestyles and priorities were incompatible
- Kim felt like a single mother despite being married
- Kanye felt controlled and misunderstood
- They'd grown into fundamentally different people
In January 2021, reports emerged that Kim had hired divorce attorney Laura Wasser—a clear signal the end was near.
On February 19, 2021, Kim officially filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences." She requested joint legal and physical custody of their four children.
Kanye didn't contest. The divorce was as amicable as a billion-dollar celebrity split could be, thanks to an ironclad prenuptial agreement.
The Divorce Aftermath: Public Heartbreak
While the legal divorce was straightforward, the emotional aftermath was messy and public.
Kim moved on relatively quickly:
- Dated comedian Pete Davidson (October 2021-August 2022)
- Continued building her SKIMS empire (valued at $4 billion)
- Focused on law school and criminal justice reform
- Co-parented with Kanye (with difficulty)
Kanye spiraled:
- Released Donda (2021), an album heavily focused on losing his family
- Publicly begged Kim to come back during performances
- Dated model Irina Shayk briefly
- Had a short-lived relationship with actress Julia Fox (January-February 2022)
- Bought a house across the street from Kim to be near his children
- Started a harassment campaign against Pete Davidson on social media
The harassment of Pete Davidson was particularly troubling. Kanye posted threatening music videos, called Pete a "d*ckhead," and created anxiety for Kim's new relationship. She reportedly asked him to stop multiple times.
In March 2022, a judge declared Kim legally single, restoring her maiden name. The divorce was finalized in November 2022.
The Antisemitism Collapse: 2022-2023
After the divorce, Kanye's behavior became increasingly erratic and dangerous. In October 2022, he made a series of antisemitic comments on social media and in interviews, including:
- Tweeting he was going "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE"
- Claiming "Jewish people" controlled the media and were blacklisting him
- Praising Hitler in interviews
- Denying the Holocaust
The consequences were immediate and devastating:
- Adidas terminated their $1.5 billion Yeezy partnership
- Gap ended their deal
- Balenciaga cut ties
- His talent agency CAA dropped him
- His net worth fell from $2 billion to $400 million
Kim condemned his statements but largely stayed quiet publicly to protect their children. Privately, friends said she was horrified and felt validated in her decision to leave.
The Children: Collateral Damage
Throughout the divorce and aftermath, Kim and Kanye's four children—North (born 2013), Saint (2015), Chicago (2018), and Psalm (2019)—were caught in the middle.
Kim has been fiercely protective, keeping them off social media as much as possible and shielding them from their father's controversies. But it's been difficult:
- North witnessed her father's public breakdown during the presidential campaign
- The kids see their father irregularly due to his Wyoming residence and instability
- They're aware of tabloid coverage and public criticism of their dad
- Kim has to explain age-inappropriate topics due to Kanye's public behavior
In interviews, Kim has expressed heartbreak that her children's perception of their father has been damaged by his actions. She's tried to maintain respect for Kanye as their dad while acknowledging his issues.
Kanye, meanwhile, has accused Kim of keeping the children from him—claims she's denied, saying she's bent over backward to facilitate his relationship with them despite his behavior.
The Lessons: Love Isn't Enough
Kim and Kanye's relationship offers several painful lessons:
Mental Health Matters: Untreated bipolar disorder destroyed their marriage. Kanye's refusal to get consistent treatment made cohabitation impossible.
You Can't Save Someone: Kim spent years trying to support Kanye, but ultimately she couldn't force him into treatment or stability.
Political Differences Are Dealbreakers: Kanye's embrace of Trump and controversial political positions created a values gap Kim couldn't bridge.
Separate Lives = Divorce: When partners live in different states with different priorities, the marriage becomes an administrative arrangement, not a partnership.
Fame Amplifies Problems: Regular couples face mental health and compatibility issues. When you're Kim and Kanye, those issues play out on TMZ.
Children Don't Fix Relationships: They had four children trying to make it work. It wasn't enough.
You Can't Lose Yourself: Kim lost her identity becoming "Mrs. West." Reclaiming herself required leaving the marriage.
Where They Are Now: 2024 and Beyond
As of 2024:
Kim Kardashian:
- Net worth: $1.7 billion (primarily from SKIMS)
- Dating history since Kanye: Pete Davidson (ended), briefly linked to NFL player Odell Beckham Jr.
- Focused on businesses, law studies, and her children
- Largely moved past the Kanye era publicly
Kanye West:
- Net worth: $400 million (down from $2 billion peak)
- Married Bianca Censori (Yeezy architectural designer) in December 2022—though the legality is questioned
- Largely ostracized from mainstream entertainment industry
- Still creating music but with limited distribution
- Attempting to rebuild reputation post-antisemitism scandal
Their Relationship:
- Co-parenting with difficulty
- Communicate primarily through assistants
- Kanye has publicly apologized to Kim for the stress he caused
- Kim maintains she'll always love him as the father of her children but has moved on
The Cultural Impact
Kim and Kanye's relationship and divorce had massive cultural impact:
- Mental Health Awareness: Their story highlighted the challenges of loving someone with untreated mental illness
- Celebrity Marriage Expectations: Showed that fame, money, and children can't save incompatible relationships
- Fashion Legacy: Kanye's transformation of Kim's image permanently changed celebrity fashion
- Family Dynamics: Their four children represent a new generation of kids raised in extreme celebrity circumstances
The Final Word: A Modern Tragedy
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's relationship was a modern tragedy—two people who genuinely loved each other but were destroyed by mental illness, fame, incompatible life goals, and the inability to compromise.
They built billion-dollar empires. They created four beautiful children. They influenced fashion, music, and culture. They seemed unstoppable.
But underneath the glamorous exterior was a marriage falling apart—slowly at first, then all at once.
Kim wanted stability, family presence, and partnership. Kanye wanted artistic freedom, Wyoming isolation, and unlimited creative control. Neither was wrong. They were just incompatible.
Add untreated bipolar disorder, political controversies, public pressure, and four young children, and the marriage became unsustainable.
In the end, Kim chose herself and her children. Kanye chose his art and his vision. And their empire fell apart.
The saddest part? In another universe, with mental health treatment and better timing, they might have made it. They genuinely loved each other. Sometimes love just isn't enough.
As Kim said in the final season of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians": "I can't do this anymore. I can't live like this. I have to choose me."
And she did.
