Rumors of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's marital demise have surfaced yet again. To be fair, the couple is often the target of rumors about relationship rockiness, but this time sources close to the couple are speaking out. Page Six broke the story Tuesday evening, and the internet has been abuzz ever since.
The problem is, the sources aren't quite on the same page. Depending on what you're reading and who you believe, they are simultaneously entirely over, in marriage counseling, and have been living separately for over a year.
It's not a stretch to believe this marriage has been through it. Kanye's mental health problems were preceded by Kim being robbed at gunpoint, everything else going on with members of her family on any given day, their fertility struggles, and so much more. Still, at every point that it has seemed like she finally had enough, they kept going. There's no saying what happens next, although it certainly doesn't look great.
Kim and Kanye began dating in 2012 and got engaged the following year. They married in 2014 and share four children — daughters North (7 years old) and Chicago (almost 3) and sons Saint (5) and Psalm (1).
On Tuesday evening, Page Six reported that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's marriage is over.
"They are keeping it low-key but they are done," a source said.
"Kim has hired Laura Wasser and they are in settlement talks. 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."
Kim has been committed to trying to help Kanye through his mental health struggles, but he hasn't always been receptive. It's now put the two on different paths, according to the source.
"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 [expletive], and she's just had enough of it."
Us Weekly has a similarly bleak outlook on the situation.
"Kim and Kanye haven't been on the same page for a while now," an insider said, adding that her friends are "surprised" she's waited "this long to file for divorce."
"It was only a matter of time," other sources noted.
Other sources say the couple is still trying to work things out. "Kim and Kanye are in counseling and exploring their options," a source told People magazine.
"They have been working on their marriage for a long time, but no decision has been made."
TMZ's sources shared similar information.
"We're told no final decision has been made, and it's telling they've been in counseling for a while," the outlet reported.
"We're told their issues have been neither contentious nor ugly, but they do have lots of differences … from lifestyle to politics. They are, however, fully aligned on parenting."
The last year, in particular, has presented a lot of challenges for the couple. In February, as the world was learning about COVID-19, Kanye tested positive.
"Chills, shaking in the bed, taking hot showers, looking at videos telling me what I'm supposed to do to get over it," he told Forbes of his experience.
"Kanye had it way at the beginning, when nobody really knew what was going on," Kim told Grazia in October.
"It was so scary and unknown. I had my four babies and no-one else in the house to help. I had to go and change his sheets and help him get out of bed when he wasn't feeling good. It was a challenge because it was so unknown. Changing his sheets with gloves and a face shield was really a scary time."
Kanye gave Kim a break when he safely recovered, taking the kids to their Wyoming ranch so she could have some time to herself.
They seemed to be in a good place later in the spring, as they celebrated their anniversary in May. "6 years down; forever to go. Until the end," she captioned photos of them.
Things took a turn in July when Kanye began to publicly struggle through what is a believed to have been a bipolar episode. He admitted that the couple considered getting an abortion when learning they were pregnant with North. It came amid his puzzling run for president.
"Kim is shocked that Kanye spoke about North at the rally. She is furious that he shared something so private," a source told People.
"Things have broken down significantly between the two of them, and it's happened pretty suddenly."
In a late-night Twitter rant, Kanye accused Kim of cheating on him with Meek Mill and said he'd been trying to divorce her since. Despite the embarrassment, Kim urged people to be compassionate.
"I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions," she wrote in the lengthy post.
"He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of being an artist and a black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bi-polar disorder. Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions."
Kim and Kanye were reported to be working on their marriage throughout the summer. Another public outburst that saw Kanye urinate on a Grammy he'd won brought more hardship, however.
"Part of his negotiation with Kim was that he'd get back on his medication and he would work very hard to control his impulses. He made a lot of promises. And now those promises are broken," a source noted.
It's unclear what the status of things is now. It seems they've both been doing their own thing for a while, and things have certainly been quiet. It's anyone's guess what happens next and when.
