Everything You Need to Know About Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's Divorce
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Ever since Kim Kardashian and Kanye West went public with their relationship in April 2012 and married in May 2014, the couple has endured a never-ending roller coaster of highs and lows covered by the press. One of the most heartwarming highs appeared to be welcoming their four kids: North, 8, Saint, 6, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 2.
But on February 19, 2021, Kardashian filed for divorce from West, requesting joint legal and physical custody of their kids and citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split. In the almost year since, it's been a bit of a roller coaster for the co-parents. Here are the details surrounding Kardashian and West's divorce. The latest development: On Wednesday, March 2, a judge granted Kardashian's request to be ruled legally single, People reports.
How Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Met
Before they were romantically involved, Kardashian and West were friends. They met in 2003 on the set of a Brandy music video. Kim recounted the moment during the Keeping Up With The Kardashians 10th-anniversary special in 2017, saying, "I met him, I think, in 2002 or 2003. He was recording a song with Brandy, and I was her friend. I vividly remember hanging out with him, and then they did a video together, so I'd see him a few times. He was asking his friends, 'Who is this Kim Kardajan?' He didn't know what my name was."
Fast-forward to 2010. In Kourtney & Kim Take New York, West stopped by the sisters' future DASH store. Although the pair was still entirely platonic, fans couldn't help but note the chemistry between the future lovebirds.
By March 2012, Kardashian sat front row at West's Paris Fashion Week Show, wearing many of his pieces. Within a matter of weeks, they were official. That April, the Grammy winner released "Cold," in which he rapped, "I'll admit, I had fell in love with Kim."
And on May 24, 2014, the pair said "I do" at the historic Forte di Belvedere in Florence, Italy.
Why Kim and Kanye Split
In early January 2021, Page Six broke the news that the couple were ending their marriage after almost seven years.
"They are keeping it low-key but they are done. Kim has hired Laura Wasser and they are in settlement talks," a source told the publication, noting that they had been living separate lives. "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 s–t, and she's just had enough of it."
In June 2021, an episode of the final season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians aired in which Kardashian opened up about why she ended her third marriage. (She was previously wed to songwriter Damon Thomas and basketball player Kris Humphries.)
"After turning 40 this year, I realized, 'No, I don't want a husband that lives in a completely different state.' To me, I thought, 'Oh my god, that's when we're getting along the best,' but then that is sad to me and that's not what I want," she told Kris Jenner. "I want someone that we have the same shows in common; I want someone that wants to work out with me ... it's like the little things is what I don't have."
She elaborated on that same theme in a recent interview with Vogue, for their March cover story, noting, "For so long, I did what made other people happy. And I think in the last two years I decided, I'm going to make myself happy. And that feels really good. And even if that created changes and caused my divorce, I think it's important to be honest with yourself about what really makes you happy. I've chosen myself. I think it's okay to choose you."
The mom of four and entrepreneur continued, "My 40s are about being Team Me. I'm going to eat well. I'm going to work out. I'm going to have more fun, spend more time with my kids and the people who make me happy."
In December 2021, she underlined that point by filing court documents to be declared legally single, asking to separate issues of child custody and property from her marital status amid the couple's ongoing divorce, TMZ reported. On February 23, Kardashian elaborated, "I ask that the Court restore me to the status of a single person so that I can begin the healing process and so that our family can begin the healing process and move forward in this new chapter in our lives." And on Wednesday, March 2, the judge ruled in her favor. According to TMZ, Kardashian will now be known as Kim Kardashian—the West has been removed from her legal name.
Who They're Dating Now
In October 2021, tongues began wagging when Kardashian appeared on Saturday Night Live and did an Aladdin sketch with cast member Pete Davidson, and their chemistry was quite notable.
After denials of a budding romance and several public appearances/dates in NYC and L.A., plus a trip to the Bahamas, sources told Page Six in early January that the two are "really happy together."
"Things are going great between them. They're taking things slow, but both are really happy when they're together," one source told Page Six.
Meanwhile, up until mid-February, West was reportedly in an open relationship with Julia Fox, an Italian and American actress, artist, model, filmmaker, and mom of one who starred in 2019's Uncut Gems.
"Julia and Kanye remain good friends and collaborators," her rep said in a statement to Page Six, "but they are no longer together."
As of early March, it appears West has moved on with a 24-year-old Kardashian lookalike named Chaney Jones. West reposted an Instagram from The Shade Room of him and Jones together, adding a black heart emoji to the caption.A source close to West reportedly told E! News that the couple have been "spending a lot of time together in the last two weeks and he likes her company. She travels with him, and they are having a good time." That source added that West isn't "dating anyone exclusively," and there "isn't a label" for him and Jones' relationship yet.
How They're Co-Parenting
Although the couple appeared to be keeping their co-parenting fairly low-key since filing for divorce, the first weeks of 2022 have been full of drama. Most recently, the rapper, who legally changed his name to Ye in October, took his two eldest kids, North and Saint, to the Super Bowl at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium just hours after reportedly sharing more than a dozen since-deleted Instagram posts in which he took aim at Davidson, Page Six reports.
One of the posts included a screenshot of a text allegedly sent by Pete Davidson that read, "How you guys go about raising your kids is your business and not mine. I do hope one day I can meet them and we can all be friends." West captioned the screenshot: "NO YOU WILL NEVER MEET MY CHILDREN." Neither Davidson or Kardashian responded publicly.
Prior to the Super Bowl weekend controversy, West reportedly took issue with 8-year-old North appearing on TikTok—she has more than 5.9 million followers on the platform and frequently posts videos with her mom—which kicked off a heated Instagram feud between the former spouses.
RELATED: Is TikTok Safe For Kids?
"Kanye's constant attacks on me in interviews and social media is actually more hurtful than any TikTok North might create," Kardashian noted in a statement posted the first week of February. "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."
That message was echoed in court documents Kardashian filed on February 23 that read: "I very much desire to be divorced. I have asked Kanye to keep our divorce private, but he has not done so. Kanye has been putting a lot of misinformation regarding our private family matters and co-parenting on social media which has created emotional distress. I believe that the court terminating our marital status will help Kanye to accept that our marital relationship is over and to move forward on a better path which will assist us in peacefully co-parenting our children."
The reality star added, "While I wish our marriage would have succeeded, I have come to the realization that there is no way to repair our marriage. Kanye does not agree but at least it appears that he has come to the realization that I want to end our marriage, even if he does not."
Offering more insight into how she's coping with their current situation, Kardashian told Vogue: "You could be so hurt or angry at your ex, but I think in front of the kids, it always has to be 'Your dad's the best.' Make sure you are your co-parent's biggest cheerleader, no matter what you're personally going through."
Here's hoping that philosophy is the one that ultimately prevails for the parents of four.
