Kim Kardashian and Kanye West may not have started dating until 2012, but the pair have a rich history.
“I met him I think in 2002 or 2003,” Kardashian told Ryan Seacrest during Keeping Up With the Kardashians 10th anniversary special, which aired in 2017. “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.”
While both Kardashian and West dated different people throughout the ‘00s, they remained friends and even appeared onscreen together for the first time in 2008. The KKW Beauty creator shared throwback pics in 2015 from a pilot they filmed called Alligator Boots.
“In honor of Star Wars: The Force Awakens being released today, I wanted to share these old pics of Kanye and me from years ago!” Kardashian wrote at the time. “We worked together on a pilot for a show called Alligator Boots back in 2008 and I played Princess Leia. We had met before this project (back in 2003), but I would say this is when we first really connected.”
Three years later, Kardashian married Kris Humphries in August 2011. After only 72 days of marriage, however, the reality TV personality announced she and the NBA pro were calling it quits.
Kardashian later revealed that her divorce from Humphries helped her discover her feelings for West.
“Right before I got married to Kris Humphries, [Kanye and I] were talking, and I just went a different direction,” she recalled on the aforementioned KUWTK anniversary special. “I think I had to go through that to figure out what I wanted. After my breakup, I was feeling really low and down and he said, ‘Just come to Paris and see my fashion show.’ He jokes that he put on this whole fashion show just to get a date with me. So I went there and I stayed with him, and that’s where we started dating. I swear from the moment I landed, I fell madly in love with him and I thought, ‘Oh, my God, why didn’t I do this sooner?’ Like, this is what real life is like — love and fun and real support.”
After facing a challenging year in their relationship in 2020, Us confirmed in January 2021 that Kardashian is “done” with their marriage and that the longtime pair had “been living separate lives for many months now.” A second source revealed that they “had a big fight” in December 2020 that caused the reality star to become “really upset” after the rapper “blew up” at her.
Kardashian secured high-powered attorney Laura Wasser to aid in her divorce settlement before formally filing, a third insider told Us. Wasser “has been on retainer and actively working for Kim since last summer,” the source said.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West may not have started dating until 2012, but the pair have a rich history.
“I met him I think in 2002 or 2003,” Kardashian told Ryan Seacrest during Keeping Up With the Kardashians 10th anniversary special, which aired in 2017. “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.”
While both Kardashian and West dated different people throughout the ‘00s, they remained friends and even appeared onscreen together for the first time in 2008. The KKW Beauty creator shared throwback pics in 2015 from a pilot they filmed called Alligator Boots.
“In honor of Star Wars: The Force Awakens being released today, I wanted to share these old pics of Kanye and me from years ago!” Kardashian wrote at the time. “We worked together on a pilot for a show called Alligator Boots back in 2008 and I played Princess Leia. We had met before this project (back in 2003), but I would say this is when we first really connected.”
Three years later, Kardashian married Kris Humphries in August 2011. After only 72 days of marriage, however, the reality TV personality announced she and the NBA pro were calling it quits.
Kardashian later revealed that her divorce from Humphries helped her discover her feelings for West.
“Right before I got married to Kris Humphries, [Kanye and I] were talking, and I just went a different direction,” she recalled on the aforementioned KUWTK anniversary special. “I think I had to go through that to figure out what I wanted. After my breakup, I was feeling really low and down and he said, ‘Just come to Paris and see my fashion show.’ He jokes that he put on this whole fashion show just to get a date with me. So I went there and I stayed with him, and that’s where we started dating. I swear from the moment I landed, I fell madly in love with him and I thought, ‘Oh, my God, why didn’t I do this sooner?’ Like, this is what real life is like — love and fun and real support.”
After facing a challenging year in their relationship in 2020, Us confirmed in January 2021 that Kardashian is “done” with their marriage and that the longtime pair had “been living separate lives for many months now.” A second source revealed that they “had a big fight” in December 2020 that caused the reality star to become “really upset” after the rapper “blew up” at her.
Kardashian secured high-powered attorney Laura Wasser to aid in her divorce settlement before formally filing, a third insider told Us. Wasser “has been on retainer and actively working for Kim since last summer,” the source said.
The source added that Kardashian “wants the divorce settlement finalized” before she files against West. One month later, Us confirmed that Kardashian filed for divorce after nearly seven years of marriage.
In November 2022, Us confirmed that the duo settled their divorce nearly two years after their split. The former couple received joint custody of their four children, per the settlement agreement.
Scroll through for a timeline of Kardashian and West’s relationship.
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April 2012
West and Kardashian took their relationship public in the spring of 2012. That April, the Grammy winner released “Cold,” which name-dropped Kardashian. “And I’ll admit, I had fell in love with Kim / Around the same time she had fell in love with him,” he rapped. “Well that’s cool, baby girl, do ya thang / Lucky I ain’t had Jay drop him from the team.”
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December 2012
After a whirlwind romance, Us confirmed in December 2012 that Kardashian was pregnant with her first child. West celebrated the news at the time by referring to the E! star as his “baby mama” on stage at his Atlantic City concert.
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June 2013
Kardashian and West welcomed their first child together, a daughter named North, in June 2013.
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October 2013
Four months after becoming parents, West popped the question in front of Kardashian’s family and friends at the San Francisco Giants baseball stadium, AT&T Park. “PLEASE MARRY MEEE!!!” the stadium screen read.
Credit: Annie Leibovitz for VOGUE
March 2014
West and Kardashian stunned on the cover of Vogue in wedding attire in March 2014. A then-9-month-old North was also featured inside the issue.
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May 2014
The twosome exchanged vows in Florence, Italy, in front of their family and friends on May 24, 2014.
March 2015
Nearly two years after welcoming North, Kardashian struggled to get pregnant with baby No. 2. During a March 2015 episode of KUWTK, the reality star told sister Khloé Kardashian that she and West have “been having sex 500 times a day” to try and conceive
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May 2015
Kardashian announced in May 2015 that she was pregnant with the couple’s second child.
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December 2015
Kardashian gave birth to son Saint in December 2015. “Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West welcomed the arrival of their son this morning,” a statement on her site read at the time. “Mother and son are doing well.”
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December 2016
Reports surfaced in late 2016 that Kardashian and West were facing marital issues after the musician was hospitalized. “She’s being a supportive wife,” an insider told Us at the time, noting that Kardashian did not want to make any major decisions until West fully recovered. A month later, another source told Us that Kardashian was standing by West after he “swore he was going to continue with intense therapy.”
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July 2017
After suffering from preeclampsia during her first two pregnancies, Kardashian and West turned to surrogacy to expand their family. Us confirmed in July 2017 that their surrogate was three months pregnant.
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January 2018
The duo welcomed daughter Chicago in January 2018. “We are incredibly grateful to our surrogate who made our dreams come true with the greatest gift one could give and to our wonderful doctors and nurses for their special care,” Kardashian penned on her app at the time.
Credit: Getty Images
August 2018
West and Kardashian hit another rough patch in mid-2018 after the rapper made headlines for a series of controversial comments and bizarre Twitter rants. The reality star’s mom, Kris Jenner, told Us exclusively in August 2018 that the pair were “solid” after facing some “hiccups.” “They’re so connected, and they love each other very much, and they have a family that they’re committed to. They’re committed to one another, and people, you’re not always going to agree with each other forever,” Jenner explained. “You’re going to have differences. You’re going to have things that pop up.”
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January 2019
Us broke the news in January 2019 that Kardashian and West’s surrogate is pregnant with their fourth child, a baby boy. An insider told Us that the couple waited until he was in the “best state of mind while they were trying for another child.”
Credit: Raymond Hall/GC Images
May 2019
West and Kardashian welcomed their fourth child via gestational carrier on May 10, 2019. “He’s here and he’s perfect!” the makeup mogul announced on Twitter.
Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
October 2019
West raved about falling in love with his wife on Kardashian’s E! True Hollywood Story special. “Anytime I was around her or I saw her, it was a magnetic attraction to this force of energy,” he recalled in the special. “She was good, pure, happy, loving, brave, courageous, strong.”
Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
October 2019
Kardashian and West renewed their vows shortly after welcoming their fourth child, Psalm, in May 2019.
“I just want to plan something special and take charge of this. So, I thought let’s just do something fun and sweet in our backyard and just make more of a memory,” the KKW Beauty CEO told the camera during an October 2019 episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. “Kanye always talks about how, at our wedding, we had really traditional vows. At that time in front of all those people, I didn’t even think I could get it together to say original vows.”
While the couple opted not to show the intimate ceremony on KUWTK, Kardashian read part of her vows to their son Saint on the series: “You are my husband. You are my best friend. My biggest believer and my one true love.”
Credit: MEGA
October 2019
West talked about his “successful celebrity marriage” in an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s Beats 1 in October 2019.
“I have five years of marriage under my belt. What I learned from five years of marriage is, it is the greatest bond, it is a God bond to be able to have someone that you can call on, someone you can call out, someone that can call on you and call you out,” he explained. “Equally yoked. Someone to complain to and someone to grow with as we grow and raise our children.”
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November 2019
Kardashian opened up about how West has become “more strict as a dad” as their children get older. “He’s very cautious of what we have in the house,” she said on The Real in November 2019. “He got rid of TVs in the kids’ rooms and removed makeup from North’s room.”
Credit: Courtesy of Kim Kardashian/Instagram
February 2020
The family of six posed for a rare photo together at Kylie Jenner’s daughter Stormi’s 2nd birthday party in February 2020.
Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
April 2020
After Forbes named West a billionaire in April 2020, a source told Us exclusively that he has been more “focused on creating” than parenting. “Kim and Kanye have been arguing a lot during [the coronavirus] quarantine,” the source told Us. A second insider, however, noted that the power couple have “had more time together to talk about their feelings, about the kids, her law career goals and his business ideas.”
Credit: Courtesy Kim Kardashian/Instagram
June 2020
Kardashian paid tribute to West on Father’s Day, writing: “Happy Fathers Day to the best dad!!!! Thank you for making life so much fun! You give our kids the most awesome life! I love you so much!!!”
Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
June 2020
Kardashian praised West over his Yeezy brand’s partnership with Gap. “If anyone knows Kanye, they know how much the Gap and Yeezy means to him so this partnership is his dream come true,” she tweeted. “I am so proud of him. You guys are going to love what they have in store for everyone! From working at the Gap to this partnership is so inspiring #WestDayEver.”
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June 2020
After Kardashian sold stake in her KKW Beauty brand to Coty, Forbes stated that her net worth now sat at $900 million. West, in turn, congratulated his wife for “officially becoming a billionaire.”
“You’ve weathered the craziest storms and now God is shining on you and our family,” he tweeted along with a picture of fresh produce and flowers. “So blessed this is still life. So I made you this still life. We love you so much.”
Credit: Courtesy of Kim Kardashian/Instagram
June 2020
West surprised Kardashian by transforming her bathroom into “an enchanted forest.”
Credit: MEGA
July 2020
After West confirmed his 2020 presidential campaign, he shared a personal detail about his family during his first rally in South Carolina. The rapper claimed that he nearly “killed” the pair’s daughter, North, via abortion. The next day, he tweeted that Kardashian was flying to Wyoming with a doctor to lock him up after his erratic behavior at the political event.
A source told Us that Kardashian has begun to feel “helpless.” Her family “feel as though he’s really crossed a line by talking negatively about them publicly and sharing private family matters with the public,” the insider added.
Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock; MEGA
August 2020
Sources told Us in August 2020 that the couple were in a “better place” after a family vacation. “Kanye knows speaking about Kim’s family wasn’t the right thing to do,” one source said, noting that they “agreed” not to talk about politics for now.
A second source added that Kardashian is “focused on healing” their relationship. “She has been helping and supporting him a ton while he’s been struggling with his mental health and wants him to know and feel that she is there for him through thick and thin,” the source said. “Their marriage definitely faced some hardships and was just hanging on with Kanye not being able to fully be present for their family, but ultimately Kim wants to keep everyone together and work things out for their kids.”
Credit: YouTube
October 2020
West shared a sweet tribute for Kardashian on her 40th birthday with a throwback pic of their 2013 engagement. “Been doing empty stadiums. Happy 40th birthday!!! I love you so much,” he tweeted.
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October 2020
The reality star thanked West for getting her a hologram of her late father, Robert Kardashian Sr., for her 40th birthday. “Kanye got me the most thoughtful gift of a lifetime. A special surprise from heaven. A hologram of my dad. ✨🤍,” she wrote via Instagram. “It is so lifelike and we watched it over and over, filled with lots so tears and emotion. I can’t even describe what this meant to me and my sisters, my brother, my mom and closest friends to experience together. Thank you so much Kanye for this memory that will last a lifetime ✨.”
Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
November 2020
Kardashian honored the 10th anniversary of West’s 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, by unveiling a poem he had penned for her while working on the record. “For those that don’t know the story behind ‘Lost In the World’…Kanye couldn’t come up with some of the lyrics but then realized he had them in a poem he had written me that was my birthday card he gave me for my 30th birthday,” she shared via Instagram. “He took the poem he wrote me and made it the song. I keep everything!”
Credit: MEGA; RB/Bauergriffin.com
January 2021
Us confirmed that Kardashian is “done” with her six-year marriage to West. “They have both been living separate lives for many months now,” a source told Us exclusively. “Kim and Kanye haven’t been on the same page for a while now.”
The businesswoman, who was last spotted wearing her wedding ring in November 2020, had not been on the same page with the rapper for a while. “She has grown up a lot this past year and is studying the law so she can really make change and provide a better world for her kids,” a second source told Us. “Kanye isn’t as focused and doesn’t live in the real world, their world views no longer line up.”
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February 2021
The KKW Beauty founder filed for divorce from West in February 2021 after nearly seven years of marriage. Her filing comes after weeks of reports that the duo were headed for a split after “a big fight” took place in December 2020.
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April 2021
West responded to Kardashian’s divorce filing nearly two months after she moved to end their marriage. Both requested joint legal and physical custody of their four children as well as termination of the court’s ability to award spousal support.
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July 2021
Kardashian supported West at his Donda album launch party in Atlanta. She was photographed at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium with the pair’s four children.
Credit: Courtesy of Kylie Jenner/Instagram
August 2021
The KKW Beauty mogul surprised fans by appearing at West’s third Donda listening party in Chicago, donning a Balenciaga gown and veil for a recreation of their wedding. “Kim supports Kanye and was happy to be on stage in a wedding dress,” a source told Us at the time. “She has always respected his art and ideas and was all in for the performance.”
According to sources, Kardashian is “deeply conflicted” about her current status with West after publicly supporting his Donda album.
“Kanye wants to get back with Kim,” one source told Us. “He sees the two of them together and wants to make that a reality now. He has been trying to get back in her good graces again and it seems to be working. The kids are also a huge factor. Kim would love to bring their family back together.”
A second insider added, “These past few months have made Kim’s decision to end the marriage even more difficult because Kanye has been very present in the relationship.”
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September 2021
After West seemingly hinted in his song “Hurricane” that he cheated on Kardashian following the birth of their son Saint in 2015, a source told Us that the track is his way of “taking accountability” for their marriage woes. “Kanye is alluding to all the problems he caused in his and Kim’s marriage,” the source said. “The song is a testimony from Kanye about everything that went wrong. The lyrics really speak for themselves.”
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October 2021
After Us confirmed that the reality star paid West $23 million for ownership of their Hidden Hills home, Kardashian reflected on where their relationship stands.“Kanye will always be the most inspirational person to me,” the beauty mogul said during an interview with Wall Street Journal Magazine in October 2021. “He has a piece of Skims himself and gives [the team] inspiration but also information. I think he enjoys the process.”
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November 2021
After Kardashian was spotted on multiple outings with Pete Davidson, West declared that he wanted his estranged wife back. “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. We’re not even divorced,” he said during an interview on Revolt’s “Drink Champs,” which was two hours long. “So how we — because [it’s] no joke to me, my kids want their parents to stay together. I want their parents — I want us to be together.”
He also took aim at the Kardashian family’s PR prowess, claiming, “[There] are people all around in my [wife’s] ear. This is a publicist that’s next to her. I don’t f–k with her.”
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December 2021
During a December performance at the Free Larry Hoover event in Los Angeles, West added the lyrics, “I need you to run right back to me. More specifically, Kimberly,” to his 2010 hit “Runaway.” One day later, the KKW founder filed a court request for a judge to legally declare her single. The paperwork also mentioned a request to restore her original last name. A source told Us that the decision to change her last name was due to the reality star’s “business empire and brand.”
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January 2022
After West moved on with Uncut Gems actress Julia Fox, he slammed his estranged wife’s boyfriend. “God saved me from the crash just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s ass,” he rapped in “My Life Was Never Eazy.”
Credit: Courtesy Atiana De La Hoya/Instagram
January 2022
The Grammy winner alleged that he wasn’t invited to daughter Chicago’s 4th birthday party, later telling his Instagram followers that Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner gave him the bash’s address and let him in.
However, a source told Us at the time, “There were always two parties planned for Chicago, which was Kanye’s idea. He was scheduled to celebrate with her at 4pm. Kim was shocked to learn that he released a video about not being invited to her party — that’s not true and as soon as he asked to come, he was given the location.”
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February 2022
When West slammed Kim’s decisions to let North have a TikTok account, the Selfish author wrote via Instagram that her estranged husband’s “constant attacks” on her were making “a healthy and supportive coparenting relationship … impossible.”
Credit: Courtesy Kim Kardashian/Instagram
February 2022
Kim told Vogue that choosing herself may have “caused” her divorce, adding, “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.”
That same day, West posted throwback family photos via Instagram captioned, “GOD PLEASE BRING OUR FAMILY BACK TOGETHER.”
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March 2022
Us confirmed that a judge granted Kardashian’s request to be declared legally single amid her ongoing divorce from West.
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May 2022
While the twosome are legally single, their divorce wasn’t finalized as of May 2022. The Blast reported via court documents on May 26 that West’s fourth lawyer in the divorce case, Samantha Spector, stepped down as his representation. That same day, Kim threw subtle shade at her ex in a new episode of The Kardashians.
“I think that I will never stop being me. All I can do is control how I react to something. I can’t control how he treats me or how he has always treated you guys,” she told her mom and sisters on the Hulu show. “I protected that for so long, but I said, ‘I will never let that happen to you guys again.’ For once in my life, I feel strong. I am not going to let someone treat you guys [a certain] way or myself. … I do recognize the impact that my relationship has had on my family. And I have never had the opportunity to just say, ‘I am sorry.’”
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November 2022
Us confirmed that the twosome settled their divorce nearly two years after their split. The reality star and the “Heartless” rapper received joint custody of their four children. West must also pay Kardashian $200,000 a month for child support and is responsible for 50 percent of their kids’ educational and security expenses.
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December 2022
Kardashian called protecting her kids from seeing West’s online comments a full-time job.
“It is worth it because I think that of course I want to disassociate in specific thoughts and things being said because that is not me,” the Hulu personality said during a December 202 interview on the “Angie Martinez IRL” podcast. “But at the same time in my home I could be going through something, but if we are riding to school and they want to listen to their dad’s music — no matter what we are going through — I have to have that smile on my face and blast his music and sing along with my kids. [I can] act like nothing is wrong and as soon as I drop them off, I can have a good cry.”
source: usmagazine.com
