US reality star Kim Kardashian files for divorce from rapper Kanye West
- In a series of deleted tweets, West compared his mother-in-law, Kris Jenner, to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un
- The couple have a prenuptial agreement that neither side plans to contest, it was reported
US reality star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian on Friday filed for divorce from rapper Kanye West after almost seven years of marriage and months of rumours that their relationship had broken down.
Representatives for Los Angeles Superior Court and for Kardashian, 40, said she had filed the divorce papers.
Celebrity website TMZ cited unidentified sources as saying the split was amicable and that Kardashian had asked for joint custody of the couple’s four children: daughters, North and Chicago; and sons, Saint and Psalm. The grounds for the divorce were not immediately known.
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Representatives for West did not immediately return a request for comment, but a source close to the Jesus Walks rapper told People magazine that he was “resigned to reality”.
“He knew it was coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier,” the source was quoted as telling People. “This is a sombre day for him.”.
The filing follows months of leaks and reports that the marriage between the two celebrities was on the rocks.
Kardashian, who made her name in the reality TV series Keeping Up with the Kardashians, married West, 43, in May 2014, seven months after their engagement.
The couple was one of the most high-profile in Hollywood, popularly known as “Kimye”.
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“I been trying to get divorced since Kim met Meek at the Waldorf for ‘prison reform’,” West reportedly tweeted, according to Capital FM.
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During a wide-ranging, off-the-rails, hour-long July 19 presidential press conference in North Charleston, South Carolina, West – sporting a bulletproof vest – West implied Kardashian considered terminating one of their pregnancies and that Harriet Tubman betrayed Black people.
“She just had the slaves go work for the white people,” West said of Tubman. He then concluded the session by vowing, “I’m going to win in 2020”, and jogging off the stage.
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West then reportedly flew to his ranch in Cody, Wyoming, where Kardashian later met him, according to TMZ at the time.
He accused her of bringing two doctors to evaluate his mental state and potentially invoke an involuntary psychiatric commitment known as a “5150.”
Days later, West was more contrite.
“I would like to apologise to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter,” West tweeted on July 25, 2020. “I did not cover her like she has covered me. To Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me.”
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Both Kardashian and West are reported to be billionaires. West made his money through his music as well as his Yeezy fashion and sneaker line.
Kardashian, who is training to be a social justice lawyer, made her money through her TV series, as a social media influencer and by developing a lucrative line of cosmetics and foundation garments.
TMZ reported that the couple had a prenuptial agreement and that discussions on a property settlement were well advanced.
The wedding was the first for West and the third for Kardashian after she had brief marriages with basketball player Kris Humphries and music producer Damon Thomas.
The divorce papers were filed a month before the March 18 premiere of the final season of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, which is expected to chronicle the recent rift in the couple’s relationship.
Streaming service Hulu said in December that it had signed a deal with Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian, their mother Kris Jenner and half sisters Kylie and Kendall Jenner, in which they will create new content for a venture that is expected to debut late this year.
