The Kardashians didn’t hold back in the Season 3 premiere, as Khloe, Kourtney, and Kim Kardashian, as well as Kendall, Kylie, and Kris Jenner, returned to dish on what’s been going on in their lives.
In particular, Kim had plenty to say about her ex-husband, Kanye West, during the premiere episode, including blasting him for various remarks he’d made and a rumor she says he started involving Drake.
Just recently, Kim was featured in a podcast where she commented about her marriage to Kanye, suggesting it was a “beautiful” marriage, and didn’t consider it a failure.
However, The Kardashians premiere episode was filmed a while before her podcast appearance, so it was a much different, stressful, and anxiety-filled time in Kim’s life.
Early into the episode, Kim brought up being single now, as she’d been in a relationship when Season 2 concluded. However, that had since ended with Pete Davidson.
In addition, Kim was still dealing with drama involving co-parenting with her ex-husband, Kanye, who remained outspoken about his marriage and the situation with their kids.
Kim Kardashian said she was on the ‘verge of tears’ from dealing with the Kanye West drama
Later in the premiere episode, Kim confessed to Kris Jenner that she’d been on the “verge of tears” all day. In a confessional video, Kim shared that “there’s been a lot going on with Kanye right now,” mentioning, “Things are going on in the media. Radio shows and interviews.”
In the talk with her mother, Kim said that even with all of the stuff Kanye is saying about them, she never comments or posts about it.
“He has made up the most insane narrative about you and the tape, and we stay silent. We stay silent through all the lies, all the stuff,” Kim told Kris.
The tape refers to Kim’s intimate video recorded with ex-boyfriend Ray J, which leaked in 2006, and many people believe it helped propel Kim to the superstar status she’s at today.
While Kim has worked hard to distance herself from the topic, Kanye brought up the subject, claiming there was a second sex tape during a January 2022 interview. However, a rep for Kim K quickly refuted the rapper’s claims about Kim and Ray J’s unreleased footage.
Monsters and Critics reported about Ray J and Kim’s reaction to Kanye’s claims, including Ray J tweeting, “This needs to stop. I have kids.” Neither Kim nor Ray J mentioned Kanye by name at the time.
Kim believes Kanye’s ‘shenanigans’ will be ‘damaging’ to their kids later
In another confessional scene, Kim said she assumes “anything she texts Kanye” will end up on the internet somehow, referring to his sharing their text messages on social media.
Kim also said she felt “heartbroken” for her mom having to deal with “so many different sides of people coming at her.”
However, Kris reminded Kim that they couldn’t control what someone else was doing and that Kanye was doing this to himself.
“All of his shenanigans— I don’t even know what the f**k to call it, is gonna be far more damaging to the kids one day than my tape will ever be,” Kim told Kris.
After an eight-year marriage, Kim filed for divorce from Kanye in 2021. The couple’s divorce was finalized in November 2022, but they still share four children: Psalm, Saint, Chicago, and North West.
While finalizing her divorce and ultimately becoming legally single, co-parenting with Kanye brought plenty of drama Kim’s way, including more than a few online rants from West on social media.
Kim claims Kanye started a rumor she had an affair with Drake
Becoming emotional during The Kardashians premiere episode, Kim told her mom that she felt the best thing for her to do was not to say anything about Kanye’s remarks or claims publicly. The 42-year-old reality star said she felt that is what would be for their kids one day.
Kim brought up how her kids always want to hear their dad’s music every time they get in the car, and Kim said she allows it, even singing her ex-husband’s praises as a musician.
“And I put it on, and we’re singing along, and inside, I’m, like dying because I will be his biggest cheerleader to theme forever, and one day, I’ll answer whatever they want me to,” Kim confessed.
Despite being Kanye’s “biggest cheerleader,” Kim said that the man who was supposed to be her “biggest protector” was not doing that during their marriage or once it ended.
“He was the one that started a rumor that said I was having- hooking up with Drake, having an affair,” Kim mentioned, adding, “Our whole marriage, he accused me of that, publicly.”
Kim’s addressing of the Drake rumor she says Kanye started is the first time she’d done so since speculation first popped up in gossip headlines in 2018.
However, a 2018 Instagram video clip from @theshaderoom features Nick Cannon discussing the rumors and includes a screenshot of Kim’s commenting online, “Never happened. End of story.”
According to Page Six, Kanye also claimed during an appearance on an October 2022 Drink Champs podcast that his ex-mother-in-law, Kris Jenner, slept with Drake.
Kim said she was “f**king exhausted” from all the drama
Another confessional during The Kardashians had Kim saying Kanye often asked her for approval over what she says about him on her show. However, Kim mentioned that Kanye hadn’t had any issues talking about her in his music or interviews without getting approval first.
“I am f**king exhausted,” Kim finally said in confessional.
Breaking down in tears, she told her mother she wished everyone had “their s**t together” because she felt like she couldn’t ever just “lose it” and have a bad day. Kim told her mom that she didn’t want to be a part of the ongoing narrative, but she felt it “will never end.”
In more confessional comments, she said she didn’t want to engage in a public feud with Kanye but felt she had to do something to protect her family from harmful remarks.
Wiping away tears, Kim finally admitted in her confessional she didn’t want to talk about the topic anymore. When asked by a producer what was causing her to become upset, she said it was “everything” as the episode concluded.
The Kardashians episodes arrive Thursdays on Hulu.