The announcement of the wedding between Kimberly Noel Kardashian, the American socialite and media personality otherwise known as Kim Kardashian and rapper, record producer and 2020 Presidential aspirant, Kanye West, sounded like one of the biggest oddball pairings, yet the couple proved themselves as one of the most grounded couples in Hollywood for six years.
However, in January, their fans were left high and dry when word that a Kim Kardashian and Kanye West split was imminent spread like wildfire. On February 19, the reality star made the news official by filling for divorce from the rapper who she wedded on May, 4, 2014.
According to ETonline she cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split; and the date of separation is listed as “TBD”.
But those close to the American celebrity couple dubbed ‘Kimye’ suggest that they have been living increasingly separate lives for a few months. These reports indicate that the rapper spent majority of his time in Wyoming while the reality star has been in Calabasas, California with their children.
Over the course of the years, the couple has weathered scandals, health scares, and raising four children together. So one would only wonder why they are succumbing to the present storm.
Sources close to the pair claim that Kardashian, the ever-positive reality star, known for her sunny personality, has had it particularly tough the past eight months especially with West’s frequent controversies and manic moments.
The breaking point may therefore have been arrived at within the past couple of months some of which Mr. West spent campaigning on a wasteful mission to American presidency. He is reported to have spent a humongous $12m dollars of his own money on the bid.
Before it All Began
Kardashian and West‘s paths crossed for the first time almost a decade before they became romantically involved. At the time, the realty star was working as a stylist for singer, Brandy and was still married to music producer, Damon Thomas.
During the Keeping UP With The Kardashians 10-year anniversary, the reality star revealed how she met the rapper.
“I met him I think in 2002 or 2003. He was recording a song with Brandy and I was her friend. He was asking his friends; ‘Who is this Kim Kardajan? He didn’t know what my name was.”
Although, she had shown interest in the rapper at the time, other relationships intervened. When basketball player, Kris Humpries came her way in 2011, the reality star quickly said yes.
West had tried to dissuade her from marrying Humphries- who she was infamously only wedded to for 72 days but she went ahead anyway.
By 2012, Kardashian and Humphries had begun their divorce proceedings and West saw it as an opening; because he rapped about falling in love with her in the song Cold.
“And I’ll admit, I had fell in love with Kim / Around the same time she had fell in love with him / Well that’s cool, baby girl, do ya thang / Lucky I ain’t had Jay drop him from the team,” he rapped.
While her divorce proceedings were dragging on, she became involved with West and they went public with their relationship.
In December 2012, the couple revealed that they were expecting their first child together. Kardashian broke the news first by posting on her blog as follows: “It’s true!! Kanye and I are expecting a baby. We feel so blessed and lucky.”
From Dreamy Proposal to Fairytale Wedding
Following the finalisation of her divorce, West proposed to Kardashian on her 33rd birthday at the AT&T baseball stadium in San Francisco; which he rented out for the occasion on October 21, 2013. This led to a “Kimye” famous 2014 wedding in Italy.
The couple held their rehearsal dinner at a famed French landmark Versailles. The ceremony itself held on May 24, 2014, in Forte di Belvedere, a historic fortress, in Florence, Italy.
Kardashian’s former stepfather, Bruce Jenner, walked her down the aisle as Andrea Bocelli sang Con te Partiro. It was the beginning of one of the most talked about celebrity marriage ever.
Trouble in Paradise
But the peace of the couple soon began to get some shaking. The friction between the Grammy winner and the reality star-turned-business woman started in 2015 with West’s compulsive tweeting, which he hasn’t been able to stop.
While Kardashian has been keeping a level head about most of her the rappers eccentric behaviour, she became emboldened by his complete lack of restraint in his public comment as of late.
In previous times, she had opened up about the rapper’s disrespect of personal boundaries and allegedly being a control freak. In 2020, his mental health struggles, including a bipolar diagnosis became concerning as he announced a presidential run on Twitter.
At a rally, Kardashian was left shocked beyond words when West said during his short-lived presidential campaign that they had contemplated aborting their first child, North.
This revelation prompted more erratic Twitter rants from West and accusations that his wife wanted to have him committed to a mental hospital and that he had been trying to divorce her.
Divorce Seems Like the Only Solution
With the mountain of tension that has risen over the past couple of months, it was no surprise when Kardashian filed for a divorce; showing her refusal to be subsumed into “Kimye” despite all the hype.
Part of the reasons for the divorce seems to be that the couple’s interests have diverged. In May 2018, the wife showed a newfound interest in social justice when she lobbied President Donald Trump to consider clemency for a Tennessee woman named Alice Johnson, who was sentenced to life in prison in 1996 on charges related to cocaine possession and money laundering. The reality star had learned about Johnson‘s case from a video posted to Twitter.
While Mr. West was running his failed presidential campaign in 2020, the madam was working on a four-year apprenticeship to become a lawyer, like her late father so she could fight to fix the criminal justice system. Since then, her celebrity status has risen significantly.
While the couple’s divorce is setting up to be one of the most expensive divorces ever, it is easy for single parents to get caught up in the battle of looking at “what’s in it for me”. Or forgetting what’s in the best interest of each other as parents and the children, most especially.
And of course, this celebrity couple are not expected to be different. So, what might the situation look like?
Who Gets What
The uber-wealthy couple are reported to have a prenuptial agreement, though their finances have increased dramatically since their 2014 wedding. West is the richer of the pair. But much of his net worth is tied up in his illiquid apparel company; unlike Kardashian whose fortune is much more liquid.
Both independently own and operate their own businesses- West’s Yeezy and Kardashian’s KKW Beauty, and will likely retain ownership, as well as any income from those endeavors.
According to an April Forbes story, the rapper is now worth $1.3bn thanks to his fashion and music successes. Kardashian has seen her fortune balloon from $40m in 2014 to $780m in October 2020; largely attributable to her makeup and shape wear lines.
Their most valued assets such as their family home in Hidden Hills, California which is worth $60 million, make up just a small fraction of their combined net worth, which stands at $2.1 billion.
According to RadarOnline, Kardashian will receive $1m for every year they were married, bringing the total to £6m. She would also keep the couple’s Bel Air home which was put under her name; and all the gifts and jewelry given to her by West.
This includes a $40,000 hand-painted Hermes bag, several Cartier bracelets valued at $35,000 each and neon green Mercedes Benz G55O SUV worth $227,000.
Most famously, the rapper gave her two engagement rings, one valued at $2million and the second one, which was valued at $4.5 million but stolen during a robbery in Paris, France.
The couple would most likely get joint legal and physical custody of their four children: daughters North, 7, and Chicago, 3, and sons Saint, 5, and Psalm, 1.
However, it all depends on the terms of their prenup and whatever settlement their lawyers can negotiate. For now, we’ve assumed that they will split it equally.
While the divorce might hurt both ways, there is a big silver lining for Miss Kardashian; which is in massive transformation of her image and personality after the marriage. The once average L.A girl has transited into one of the world’s top business icons and megabrands.
Now things are going to be different for the former Mrs. Kardashian West as the rapper will be out of the decision-making process. She’s on her way to becoming a whole new woman breaking free from an overbearing husband. Despite all the hype, marriages end, but your brand is forever.
In a recent issue of GQ Magazine, West had hinted at “Kim K skills” being key to her success; and how he’s going to apply them to his own life. Perhaps, the rapper can now educate and inspire himself all on his own. But if there’s anything you can’t take out of the couple’s wedding; it is the fact that Kim Kardashian is a brand machine.
Love her or hate her, there’s no denying that she has built the ultimate brand powerhouse.
