Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at breaking point

Monitoring Desk

As one of entertainment’s most prominent couples seek marriage counselling amidst swirling rumors of an imminent divorce, we revisit the celebrity duo’s marital struggles — and political differences.

Is the fairytale over?

Seven years after exchanging vows in an an extravagant ceremony in Florence, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West (dubbed “Kimye” by the media) are reportedly seeking counselling as unnamed sources hint at divorce. “People” reports that West, 43, is bracing for a filing. “He’s okay. He’s sad, but okay. He knows the inevitable will happen, and he knows that it’s coming soon,” said a source. 

A political divide

While both share an affinity for plugging social media to enhance their personal brands, they have polar opposite politics. Kardashian endorsed Hilary Clinton in the 2016 elections and publicly celebrated Joe Biden’s win last year. West is an avowed supporter of President Donald Trump. Regularly seen in a MAGA hat, he once asserted that he and Trump were “brothers” who shared “dragon energy.”

Slavery comments drive a wedge

Kardashian “screamed and cried” when West in 2018 suggested that the enslavement of African Americans might have been a “choice.” He even wrote about their argument in the track “Wouldn’t Leave” from his 2018 album “Ye.” Kardashian later spoke about the slavery comments, saying that she and West “have different views sometimes, but that’s my husband, you know?”

Dealing with bipolar disorder 

After years of speculation, the mercurial West appeared to confirm that he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2018. His album cover “Ye” bore the phrase “I Hate Being Bipolar. It’s Awesome.” In the wake of his controversial rants, Kardashian and her family made an impassioned plea to fans last year for “compassion and empathy … so that we can get through this.”

Meeting the enemy

Kardashian is studying law and has been a vocal campaigner for prison reform. She experienced some political solidarity with her husband when West suggested his liberal wife meet with President Trump in 2018 to lobby for the release of Alice Marie Johnson, then serving a life sentence for a first-time non-violent drug offense. Trump commuted Johnson’s sentence a week after their meeting.

In sickness and in health

Last October, Kardashian revealed that she had cared for West after he’d contracted COVID-19 when the pandemic first struck. Speaking to “Grazia” USA, she described how she had to change his sheets with gloves and a face shield on, describing how it “was really a scary time” as she also had to care for the couple’s four children aged between 7 and 19 months. 

“I almost killed my daughter”

West angered Kardashian with his revelations, stated during his 2020 US presidential campaign launch, that his father had wanted to abort him but his mother had “saved my life.” During the South Carolina rally (pictured), he also revealed that he and Kim had considered aborting one of their children. “I almost killed my daughter,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t ban but would discourage abortion.

Divorce on the cards?

With reports that “Kimye” (pictured in Paris en route to their marathon wedding celebration in 2014) are now living apart, speculation is growing that West will be divorced for the first time, and Kardashian the third. Celebrity divorce attorney, Laura Wasser, will reportedly represent Kardashian again after handling her divorce from basketball player Kris Humphries, following a 72-day marriage.

Courtesy: DW