Amid reports Kim Kardashian has filed for divorce from Kanye West, we’ve decided to take a look back at their long-standing relationship.
Although the couple went public with their romance in 2012, the reality star and the rapper have been in each other’s lives since the early 2000s.
Want to know how Kimye came to be? Check out our complete timeline of their relationship history below…
2003
As we mentioned above, Kanye and Kim have known each other for a very long time.
The TV personality first met Kanye in the early 2000s, when she was married to her first husband Damon Thomas.
During a previous episode of KUWTK, Kim said: “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.”
2010
Kim and Kanye remained friends for years before they finally went public with their romance in 2012.
Back in 2010, the rapper made his first appearance on KUWTK spin-off Kourtney and Kim Take New York, when they invited him to visit their DASH store in SoHo.
During the episode, Kim said: “Kanye and I have been good friends for a long time. He’s someone that we definitely respect his fashion taste and his style and so we wanted him to come check out the store.”
At the time, Kim was dating NBA player Kris Humphries.
2012
Following Kim’s failed marriage to Kris Humphries, which lasted just 72 days, Kanye confessed his love for the KUWTK star on his 2012 single ‘Cold (Theraflu)’.
In the song, Kanye brutally mocked Kim’s ex-husband, who played on Jay-Z’s NBA team, the Brooklyn Nets, at the time.
He rapped: “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.”
In June 2012, Kim finally confirmed her relationship with Kanye after months of speculation.
After he released the music video for his hit song No Church In The Wild, Kim tweeted about being a “proud girlfriend”.
Just a few months later, Kanye announced Kim’s first pregnancy during a New Year’s Eve performance in December 2012.
At the time, Kim tweeted: “It’s true!! Kanye and I are expecting a baby. We feel so blessed and lucky and wish that in addition to both of our families, his mom and my dad could be here to celebrate this special time with us.”
“Looking forward to great new beginnings in 2013 and to starting a family. Happy New Year!!! Xo.”
2013
Kim and Kanye hit headlines all over the world when they attended their first Met Gala as a couple in May 2013.
The reality star was eight months pregnant at the time, and later admitted she cried “the whole way home” after her floral Givenchy gown was ridiculed on social media.
One month later, Kim gave birth to their daughter, North West, on June 15.
Unlike her sister Kourtney, Kim didn’t document her baby’s birth on KUWTK, as Kanye wanted to keep the intimate moment private.
But months later, Kanye seemed to change his tune about their reality show, as he allowed KUWTK to film their engagement in October 2013.
The rapper proposed to the makeup mogul at the AT&T Park baseball stadium in San Francisco, and flew in her family and friends for the special occasion.
2013 was also the year Kim starred in Kanye’s now-infamous music video for ‘Bound 2’, which has gained almost 80million views.
2014
After becoming the first interracial couple to appear on the front cover of Vogue magazine, Kanye and Kim tied the knot on May 24, 2014 in Florence, Italy.
Before they exchanged vows, the couple hosted a rehearsal dinner for around 600 guests in Paris at the Palace of Versailles.
Their wedding guests were then flown to Florence for the ceremony, and Kim wore a custom Givenchy dress, designed by Riccardo Tisci.
2015
After over a year of marital bliss, the couple welcomed their second child, a son named Saint, on December 5, 2015.
However Kim suffered serious complications during her pregnancy, including preeclampsia and Placenta accreta.
After welcoming their second child, Kim wanted to try and get pregnant again, but doctors advised her not to.
The reality star and her husband then turned to surrogacy, and have since welcomed two more children.
2018
Kanye and Kim’s third child, Chicago West, was born via gestational surrogate on January 15, 2018.
At the time, the KKW Beauty founder said: “Kanye and I are happy to announce the arrival of our healthy, beautiful baby girl.”
“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. North and Saint are especially thrilled to welcome their baby sister.”
The couple named their daughter Chicago in honour of the city where Kanye was raised.
2019
Over a year after the birth of Chicago, Kim and Kanye welcomed their fourth child, Psalm West, via surrogate on May 9.
At the time, Kim announced the news by tweeting: “He’s here and he’s perfect!”
Days later, the couple renewed their wedding vows in an intimate ceremony, to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary.
2020
Just over one year after they renewed their wedding vows, Kim and Kanye’s marriage hit the rocks in July 2020.
After announcing his intention to run for president, Kanye spoke about almost aborting their daughter North during a campaign rally in South Carolina.
After the rally, the rapper posted a number of shocking statements on Twitter, and he even accused Kim of trying to get him “locked up”.
Kanye also claimed he’s been “trying to get divorced” from Kim ever since she met Meek Mill back in 2018 to discuss prison reform.
He later deleted the tweets, and a few hours later Kim released a statement addressing her husband’s behaviour.
In the statement, the reality star opened up about Kanye’s mental health – explaining how “incredibly complicated and painful” it can be to struggle with bipolar disorder.
The mother-of-four also asked the public to show their family “compassion” during such a difficult time.
Days later, the 43-year-old posted a public apology to Kim on Twitter.
The couple then put on a united front by taking their kids on a “make or break” trip to the Dominican Republic.
However towards the end of 2020, cracks started to appear in their relationship again, as the couple seemed to spend most of the Christmas holidays apart.
Insiders also claimed that they had been living “separate lives” for months.
2021
On January 5th, 2021, Page Six reported that Kim was preparing to divorce her husband of six years.
A source told the publication: “They are keeping it low-key but they are done. Kim has hired Laura Wasser and they are in settlement talks.”
They also reported that Kanye spent most of the Christmas season at his ranch in Wyoming, while his family celebrated without him.
“Kim got Kanye to go up there [Wyoming] so they could live separate lives and quietly get things sorted out to separate and divorce. She’s done,” the insider claimed.
“This isn’t the first time they’ve been talking about a split, but this time it is way, way more serious.”
On February 19, 2021 – TMZ reported that Kim had officially filed for divorce from Kanye through her attorney Laura Wasser.
It’s understood their split has been “amicable”, and Kim is reportedly seeking joint custody of their four children – North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.
Insiders have since told PEOPLE that Kanye believes his presidential bid “cost him his marriage” to the KUWTK star.
Kim and Kanye are yet to comment on their split.
