Kim Kardashian WestandKanye Westare ending their marriage.
The couple, who started dating in 2012 andtied the knotin May 2014, have officially separated. A source tells PEOPLE Kardashian filed for divorce from West on Friday and that things are amicable. According to the source, they are in agreement over joint legal and physical custody, neither is contesting the prenup in place, negotiations have progressed and they are nearing a settlement.
TheKeeping Up with the Kardashiansstar, 40, and the rapper, 43, share four children: daughtersNorth, 7½, andChicago, 3, and sonsSaint, 5, andPsalm,who will turn 2 in May.
The split comes aftera tumultuous periodfor the pair, who appeared to beon the brink of divorcelast summer beforereconnectingandspending private time together with their children.
For more on Kim and Kanye’s divorce, listen below to the episode of PEOPLE Every Day!
Then, in January, multiple sources confirmed to PEOPLE that Kardashian had been working with high-profiledivorce attorney Laura Wasserandplanned to file for divorce from West.
“They are justnot on the same pagewhen it comes to their future as a family,” one insider said. “And Kim is okay with it.”
Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West.Matt Baron/Shutterstock
The couple’s marriage originally landed in crisis at the height of West’s erratic behavior. His public outbursts began last July, after he launched acontroversial bid for president of the United Statesanddivulged deeply personal detailsabout his family and marriage on the campaign trail and on Twitter. The frenzy prompted Kardashian to address her husband’sbipolar disorder diagnosisin arare public statement, asking fans for “compassion” and acknowledging their “complicated and painful” situation.
“Even if my wife wants to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into the world even when I didn’t want to,” he said. “She stood up and she protected that child.”
A source told PEOPLE at the time that Kardashian was “shocked that Kanye spoke about North at the rally,” and “furious that he shared something so private.”
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.Marc Piasecki/WireImage
West’s unpredictable behavior continued that week as he tweeted and deleted a string of provocative statements, including claims that Kardashian and her motherKris Jennerhad tried to"lock him up."(Of the allegation, a source told PEOPLE at the time that Kardashian had been"trying to get Kanye help for weeks.") West also claimed then that he had beenlooking to end his marriagesince November 2018, when Kardashian consulted with rapperMeek Millduring a criminal justice reform summit.
Days later — after Kardashian’s public statement — Westissued a public apologyto his wife on Twitter. A source told PEOPLE at the time that Westfelt “very bad,“adding, “It’s obvious that he still loves her.”
The two then reunited in Cody, Wyoming, meeting face-to-face for the first time in weeks. Kardashian wasseen cryingin the car with her husband, and a source told PEOPLE she was “very emotional about everything, and also exhausted.”
Shortly afterwards, they flew to the Dominican Republic with their kids, with a source telling PEOPLE"the focus” of the trip was to work on their marriage. After they returned to the United States together, a source said they were"getting along"and both seemed “much happier.”
Kanye West, Kim Kardashian West.
In mid-August, Westreinstated his Sunday Service in Wyoming, with Kardashian assuring fans that his team “took every precaution to ensure the choir’s health and safety” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Kim still seems focused on making her marriage work,” a source told PEOPLE at the time. “She is pretty quiet about her exact plans for the future, but for now she seems okay with Kanye living in Wyoming.”
Then, in September, West once again thrust himself into the spotlight when hefired off another round of troubling tweets. A source told PEOPLE then that Kardashian was “at the end of her rope — again.”
Still, they appeared to weather the storm, and for the remainder of 2020, West maintained a relatively low profile. The first signs of renewed trouble came in December, when a source told PEOPLE the two were still together, though very muchliving “separate lives.”
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West with their children.Kim Kardashian/Instagram
Sources have also told PEOPLE that the couple had previouslydiscussed the possibility of a split. According to one source, the two “were already nearing the end of their marriage” prior to their recent public struggles, and the possibility of divorce was “a long time coming.”
Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
It was West’s first marriage and Kardashian’s third. She waspreviously marriedto music producer Damon Thomas from 2000-2004.
A power couple from the start, they made history when theygraced the cover ofVoguein 2014: She as the first reality star on the fashion bible’s cover, he as the first rapper, and together as the first interracial pair.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West with family.Kim Kardashian/Instagram
A sourcetold PEOPLEat the time of West’s hospitalization that the two were “incredibly supportive of one another.”
“Kim has a unique understanding of him, probably in a deeper way than anybody else in the world,” the source said. “She’s understanding of the way that he operates.”
West has also been supportive of his wife. In October 2016, hedropped everything to rush to her sideafter she wasrobbed at gunpointofmillions of dollars worth of jewelryin Paris.
“Kim and Kanye are determined to turn any setbacks or tragedies into triumphs,” an insidertold PEOPLEat the time. “It’s in both of their natures, and embedded in their personal stories.”
TMZwas first to report the news of the divorce filing.
If you or someone you know need mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
source: people.com
