Strange Things About Kim Kardashian's Relationship History
This feature references domestic abuse allegations
Whether you keep up with them or not, it's undeniable that Kim Kardashian is a pop culture icon — the mother of four even came 21st on the 2023 Forbes list of America's richest self-made women in the world. While she's in the company of Taylor Swift and Rihanna, the SKIMS founder's journey to fame is quite unlike the pop stars and entrepreneurs she shares the ranks with.
Kardashian has long been criticized for being a celebrity with no discernable skill. Speaking to Interview on the topic in 2022, she shared that people would ask her, "Well, what do you do? What's your talent?" to which she'd coyly reply, "Didn't know I needed one." Still, one could argue that it takes a certain amount of savvy for Kardashian to go from running a closet cleaning business in her early twenties to becoming one of the most influential A-listers in pop culture history.
Her infamous sex tape with Ray J landed her on the map, but Kardashian's fifteen minutes of fame has turned into fifteen years ... and counting. Like her or not, you definitely know her — and that's because Kardashian has built an empire. With her enormous fame, the reality star has endured incessant media attention over her love life. Whether it's her 72-day marriage to her ex-husband Kris Humphries or her tumultuous divorce from Kanye West, Kardashian's relationships are always making headlines. Looking at the love life of one of the most polarizing women in the United States, there are many strange things about Kim Kardashian's relationship history.
Kim Kardashian was high at her first wedding
It's not every day that someone admits to using drugs on their wedding day. Kim Kardashian made some shocking statements in 2018 during an episode of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" (via Access Hollywood) about her first marriage to music producer Damon Thomas. "I got married on ecstasy," Kardashian said in the clip. "I did ecstasy once and I got married. I did it again and I made a sex tape, like, everything bad would happen [on ecstacy]."
However, Thomas disputed Kardashian's account of their allegedly drug-fueled nuptials in an interview with Vlad TV, saying, "Yeah, I don't remember that at all." He went on to add, "I think it's unfair to make those kind of blanket statements because we have kids now, you know? I have children."
Kardashian was 19 years old when she first got married to Thomas, who was ten years her senior. The couple tied the knot in a Las Vegas ceremony in 2000 but their relationship was short-lived. They divorced in 2004 after a tense court battle, per Daily Mail. According to documents obtained by the Daily News, Kardashian accused Damon of physically and emotionally abusive behavior, stating, "Damon decided what we would do and when we would do it ... He said he wanted to know where I was at all times." Thomas vehemently denied her allegations, telling In Touch in 2014, "She can't write or sing or dance, so she does harmful things in order to validate herself in the media."
Ray J leaked photos from their alleged sex tape contract
Kim Kardashian may be famous for many things, but her infamous sex tape nearly broke the internet when it came out in 2007. The intimate video featured her and her former boyfriend, William 'Ray J' Norwood, whom she dated from 2003 to 2006. Ever since its release, there has been a dispute about who was responsible for the video being made public.
Speaking to Daily Mail in May 2022, Norwood made some shocking allegations against his former girlfriend and her mother. "I have never leaked a sex tape in my life. It's always been a deal and a partnership between Kris Jenner and Kim and me and we've always been partners since the beginning of this thing," he claimed. If what the R&B singer said is true, the two made a pretty penny. As per an email from Vivid Entertainment CEO Steve Hirsch obtained by TMZ, the pair allegedly made nearly $1,400,000 in profits in the month following the video's release.
Norwood also released what he claims are written contracts detailing the number of tapes made and the percentage of profits agreed upon. On an episode of Comedy Central's "Hell of a Week,"(per Vibe) Norwood revealed his plans to pursue legal action over the issue. "It's crickets over there. No response. No nothing. Silence," he said of the family's reaction to his accusations. On a September 2022 episode of "The Late Late Show," Jenner passed a lie detector test when she stated she hadn't helped her daughter to release the sex tape.
Did she stage her own wedding proposal?
Kim Kardashian met her second husband Kris Humphries in 2010 after they were introduced by a mutual friend in New York City. The two had a whirlwind courtship that had them tying the knot just months later in August 2011. As seen in an episode of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," Humphries popped the question in a romantic display complete with candles and the words "Will You Marry Me?" spelled out in rose petals in their bedroom.
While Kardashian obviously said yes, sources close to the NBA player told Radar that he had planned on asking the question in a more intimate manner. The athlete was allegedly hoping to ask his future wife to marry him in Minnesota, but his wishes were derailed. "Kim told Kris how, where, and when to propose, it was absolutely no surprise to her whatsoever", the source revealed. "First of all, Kris proposed in the middle of the day, and he had to do that because it would create better lighting to capture the moment ... Kim looked so surprised but she knew it was happening."
In October 2011, Kardashian filed for divorce just 72 days into their marriage. A month later, Humphries filed to annul the marriage, claiming it was fraudulent, per TMZ. In court documents obtained by Life & Style magazine, former "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" producer Russell Jay claimed during his deposition that the proposal scene was re-shot because Kardashian wasn't satisfied with her reaction. The divorce was finalized in 2013
Kim Kardashian made nearly $18 million on her second wedding
Following Kim Kardashian's split from Kris Humphries in 2011, tabloids speculated whether the 72-day marriage was a publicity stunt or not. While the reality star has always denied marrying for a payout, it doesn't mean she didn't make a ridiculous amount of money for broadcasting the nuptials. The 2011 wedding was featured in a four-hour two-part E! special titled "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event." The televised ceremony, as well as the exclusive photo rights sold to People magazine, were estimated to have brought the couple nearly $17.9 million dollars.
The pair apparently spent very little on the wedding ceremony, with reports suggesting that many of their vendors provided their services for free due to the intense media coverage. Kardashian donned three Vera Wang gowns during the ceremony, accessorized with $3 million dollars worth of wedding jewelry by Lorraine Schwartz. To toast their nuptials, Perrier Jouet Champagne provided $400,000 dollars worth of bubbly for the special day. The wedding extravaganza was alleged to have cost a whopping $10 million, but in the end, it became a payday for the newlyweds.
She knew her marriage to Kris Humphries would fail
Kim Kardashian admitted that she knew her marriage to Kris Humphries was doomed while on their honeymoon. During an episode of "Watch What Happens Live" the star told Andy Cohen that while she did love Humphries, she had major doubts early on. When the host asked her whether or not she thought the marriage would last, the SKIMS founder responded, "At the time I just thought 'Holy s***, I'm 30 years old, I better get this together, I better get married.'" The pressure to settle down and have kids weighed on the reality star and she admitted that affected her decision to go through with the marriage.
She realized she'd made a mistake almost immediately, stating, "I knew, like, [on the] honeymoon, it wasn't going to work out." The reality star's own mother tried to give her daughter an escape plan before marrying the basketball player in 2011. During a "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" reunion special hosted by Cohen in 2021 (via The Sun), Kris Jenner recalled telling her daughter, "Listen, if you really don't want to do this, I don't think you should do it. I think this could be a really bad idea, and if you want to get out of it ..." Kardashian then cut in, to say, "No, what you said to me was, 'Go. I'm gonna put you in a car, no one will find you. Just leave, and I'll handle it.'" She also claimed that she attempted to call Humphries for months after their divorce to apologize but he never responded.
Kanye tried to warn Kim about Kris Humphries
During an appearance with Kim Kardashian on "Kocktails with Khloé" in 2020, Kanye West claimed he'd tried to warn her against marrying Kris Humphries. The news of her coupling up with the NBA star even led the "Good Morning" artist to buy a cellphone. "I got a phone because somebody decided they wanted to marry Kris Humphries," he said on the show before laughing. "... I wasn't up to anything, and I looked on the Internet, and there was Kim with some extremely tall person, and I was like, 'I need to call her or something.'"
The "Jesus Walks" rapper admitted that he sent photos of once-cool former professional basketball players to Kim wearing outdated, tacky outfits. "'This is your future!'" West said he wrote to the SKIMS founder at the time. Kim went ahead with the nuptials, but she found her way over to West following her divorce from Humphries. The two tied the knot in 2014 and went on to have four children together before divorcing in 2022. During a "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" anniversary special, the reality star suggested that her divorce from Humphries helped her to realize what she wanted from a relationship when West re-entered the picture. "I was feeling really low and down and [West] said, 'Just come to Paris and see my fashion show,'" she recalled. "... I swear from the moment I landed, I fell madly in love with him."
Kim and Kanye made constant changes to their home
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West had an unconventional living situation throughout their relationship. Nine months before the couple tied the knot in 2014, they purchased an $11 million dollar Bel-Air mansion — only to tear it down to rebuild their dream home. The pair moved into their 14,000-square-foot Italian-inspired mansion in 2016, complete with a gym, movie theatre, bowling alley, basketball court, indoor and outdoor pool, and a makeup studio. According to TMZ, at the time of their move-in, the couple had already put the dream home up for sale.
Kardashian and West opted to buy a Hidden Hills home in the same neighborhood as her mother, Kris Jenner. The pair purchased the $20 million dollar mansion in 2014, which thanks to major upgrades was estimated to be worth a whopping $60 million in 2023. The property took five years to transform into the picturesque all-white interior the couple wanted, with the couple living with Jenner in the meantime.
In 2022, Kardashian bought a Malibu beach house after reportedly needing a bit of breathing room from her ex-husband following their 2021 split. "Kanye's home is very close [to the Hidden Hills house] and this is another way for her to have her autonomy," an insider told People. West purchased a $4.5 million dollar estate across the street from his former home with Kardashian in 2021. "My solace comes from seeing my kids and getting a solid schedule. That's why I even got the house," he told Hollywood Unlocked.
Kanye West moved to Wyoming without Kim Kardashian
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's marriage was full of ups and downs. The two built an empire, becoming one of Hollywood's most powerful couples in the near decade that they were together. However, their romantic relationship ran its course, and Kardashian filed for divorce from the rapper in 2021.
The SKNN founder revealed on a 2021 episode of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" that her and West's plans just never seemed to align — including his move to Wyoming in 2019. "I just honestly can't do this anymore. Why am I still in this place where I'm stuck for years? Like, he goes and moves to a different state every year," Kardashian said on the show. "I have to be, like, together so I can raise the kids." She went on to add that the rapper should be with a partner that could keep up with his travel plans.
Before the divorce filing, an insider told Us Weekly that the pair had been leading separate lives away from each other for several months. Despite the couple having spent a fair bit of time together in Wyoming, she apparently had no desire to make it her home base. In 2020, in the lead-up to their split, TMZ posted paparazzi photos of Kardashian having what looked to be an emotional conversation with West on one of her visits out west.
Kanye told Kim she looked like Marge Simpson
Kim Kardashian may be a style icon, but her ex-husband Kanye West was apparently behind her looks for nearly a decade while they were together. The reality star opened up about just how much the rapper dictated what she should wear while at Business of Fashion's inaugural BoF West summit in 2018, per W magazine. "I always thought I had really good style — until I met my husband and he told me that I had the worst style," she admitted. The mother of four alleged that West sent her emails complete with vision boards featuring labels like, "You cannot wear big glasses anymore," accompanied by photos of substitute glasses for his then-wife to mull over. She also claimed that her ex-husband raided her closest while they were together, leaving her in tears. "I probably had 250 pairs of shoes and when we were done cleaning it out, I had two pairs left and I cried," Kardashian said.
At the time, she was eager to learn from West's unique sense of style. But after the pair split up in 2021, Kardashian took back her fashion reins — but not without a few choice words from her ex-husband. On an episode of "Kardashians" that aired in 2022, she claimed that her husband called her after she styled herself for a Wall Street Journal's Innovator Awards ceremony (above). "He told me my career's over and then he showed me a picture of Marge Simpson wearing something similar," she admitted on the show.
She had sex with Pete Davidson in honor of her grandma
There are many ways to honor one's grandparents, but having fireplace sex isn't typically the first thing that comes to mind. In an episode of Hulu's "Kardashians" that aired in 2022, the SKIMS mogul detailed her night at the Beverly Hills Hotel with her then-boyfriend, Pete Davidson. "Pete and I were staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel last weekend," Kardashian told her grandmother Mary Jo "MJ" Shannon, "And we were sitting in front of the fireplace, just talking for hours, and I was like, 'My grandma told me that you really live life when you have sex in front of the fireplace,' and so we had sex in front of the fireplace in honor of you."
After hearing the story, Shannon questioned Kardashian if she had done the deed in the lobby. While the reality star assured her she hadn't, she added, "But how creepy to think about your grandma before you have sex?" Kardashian's grandmother took the strange honor in stride, jokingly saying, "I know, but I was younger once." Kardashian and Davidson parted ways in August 2022 after nine months of dating.