Kris Humphries And Kim Kardashian's Relationship Explained
It has been over 10 years since the whirlwind marriage between Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries took the world by storm. At the time of their August 2011 wedding, the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" alum was a rising reality TV star, while Humphries was a professional NBA player with the New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets. The couple's short-lived relationship was highly publicized and subsequently scrutinized after they infamously got divorced following a 72-day marriage. Kardashian's shocking divorce filing that October stirred up a media frenzy that would impact both of their lives for years to come. She was dubbed as a money grabbing celebrity, while Humphries' NBA career and image was forever changed due to his failed marriage and brief stint on reality TV.
But that's what most people already know about this unlikely pairing. From their jaw-dropping multi-million-dollar wedding to accusations that Kimmy K's second marriage was merely a publicity stunt, here is Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries' controversial relationship explained.
How Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries met
Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries came from different worlds, and yet the two of them were seemingly brought together by fate — with one of the basketball star's teammates responsible for them crossing paths.
In the fall of 2010, New Jersey Nets player Jordan Farmar introduced Kardashian and Humphries, which immediately led to sparks flying between them (though he did note that they had been interested in each other prior to this meetup). "I introduced them in New York and they have come a long way since," Farmar told Us Weekly the following year. Indeed, around the time of their real-life meet-cute, Kardashian had attended one of Humphries' basketball games on October 31, 2010, and shortly after, the two were seen in public together, per MTV News.
While their romantic connection may have appeared questionable to some at the time, Farmar attested that they were good for one another, telling Us Weekly, "They both fit each other. He is a good kid. He is from the country. So he kind of slows it down, and she is fast paced and has a lot of stuff going on — so they kind of balance each other out."
They got engaged very quickly
In December 2010, a source told Page Six that Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries were "taking it slow" but having "so much fun together." Despite multiple sightings and reports confirming their relationship, Kardashian denied that she was seeing anyone in a January 2011 interview with MTV News. "I never have been single in my life," she said, adding, "So [after] getting married as a teenager and then getting into a relationship, each lasting like four years, after that, something inside of me, I just felt like I wanted to be single."
But it appears that Kardashian, in fact, did not love living single. By May 2011 — just four months after her interview with MTV News — she was engaged to Humphries. The former NBA star was filmed popping the question in an episode of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" while on vacation with the KarJenner clan in Bora Bora, per Us Weekly. Surrounded by rose petals (which spelled out, "Will you marry me?"), candles, a 20.5-carat ring worth $2 million, and a camera crew, Humphries proposed to Kardashian, and the two officially took their relationship to the next level.
While the proposal appeared genuine on screen, a source alleged to Radar (via the Daily Mail) that the entire event was planned by Kimmy K. "Kim told Kris how, where, and when to propose, it was absolutely no surprise to her whatsoever," the insider claimed. According to the source, Humphries reportedly wanted a more "intimate and romantic" proposal, "but all of his ideas were shot down by production officials and Kim."
Kris Jenner tried to talk her daughter out of the wedding
The next few months for Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries would be filled with preparations for their fairytale, multi-million-dollar wedding. No one would suspect that there were problems below the surface of their relationship, but those closest to "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star sensed her admitted apprehension. Reflecting on the immediate time before her marriage, Kardashian told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017, "My friends told me I just had cold feet, but even the producers said, 'You don't seem happy. You don't have to go through with this.'"
Kardashian's mother and KarJenner family matriarch-turned-momager, Kris Jenner, even had the feeling that her daughter did not want to get hitched. Kardashian recalled a moment between the mother-daughter duo, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "The night before [the wedding], my mom pulled me aside, off camera, and was like, 'This isn't it for you. Why don't you go away and I'll handle it?'" Despite her apprehension, Kardashian followed through with her wedding plans, of course, and married Humphries just six months after they started dating.
Kim Kardashian described their wedding as 'heaven'
On August 20, 2011, Kim Kardashian married Kris Humphries in the presence of friends, family, and an E! Entertainment camera crew. The wedding was a black-and-white, classic affair, with guests dressed for the formal occasion. On the theme of the wedding, a source told People at the time, "They have this Hollywood royalty feeling and the black and white represented formality. But tradition was very important to them."
Including Kardashian and Humphries' own families, the wedding consisted of 450 guests, including celebrities like Ryan Seacrest, George Lopez, and Eva Longoria, to name a few, per Us Weekly. Stepdad Caitlyn Jenner walked Kimmy K down the aisle, while sisters Kourtney and Khloé Kardashian, as well as Kendall and Kylie Jenner, served as bridesmaids for the special occasion.
On her big day, Kim told People in her wedding cover story, "It was like we were in heaven. ... I'm going to remember how perfect it was." The celebrations did not stop on their wedding day, however. Outside of their formal ceremony, the couple were honorary guests at a party held by Jason Binn of Niche Media Holdings and wedding planner Colin Cowie in New York City on August 31 of that year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
They profited off of their $10 million nuptials
A high-profile, celebrity wedding like that of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries is not cheap — and this one was worth approximately $10 million. According to the New York Post, the extensive costs of the nuptials included: $2 million floral arrangements, $750,000 worth of food for the reception, a $150,000 hair and makeup job, $10,000 wedding invitations from Lehr & Black, and a wedding cake worth somewhere in the ballpark of $15,000 to $20,000, to name just a few of the expenses. Among other costs for the event included Kardashian's wardrobe, which consisted of several pricey gowns, including a $20,000 Vera Wang dress, as well as nearly $3 million in jewelry.
The numbers for the reality star's wedding might seem astronomical, but Kardashian and Humphries were able to offset the cost through a number of deals ranging from media companies to venue spaces. The couple were set to make a hefty profit — to the tune of $17.9 million! — from their tying the knot on such a public scale, which included: $15 million for their E!'s two-parter "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event" special, $2.5 million from People for exclusive wedding photos (the mag's exclusive on their engagement announcement nabbed them an additional $300,000), and $50,000 from Tao, a nightclub, to host a bachelorette party in Las Vegas.
She filed for divorce, but Kris Humphries took it a step further
Fairytales don't always last forever. Just 72 days after Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries said "I do," the former filed for divorce on October 31, 2011, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split, according to TMZ.
At the time of her divorce filing, Kardashian released a statement to E! News, which read, "After careful consideration, I have decided to end my marriage. I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision. I had hoped this marriage was forever, but sometimes things don't work out as planned. We remain friends and wish each other the best." Humphries, on the other hand, seemed to have a different experience. Similarly releasing a statement to E! News, he said, "I love my wife and am devastated to learn she filed for divorce. I'm committed to this marriage and everything this covenant represents. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it work."
The former NBA athlete's efforts would not last, however, and by the end of that November, People reported that he sought to file paperwork for a "legal separation," with sources close to the player telling the publication he wanted to "[clear] the record of ever being married to the reality star." TMZ additionally reported that Humphries sought the annulment on grounds that his marriage was fraudulent, which his lawyer ultimately found no evidence of. The two settled their divorce in 2013.
Their differences split them apart
The age-old saying "opposites attract" is true in some cases, but in regards to Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries' relationship, their differences and opposite beliefs ultimately split them apart. According to TMZ, the couple reportedly disagreed on where they wanted to live. While Humphries desired to move back to his home state of Minnesota, Kardashian apparently had other plans in mind. A source close to the reality TV star told the gossip rag that at the time she wanted "to stay near her family" and felt that remaining local was "the best thing for her career."
These particular differences were further highlighted in the second season of the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" spinoff show "Kourtney & Kim Take New York." In one episode, Humphries proposes the idea that they move to Minnesota, to which Kardashian replies (via MTV News), "How am I going to have my career and live in Minnesota?" At this, the former NBA star responds, "Baby, by the time you have kids and they're in school, nobody will probably care about you." Yikes.
Speculation stirred that the marriage was fake
The speed at which Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries took their relationship buzzed in the media long before and after the end of their marriage. Their 72-day union only brought a harsher spotlight on growing suspicions, which led to speculation that their marriage was a fraud.
The details of their nuptials did not help their case, either. The couple's profit from getting hitched, whether from the $15 million two-part E! special to the several hundred-thousand-dollar photo deals (via the New York Post) made the marriage look like it was an opportunistic stunt for publicity and a mere means to make money. Additionally, around the time the couple got married, the second season of "Kourtney & Kim Take New York" was also in the works — detailing the ups and downs of their relationship, and in turn enticing viewers to watch the already highly publicized marriage.
To make matters seem even messier and more suspicious, The Hollywood Reporter highlighted a coincidental story by Us Weekly which painted Humphries as a "party boy" whose irresponsible habits were funded by Kardashian just weeks before the end of their relationship, which inevitably gave the two more publicity. While the public may never know the truth about the validity of the marriage between these two, several external factors seemed to play a role in it.
Kim Kardashian felt pressure to tie the knot
Since her split from Kris Humphries, Kim Kardashian has opened up about her experience in the relationship and why it ended so abruptly and swiftly. In a 2017 apparent on "What Happens Live" the star opened up to host Andy Cohen about the external pressure that pushed her to move so fast in her relationship. "At the time I just thought, 'Holy s**t, I'm 30 years old, I better get this together. I better get married," she said in part, adding, "So, it was more of that situation. But I knew [on the] honeymoon it wasn't going to work out."
Part of the pressure Kardashian felt was also due to her celebrity status and her E! TV show. During the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" reunion, which aired in 2021, she said (via Us Weekly), "OK, we're filming this for a TV show. If I leave, I'm going to be known as the runaway bride forever. It's going to be a huge joke." The reality TV star also discussed the cost of the wedding, saying (via Insider), "I wanted a bigger wedding than what they were going to pay for. ... So I used all of our production money on the wedding. If that was fake, I would have saved my money."
She called Kris Humphries for 'months' to apologize
Though Kim Kardashian initially told the public that she and Kris Humphries remained friends after their split, she painted a different story in the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" reunion that aired a decade later. During the interview led by Andy Cohen in 2021, she admitted that she could have dealt with their relationship and subsequent breakup in a better way, saying (via Page Six), "I was so nervous to break up with someone. I handled it totally the wrong way. I fully broke up with him in the worst way and I couldn't — I just didn't know how to deal."
Kardashian also revealed that she had tried to apologize to her ex-husband several times, but at that point in time, he was not willing to speak to her. When asked if she believed she owed Humphries an apology, she said, "Absolutely, and I tried to, I tried calling him for months." She continued to say that while she was pregnant with baby No. 2 with third husband Kanye West, son Saint, she and daughter North crossed paths with Humphries, only to be met with the cold shoulder. Regarding the interaction, Kardashian said (via Bustle), "All of his friends got up and said hi to me and he just literally looked at me and, like, wouldn't even speak to me."
Kris Humphries was admittedly 'naive' about their relationship
Following his headline-making divorce from Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries remained mostly tight-lipped about their relationship and the impact their breakup had on him. When Kardashian initially filed for divorce, Humphries said that he was "devastated" and "willing to do whatever it takes to make it work," as previously mentioned (via E! News).
Years later, however, the former NBA player detailed the falling out of their short-lived romance in a 2019 essay posted on The Players' Tribune website. Admitting that he was unprepared for what being in a relationship with such a huge public figure like Kardashian meant, he wrote in part, "Look, I should have known what I was getting into. I was definitely naive about how much my life was going to change." He also touched on the speculation and scrutiny that surrounded the marriage, writing, "There's definitely a lot about that world that is not entirely real. But our actual relationship was 100% real. When it was clear that it wasn't working ... what can I say? It sucked." He continued, "It's never easy to go through the embarrassment of something like that — with your friends, with your family. ... But when it plays out so publicly, in front of the world, it's a whole other level. It was brutal."
Though the public divorce with Kardashian impacted Humphries in a negative way, he was able to move on and establish a new chapter in his life for his own fulfillment.
Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries have both moved on
It has been over 10 years since Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries' relationship was thrusted into the public eye and collapsed so dramatically in front of the world. After divorcing Humphries, Kardashian started dating rapper Kanye West in 2012. The two married two years later in 2014, and had four children together, as reported by Page Six. But Kardashian and West's marriage ultimately fell apart, and she filed for divorce in 2021.
As of this writing, she is dating comedian Pete Davidson. The two were initially linked in October 2021 (via Us Weekly) and have since had a positive, public relationship (ignoring the subsequent beef with West, of course). In a March 2022 interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Kardashian opened up about her relationship with Davidson, saying, "It feels good. ... I think it's just in life, like no matter what it is ... I encourage my friends and the people that I love just to be happy, and I went for it."
Meanwhile, Humphries appears to be single, but has been busy with different business ventures. He retired from the NBA in 2019 and became a franchise partner with Crisp & Green, a restaurant based in Minnesota. According to Maple Grove Magazine, the former basketball star "owns two ... franchises" and is also "aligned with several Five Guys locations." Since his retirement, the athlete has also dipped into the world of real estate. In 2017, Humpries "sold a remodeled residence in the 90210 for $8.25 million" and made nearly $2 million, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.