In a new authorized biography, the SKIMS mogul opens up about coparenting four children with a man she can’t stop worrying about, and whether things will ever get better.
Kim Kardashian has built an empire on control: of her image, her brand and the story the world tells about her. But there is one thing the SKIMS founder concedes she has never been able to manage, and that is her lingering concern for Kanye West.
In Citizen Kim: The Woman Who Created the Future, an authorized biography by journalist Jonathan Van Meter, Kardashian, 46, reveals that the rapper, 49, is rarely far from her mind. The former couple share four children: North, 13, Saint, 10, Chicago, 8, and Psalm, 7.
A Worry That Comes With the Territory
Kardashian told Van Meter she frets about West constantly, describing a concern that runs through her entire day. Because he is the father of her children, she explained, she does not expect that feeling to ever fully go away. She also called it one of the heavier burdens of raising kids alongside someone she does not always see eye to eye with.
It is a candid admission from a woman who rarely lets the public see her sweat. And it lands with particular weight for fans who watched West rise from a Chicago producer with a backpack and a chip on his shoulder to one of the most influential voices in hip-hop history, then watched the headlines around him grow steadily darker.
The Road From Marriage to Meltdown
Kardashian filed for divorce in February 2021 after nearly seven years of marriage. The split followed a turbulent stretch that included West’s unsuccessful 2020 presidential run, a string of public outbursts and a series of troubling posts on social media.
The fallout did not end with the paperwork. West, who has spoken openly about living with bipolar disorder, posted private text messages between the former couple online. When Kardashian began dating Saturday Night Live alum Pete Davidson, now 32, West took aim at the comedian in his song Eazy, whose claymation music video showed a figure resembling Davidson being buried alive. Later that year, the Yeezy founder married Australian designer Bianca Censori in a private ceremony.
For many in the culture, the era was painful to witness. West’s antisemitic remarks in 2022 cost him major business partnerships, including his lucrative deal with Adidas, and strained a fan base that once defended him at nearly every turn.
How Kardashian Keeps the Peace
Despite all the chaos, Kardashian paints a surprisingly calm picture of the present. She told Van Meter that the two now coparent with minimal friction, and that they still share a hug whenever their paths cross.
The All’s Fair star said West stops by every few months. She also pointed to a reality that follows their children whenever they spend time with their dad: the cameras are never far behind, and photos of the outings almost always surface.
That arrangement reflects a quiet kind of discipline. For Kardashian, protecting the kids appears to mean keeping the temperature low, even when the headlines about their father run hot.
A Prayer for Her Children
Still, the reality star does not pretend everything is fine. She described living in a near-permanent state of worry, often asking herself whether West is going to be OK. She acknowledged that he has a knack for pulling himself out of difficult moments, yet said watching him struggle leaves her deeply saddened.
Her outlook on what comes next is sobering. Kardashian told Van Meter she does not believe the situation is likely to improve, though she said she prays it will, mainly for the sake of their four children.
It is a rare moment of vulnerability from one of the most scrutinized women in entertainment. For a family that has lived so much of its life in front of a lens, the hardest chapter may be the one still being written, and Kardashian, by her own account, is bracing for it.
