Kanye West spurns ‘complicit’ Kim Kardashian amid reported divorce talks

Kim Kardashian this week pleaded for privacy and compassion for herself and her family, as her husband, Kanye West, remains in Wyoming, struggling with what she says is a serious bipolar disorder episode.

But West isn’t listening to his wife’s expressions of concern and has reportedly refused to see her, fueling growing speculation that the couple is heading to divorce.

TMZ reported Friday that the rapper, 43, has been avoiding Kardashian’s phone calls and rejected her pleas to join him in Wyoming to talk about his mental state — or about what People said would be an “amicable” way to end their marriage and co-parent their four young children.

People, citing “multiple sources,” furthermore reported that “both sides feel the marriage is over” and that divorce talks have been in the process for several weeks, or even longer.

“There have been multiple attempts to talk to him about the situation, but right now nothing is proving successful,” a source told People.

Right now, Kardashian’s priority is her children, the source said. The couple share daughters, North, 7, and Chicago, 2, and sons, Saint, 4, and Psalm, 14 months.

“They are done,” the source said. “And it’s time for some real work to be done to get everyone healthy and moving forward with their lives.”

The Daily Mail reported that tensions between the couple became apparent this spring when they initially sheltered in place with their children due to COVID-19. They were living on opposite sides of the house, “at each other’s throats” and with “daily bust-ups,” the Daily Mail added.

Sources told People that West’s behavior has become increasingly erratic since he announced his 2020 presidential bid on July 4. Such behavior was on full display this week with the rapper’s off-the-rails campaign rally in South Carolina, which featured incendiary comments about Harriet Tubman, divorce and the revelation that he and Kardashian, 39, had considered aborting their daughter, North.

West followed up on Monday and Tuesday night with angry tweets, in which he claimed, among other things, that his wife of six years and her mother, reality TV mogul Kris Jenner, are “white supremacists” trying to control him.

On Wednesday, Kardashian shared a rare public statement about her husband’s bipolar disorder, pleading for compassion for him and their family during a difficult situation in which the family is “powerless” to help the person with mental illness unless the person wants treatment.

The “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” star described her “genius” husband as a “brilliant and complicated” person whose “words some times do not align with his intentions.”

Kardashian’s statement was met with both sympathy and skepticism. Many on social media praised her “dignified” statement and for talking openly about the suffering that mental illness causes and the impossible situation families often find themselves in.

But others on social media, including those who identified themselves as having bipolar disorder, said most people with mental illness are still held accountable if they cause harm to others. These skeptics suggested that West has been able to avoid responsibility for his many offensive statements and actions over the years because of his wealth and because Kardashian has enabled him.

In a column for the Daily Mail, TV host Piers Morgan agreed that Kardashian has been “complicit” in her husband’s most grandiose and “reckless” endeavors, including his recent bid for president. Morgan recalled how Kardashian blasted the media in the past for “demonizing” West’s efforts to be “expressive” by dismissing him as having “mental health issues.” Morgan also pointed out that Kardashian endorsed his presidential bid by tweeting out an American-flag emoji with his July 4 announcement.

“I agree with her that bipolar is a very complicated and painful condition that must cause huge stress for any family which has a member suffering from it,” Morgan wrote. He added that Kardashian is right that her husband is “a sick man who deserves compassion and empathy.”

Bu the host also said, “there’s something vaguely ridiculous about a Kardashian asking for privacy given how cynically and ruthlessly they’ve commercialized every aspect of their private lives for the past decade.”

In one of his since-deleted tweets, West seemed to refer angrily to Kardashian putting out the statement about his bipolar disorder. He wrote, “Kriss and Kim put out a statement without my approval … that’s not what a wife should do.”

In another now-deleted tweet, West said he has been trying to end his marriage since 2018, when Kardashian met Meek Mill at a summit to talk about criminal justice reform. West implied that his wife and fellow rapper had gotten too friendly for his liking.

For her part, Kardashian reportedly is angry and dismayed by West’s controversial statements over the past week, with a source suggesting to People that perhaps she will in fact hold him accountable.

“She is not going to stand by and act like what Kanye is saying and doing doesn’t matter or doesn’t have a lasting impact,” the source said.

Kardashian was especially upset with his remarks about the two of them considering an abortion when she was pregnant with North, who was born in 2013. Kardashian and West married the following year.

“She is furious that he shared something so private,” a source told People. “She loves her kids tremendously and wants to protect them. Her favorite thing in the world is being a mom.”

-Mercurynews