Kim Kardashian says she is still protecting her children’s relationship with Kanye West, even when that means finding explanations for their father’s absences.
In Jonathan Van Meter’s new biography, Citizen Kim, the SKIMS founder discusses raising North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm with her ex-husband and how she navigates his absences. “It is challenging coparenting with someone who comes by every few months,” she says, to E! News.
Kardashian explains that she tells the children their dad is traveling. “I still make up stories and protect them,” she says, adding that she wants them to have a positive view of their father. She also says she worries about West throughout the day. She often communicates through his wife, Bianca Censori, or his manager. “I’ll communicate through his wife,” she explains. Kardashian continues inviting him over. The arrangement has made room for family time, including a Christmas celebration together after she included Censori in the holiday plans.
The account offers a sobering update on a relationship once known for grand romantic gestures and major milestones in music, fashion, and reality television. Kardashian and West began dating in 2012 and welcomed North the following year. West proposed at San Francisco’s AT&T Park in October 2013, and the couple married in Florence, Italy, on May 24, 2014. They also shared the cover of Vogue’s April 2014 issue, with Annie Leibovitz photographing the couple and baby North. Ahead of their wedding, the shoot put the young family’s personal lives in the fashion spotlight.
By July 2020, Kardashian was publicly addressing the challenges their family faced. Following West’s presidential campaign appearance and a series of social media posts, she discussed his bipolar disorder and asked the public for compassion, emphasizing how painful and complicated the experience could be for families. She filed for divorce in February 2021. The two were declared legally single in March 2022 and reached a divorce settlement that November, agreeing to joint custody of their four children.
Speaking on Call Her Daddy in October 2025, Kardashian said the marriage had affected her own mental health and her ability to be fully present for their children. In that interview, Kardashian linked the breakup to instability during West’s episodes, including financial uncertainty and his attacks on her family members. She described leaving as a decision she needed to make to parent more effectively.
West has also publicly acknowledged a bipolar I diagnosis. In a January 2026 statement published as a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal, the rapper described experiencing a four-month manic episode in early 2025. He linked behavior he regretted to his illness while acknowledging that it did not excuse his actions.
Citizen Kim, released October 27 by Viking, examines Kardashian’s life beyond the marriage. According to Penguin Random House, Van Meter drew on hundreds of hours of interviews with Kardashian and conversations with dozens of friends, relatives and associates. The 352-page biography traces her rise through reality television, fashion and business, alongside her advocacy for criminal justice reform. Van Meter, a contributing editor at Vogue and New York, also founded Vibe as editor-in-chief.
