Kim Kardashian has alluded to the reason behind her divorce from Kanye West.

The Skims founder, 44, split from the rapper in 2001 after almost 10 years together, and their divorce was finalized in November 2022.

During Thursday’s episode of The Kardashians, Kim opened up about ending a relationship when you feel you have run out of options.

Kim was discussing her sister, Khloe Kardashian‘s reunion with her ex-husband Lamar Odom after nine years, with Khloe admitting that “if it wasn’t for drugs,” she and Lamar “would still be married ’til today”.

Khloe’s admission prompted Kim to share her own experience of how a “person’s personality” change can “force your marriage to end”.

“That’s the hardest part. I’ve been there,” she told Khloe. “When you don’t foresee something happening that really changes a person’s personality and then they’re not the same person and you can’t ever get that person back, but you can’t live with the new person. I get it.”

In a confessional, she continued: “It’s tougher when you don’t want your marriage to end, for personal reasons, but circumstances change that force your marriage to end.

“I’ve been there, Khloe’s been there and when you weren’t planning on that, and it’s not really the outcome you want but there’s no other option, I think it makes it harder to get over,” she added.

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Kim didn’t mention Kanye by name, but her confession seemingly referred to her ex-husband, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder before their marriage broke down.

Before their split, Kim opened up about Kanye’s diagnosis after his erratic behavior made headlines.

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“As many of you know, Kanye has bipolar disorder. Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how complicated and painful it is to understand,” she wrote on Instagram.

“Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behavior know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor. People who are unaware or far removed from this experience can be judgemental and not understand that the individual themselves have to engage in the process of getting help no matter how hard family and friends try.”

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She continued: “I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions. 

“He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressure of being an artist and a black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bipolar disorder.”

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Kim added: “Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions.”

In February 2025, Kanye revealed that he had been misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder.

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After being encouraged to visit a new doctor by his wife, Bianca Censori, Kanye was diagnosed with autism, but he does not take medication anymore because autism is not a mental health disorder.

“I haven’t taken the medication since I found out that bipolar wasn’t the right diagnosis,” he said on The Download podcast. “It’s finding stuff that doesn’t block the creativity, obviously that’s what I bring to the world. It’s worth the ramp-up, as long as y’all get the creativity.”