Kanye West appears to have already moved on from Kim Kardashian — the mother of his four children and whom he was married to for nearly seven years.
Just four months after she filed for divorce, Yeezy was pictured with model Irina Shayk in what appears to be a romantic getaway in Provence, France.
The getaway has reportedly come as a huge blow to Kim as Provence was heir "special place". An insider told The Sun: "Kim's been totally blindsided by this. It was in France where Kanye and Kim first got together, when he sent a private jet to bring her to his fashion show in Paris – which was the same one that Irina walked in years ago."
"Everyone thinks it's a dig at Kim – taking Irina to France – that was Kim and Kanye's special place. France was where they first got together. It's where they fell in love."
As the break-up looks set to get messy, here, we take a look at how the couple's relationship broke down and what has been said about the split...
2018 — Kanye's controversial slavery comments
According to sources, Kim and Kanye's marriage hit a "turning point" after the rapper made a comment about slavery during a 2018 TMZ interview. He suggested that 400 years of slavery "sounds like a choice".
Kim revealed that she was seriously upset with her husband following the comments, per the BBC.
Speaking to ET, Kim said: "Did I scream about it? Did I cry about it? Did I fight about it? Yeah."
2018 — Kim clashes with Kanye's political views
The rapper was open about his support of then-president, Donald Trump. During an appearance on SNL, Kanye issued a bizarre rant about his thoughts on Donald Trumps and the Democratic party, which reportedly left Kim "embarrassed".
However, despite their differing views on politics, Kim stood by Kanye. A source told E! News at the time: "They definitely have their issues, but Kim always defends Kanye publicly and tries to be supportive.
"She believes Kanye is entitled to his opinion and can express it freely. She may not always agree with him, but she still feels he's allowed to believe what he wants.”
2019 — Kim opens up about Kanye's parenting
In November of 2019, the Skims mogul hinted that she and Kanye had been experiencing some conflicting opinions with regards to their approach to parenting.
Kim said during an interview on The Real that she had to make compromises following her husband’s religious makeover.
"He is my husband so I obviously want to honor him and what he’s feeling," she explained. "And he’s been going through this life change and it’s mostly about the kids. But I’m always going to be me.
"We had that discussion… at the end of the day, that’s what marriage is. He’s going to do things I don’t agree with and I support him and vice versa."
2019 — Kanye's desire to move to Wyoming
The Yeezy designer's desire to relocate to Wyoming created tension within the marriage. Speaking about the issue in a June 2019 episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the mother-of-four said: "I just honestly can’t do this anymore. Why am I still in this place where I’m stuck for years? Like, he goes and moves to a different state every year. I have to be, like, together so I can raise the kids. He’s an amazing dad, he’s done an amazing job.
"But I can’t do that. He should have a wife that supports his every move and travels with him and does everything, and I can’t. I feel like a f*king failure. It’s my third f*king marriage. Yeah, I feel like a f*king loser. But I can’t even think about that. I want to be happy."
An insider later commented: "Kanye became obsessed with starting an artists’ getaway in Wyoming where he could focus on his music, fashion and art. Kanye loves his kids and they come to visit, but Kanye felt he couldn’t create as well as live in L.A.
"The expansive nature and the privacy [in Wyoming] helped him to be inspired. Kanye also loves that everyone who comes out to the ranch is there for business or for art. Wyoming is also a great place for Kanye’s mental health."
2020 — Quarantine struggles
When Forbes named Kanye as a billionaire in April of 2020, an insider told US Weekly that he had been more "focused on creating" than family.
"Kim and Kanye have been arguing a lot during [the coronavirus] quarantine," the source said.
However, another added that they had simultaneously "had more time together to talk about their feelings, about the kids, her law career goals and his business ideas."
On Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Kanye noticeably took the kids to spend time with him on his ranch in Wyoming while Kim stayed home in LA.
2020 — Kanye reveal he considered aborting North
In July last year, Kanye claimed he nearly "killed" the couple's first daughter, North, by considering an abortion.
"My dad wanted to abort me. My mom saved my life. There would have been no Kanye West, because my dad was too busy," he said."I almost killed my daughter ... So even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into the world, even when I didn't want to. She stood up, and she protected that child."
The following day, he started behaving erratically on Twitter, claiming that his wife was flying to Wyoming with a doctor to "lock him up" after the events at the rally. He also claimed that he had been trying to separate from the reality television star.
A source told the publication that Kim had begun to feel "helpless", and that her family "feel as though he’s really crossed a line by talking negatively about them publicly and sharing private family matters with the public."
2020 — Kim opens up about Kanye's mental health
On July 22nd, Kim broke her silence on her husband's mental health. She took to Instagram to post a slew of Instagram Stories that discussed Kanye's bipolar disorder, and implored the public to be compassionate.
"As many of you know, Kanye has bipolar disorder," the makeup mogul wrote. "Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand."
She went on to cite the struggles of being a Black male artist, the loss of his mother, and the coronavirus pandemic, before adding that she and her family were "powerless" to get him help since he is an adult.
2020 — Kim and Kanye spend time apart
Kim and Kanye were reportedly spending a lot of time apart in December of 2020, and focusing on their separate endeavours.
"Kim and Kanye are doing their own thing. They spend a lot of time apart," a source told E! News, adding that they're both "focused on the things that are important to them." Kanye was said to be in Wyoming, while Kim remained in California.
The KKW Beauty founder had been pursuing a career in law, and criminal justice reform, while Kanye had been attempting to run in the 2020 presidential election.
"[Kim] is doing her thing and [Kanye] is doing his. She doesn't micromanage it or worry about it too much. She lets him go off and be who he is. It is what it is," she source continued, before noting that they're still a "family" who "come together for the kids."
2021 — Kim is "done" with her marriage
Us Weekly said that Kim was "done" with her six-year marriage to Kanye in January of 2021.
"They have both been living separate lives for many months now," a source told the publication. "Kim and Kanye haven’t been on the same page for a while now."
"She has grown up a lot this past year and is studying the law so she can really make change and provide a better world for her kids," another source added. "Kanye isn’t as focused and doesn’t live in the real world, their world views no longer line up."
2021 — Kim files for divorce
Kim filed for divorce in February of 2021, per TMZ. Her lawyer, Laura Wasser, filed the documents.
The pair reportedly requested joint legal and physical custody of their four children and said they are "committed to co-parenting together."
TMZ's source added that the couple signed a prenuptial agreement and remain on amicable terms.
2021 — Kim opens up about her relationship with Kanye
On an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, the reality television star opened up about her relationship, and its struggles. Though this aired after their divorce announcement, it was filmed before the news was made public.
"I don’t have a life to share that with. Like, I do—obviously my kids and everything — but am I just gonna sit here and think, ‘Okay, my kids fulfil me and I’m good?’ I never thought I was lonely...I always thought that’s totally fine [Kanye] often being away. I could just have my kids, while my husband moves from state to state. And I just am on this ride with him, and I was okay with that – but then after turning 40 this year, I realized like, 'No, I don’t want a husband that lives in a completely different state to me.' I thought, ‘Oh my God, that’s when we’re getting along the best', but then that is sad to me, and that's not what I want.
"I want someone that we have the same shows in common. I want someone that wants to work out with me every single day…the little things are what I don’t have. I have all the big things. I have the extravagant, everything you could possibly imagine — and no one will ever do it like that, I know that, you know what I mean? And I’m grateful for those experiences. But I think I’m ready for the smaller experiences that I think will mean a lot."
2021 — Kim wishes Kanye a happy birthday
Amid their divorce proceedings, Kim wished Kanye a happy 44th birthday on June 8th, 2021.
She posted a picture on Instagram of them with three of their children. "Happy Birthday," the 40-year-old captioned the family shot. "Love U for Life! [sic]."
2021 — Kanye unfollows the Kardashians
In June of 2021, Kanye quietly unfollowed his ex-wife and her family on Twitter. Per Elle, it happened around the time that the Keeping Up with the Kardashians series finale aired.
Kim is still the only person West follows on Instagram, but this could, of course, change.
