When season 20 of Keeping Up with the Kardashians premiered, fans were promised that the real tea behind Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s pending divorce would be explained in due time. It didn’t happen until the series finale, but finally, we have a (somewhat) clearer picture of the circumstances that may have led to the couple’s split. And it looks like loneliness is at the certain of it.
On the final episode of KUWTK (not counting the upcoming reunion special hosted by Andy Cohen) the Kardashian-Jenners wrap up their family vacation at Lake Tahoe by playing games and reminiscing over the endless memories they'd made while filming the show over the last 14 years before heading back home. Things got emotional for the reality family in the final episode, partly because of the gravity of their final time filming the show together, but also because of Kim's weighty realisation about the trajectory of her marriage.
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The reality star sits down with her mother for a candid conversation about her spiralling relationship, admitting that the problems in her marriage to West had become more apparent to her after she turned 40. The milestone birthday only highlighted the fact that she and her husband were, in fact, not compatible in a lot of ways.
"Waking up at 40, I realised that I just want total happiness," Kim tells Kris. "Obviously, complete bliss is not a full reality, but if I could have it a majority of the time, that's all I want to do. Wherever that takes me, I just want that pure happiness."
Unfortunately, Kim suggests that her path towards happiness probably doesn't include a life with West at this point. Even after achieving many of her lofty goals over the years, it doesn't feel as special because she doesn't really have someone to share it with; her partner has made the choice to not be by her side. Even though she and West are still together, they get along the best when they're apart — and that doesn't work for her anymore.
"I never thought I was lonely," Kim admits, bringing tears to her mum's eyes. "I thought it was totally fine to just have my kids, that my husband could just move from state to state, and I'm just on this ride with him. I was okay with that, but after turning 40 this year, I was like no, I don't want a husband who lives in a completely different state."
"It's the little things that I don't have — I have all the big things," she continues. "I have the extravagant, everything you could possibly imagine, and no one will ever do it like that. I know that, and I'm grateful for those experiences. But I think I'm ready for the smaller experiences that I think will mean a lot."
Kim's decision to file for divorce from West in February 2021 emphasised the fact that she's ready for a different kind of relationship, and it looks like her soon-to-be ex is on the same page; the Life of Pablo rapper stirred up dating rumours after being photographed hanging out with supermodel Irina Shayk in France. Even as the former couple works out the legal terms of their separation, the road towards divorce seems amiable at this point, so one can only hope that happiness is on the other side of this breakup. (And that Kim shares the next chapter of her dating life on whatever she's cooking up for Hulu.)