Kanye West has been taking over social media this week with late-night tweets about his wife, Kim Kardashian, and his mother-in-law, Kris Jenner. The rapper seems to be lashing out more and more at his family, publicly airing grievances that go back years. Many are sifting through the posts for the scraps of truth about the Kardashian-Jenner family.
West has a long history of dramatic public statements and posts on social media, often taking a blunt and confessional tone. Over the years, this behavior has been increasingly related to his mental health issues by the press and by his friends and family. Last year, West revealed that he has been formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This has led to a more nuanced conversation among critics and fans about West’s work, his public persona, his personal relationships and how to respond compassionately to his public stunts.
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West and Kardashian have been together since 2012 and were reportedly friends before that. The couple welcomed their first daughter in 2013, married in 2014, and have since had three more children. On the outside, their relationship has managed to walk a tightrope between the reality TV world of Kardashian and the hip hop star world of West.
This latest string of outbursts involves West digging deep into their relationship, however, and sharing private matters with the world. It began on Sunday night at a campaign event in South Carolina for West’s prospective presidential run, and has continued on Twitter in the two nights since. West apparently flew from the east coast back to his remote studio in Cody, Wyoming, while Kardashian and their children remain in California.
So far, West has deleted all of his late-night, confessional tweets over the last two days, but not before reporters transcribed them for various sites. Screenshots of the posts remain available as well. Here’s a look at what West has been saying about his wife and mother-in-law over the last few days.
Abortion
Kanye said this and I left immediately. I went for a laugh and I got one. But when it got disrespectful for me it was over. pic.twitter.com/nNqjUp03mu
โ Toe Knee (@toekneerlynos) July 19, 2020
West’s current outburst seems to stem mostly from his campaign event on Sunday night, where he tearfully revealed that he and Kardashian considered getting an abortion during their first pregnancy. According to a report by USA Today, West said that they took steps towards scheduling the procedure until he received a message from God. He claims that he, in turn, convinced Kardashian, who said: “We’re going to have this baby.”
The story led West to tears and ended with him taking a firm stance against women’s reproductive health rights for his presidential platform. He seemed to know that the revelation would anger his wife. “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,” he said.
West also discussed his own parents’ consideration of the issue before he was born. “My dad wanted to abort me. My mom saved my life. There would have been no Kanye West because my dad was too busy,” said West. “I almost killed my daughter.”
Sex Tape
Thereโs no sense to be made from this Kanye tear other than this is a cry for help.
โ Jenna Amatulli (@ohheyjenna) July 21, 2020
The tweets are all slowly disappearing from his feed now. pic.twitter.com/mInB8bTt6U
During his Twitter tirade on Monday night, West turned his attention towards a new grievance: his wife’s infamous sex tape. West seemed to condemn his wife for this and other promiscuous media, such as her nude Playboy photoshoot. He suggested that these kinds of expressions posed a danger to their children.
“I put my life on the line for my children that North’s mother would never sell her sex [tape],” West tweeted. “I put my life on God that Norths mom would never photograph her doing playboy and that’s on God… I’m at the ranch… come and get me.”
Shortly after that, West tweeted a photo of himself playing outside with all four of his children, with the caption: “West children will never do playboy ย west.”
‘Lock Me Up’
Kanye West claims Kris Jenner & Kim Kardashian are trying to lock him up with a doctor and claims the movie โGet Outโ is about him in new series of tweets. pic.twitter.com/kV21GNPF6Q
โ Pop Base (@PopBase) July 21, 2020
That same night, several of West’s tweets claimed that Kardashian and her mother were trying to “lock him up” โ presumably meaning that he believed they wanted to have him committed to a mental health facility against his will. He implied a more sinister agenda as well, however, comparing his life to the movie Get Out โ a comparison he vehemently rejected not that long ago.
“Everybody knows the movie get out is about me,” he wrote. “Come and get me… this is the exodus like Pusha said. “Kim tried to bring a doctor to lock me up with a doctor. If I get locked up like Mandela Ya’ll will know why.”
After that string of tweets, West wrote: “Kriss and Kim call me now,” followed by a screenshot of a text he had apparently sent to Jenner, reading: “This Ye… You ready to talk now.”
“I love my wife… My family must live next to me… It’s not up to E or NBC anymore,” West added later. “Kim was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up like on the movie Get Out because I cried about saving my daughters life yesterday.”
Kris Jenner and His Children
Kanye – you and that ‘calmye’ ๐ pic.twitter.com/v1URa157HU
โ Yeezy (@YVCKA) July 21, 2020
Several of West’s posts have been addressed directly to Kris Jenner, warning her to stay away from West’s children. The rapper continually implied that Jenner had ill intentions for his family. “Kriss don’t play with me you and that calmye are not allowed around my children Ya’ll tried to lock me up,” he wrote on Monday.
After that night, West had several famous friends visit him in Wyoming, and many fans hoped that things would settle down for him. On Tuesday night, however, West was back at it again.
Divorce
In a series of now deleted tweets, Kanye West reveals that he has been trying to divorce Kim Kardashian since she met Meek Mill to discuss โprison reformโ at the Waldorf hotel. pic.twitter.com/J1nh3wUhEL
โ Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 22, 2020
“I been trying to get divorced since Kim met with Meek at the Warldolf [sic] for ‘prison reform,’” West proclaimed early on Wednesday. According to a report by Page Six, he was most likely referring to a criminal justice summit in November of 2018, attended by both Kardashian and rapper Meek Mill.
“Meek is my man and was respectful… That’s my dog… Kim was out of line,” West added. “I’m worth 5 billion dollars and more than that through Christ… But ya’ll ain’t listen to MJ and now ya’ll believe them???”
At the same time, West reiterated his claim that his wife and mother-in-law were trying to have him detained without his consent. He referenced the California welfare 51/50, which allows mental health facilities to involuntarily hold patients who may be a danger to themselves or to others. “They tried to fly in with 2 doctors to 51/50 me,” he tweeted.
‘Kris Jong-Un’
Had to screenshot โKris Jong-Unโ before it was deleted from the internet forever pic.twitter.com/4gFFPZi0ri
โ Bill Meyer (@Bill_Meyer617) July 22, 2020
West off-handedly referred to his mother-in-law as “Kris Jong-Un” on Tuesday night as well, amid other scattered thoughts that seemed unrelated. A few minutes later, he accused Jenner and his wife of acting against him in “White supremacy.”
“Kriss and Kim put out a statement without my approval… that’s not what a wife should do… White supremacy,” he wrote. West capped off his Tuesday night Twitter spree with the tweet: “Says the future president.” All of the posts were deleted shortly afterward.
Kardashian’s Statement
Kim Kardashianโs statement just posted to her Instagram stories is well worth reading. pic.twitter.com/XV9mIZvTlt
โ claudia irizarry aponte (@clauirizarry) July 22, 2020
On Wednesday morning, Kardashian addressed her husband’s public outcry at last in a lengthy post on her Instagram Story. In it, she asked for compassion and understanding for their family, while seeming to attribute most of his statements to his bipolar disorder.
“As many of you know, Kanye has bi-polar disorder,” she began. “Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand. I’ve never spoken publicly about how this has affected us at home because I am very protective of our children and Kanye’s right to privacy when it comes to his health. But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health.”
“Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behavior know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor,” she continued. “People who are unaware or far removed from this experience can be judgmental and not understand that the individual themselves have to engage in the process of getting help no matter how hard family and friends try.”
“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 pressures 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 bi-polar disorder. Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions.”
“Living with bi-polar disorder does not diminish or invalidate his dreams and his creative ideas, no matter how big or unobtainable they may feel to some. That is part of his genius and as we have all witnessed, many of his big dreams have come true,” Kardashian wrote.
“We as a society talk about giving grace to the issue of mental health as a whole, however we should also give it to the individuals who are living with it in times when they need it the most. I kindly ask that the media and public give us the compassion and empathy that is needed so that we can get through this. Thank you for those who have expressed concern for Kanye’s well being and for your understanding,” she concluded.
So far, West has not responded to Kardashian’s Instagram post, nor has Kris Jenner issued a public statement of her own.