Kim Kardashian Had to 'Live Apart' From Kanye West After Communication Turned 'Downright Toxic'

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West had "no option" except to spend most of last year living apart after their communication reportedly devolved to the point where it was "downright toxic," an insider told Us Weekly after reports that the couple was on the brink of divorce surfaced earlier this month. While the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star spent the majority of the year in Los Angeles with the couple's four children — daughters North, 7, and Chicago, 2, and sons Saint, 5, and Psalm, 19 months — the "Good Morning" rapper lived on his $14 million ranch in Wyoming following his failed bid at a presidential run.

"Kim and Kanye had no option but to live apart in the end because the communication between them had gotten so downright toxic," Us' source said of the couple's decision. "They went into the latter part of 2020 with the very best of intentions and wanted to find a way to get along when they spent time together. But it reached the point where the bickering turned to nasty blowups and confrontations, and since neither of them wanted the kids exposed to that type of hostility, they [stayed] apart."

Until "early December," the rapper was reportedly coming back to Calabasas "trying to play nice" with Kardashian while spending time with his kids, the insider added. "They would have their good days of being cordial around each other and enjoying family time, but for the most part it was this practical coexistence that involved very matter-of-fact conversations about what they wanted to do for dinner, what time their therapy session was and how they would take turns to help the kids with schooling," they revealed.

Kardashian and West wed in 2014 but had a difficult 2020 after the Yeezy founder began to act erratically, announcing at a presidential rally that he and his wife had considered abortion with their first pregnancy and tweeting attacks at Kardashian's family. Page Six was the first to report earlier this month that the couple had plans to divorce, claiming the KKW Beauty founder had already retained a divorce attorney, Laura Wasser for the upcoming legal battle. "She is serious about taking the bar exam and becoming a lawyer; she is serious about her prison reform campaign," the outlet's source shared. "Meanwhile, Kanye is talking about running for president and saying other crazy s—, and she's just had enough of it."