Kim Kardashian Breaks Down in Tears Over Kanye’s Antisemitism
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Kim Kardashian is feeling the weight of Kanye West’s hateful words. During Wednesday’s episode of The Kardashians, Kim broke down in tears after her ex-husband made headlines earlier this year following several antisemitic tirades and public meltdowns. This marked the first time Kim addressed West’s remarks specifically, saying she no longer recognizes the person she was once in love with.
“I’m not OK,” she told sister Khloé Kardashian before bursting into tears. “I’ve had such a hard day today.”
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In late 2022, when the current season of The Kardashians started filming, West began what would eventually become an antisemitic press tour. West first sparked the stream of controversy at his Yeezy fashion show in October when he wore a “White Lives Matter” shirt. Refusing to back down from the backlash, West then doubled down on his offensive opinions and accused the “Jewish media” of censoring him and having an agenda against him. After threatening to go “death con 3 on Jewish people,” and continuing to spew the same hateful rhetoric on various platforms and interviews, several companies cut ties with him, including JP Morgan Chase, CAA, Vogue, Balenciaga, and, most notably, Adidas, who terminated their billion-dollar deal with the rapper.
Kim said she misses the man West used to be — you know, before he became a bigot.
“It’s really confusing for me,” she added of watching West’s downfall. “That’s so different than the person I married because that’s who I loved and that’s who I remember. I’ll do anything to get that person back.”
But after spending years protecting West from himself, Kim said she no longer knows how to help him.
“I feel so bad for him,” Kim told Khloé. “I don’t even think he feels bad for himself. I don’t even know if he knows how.”
“I’m heartbroken seeing Kim in so much pain,” Khloé added during a confessional interview. “I wish I could do something. It’s such a helpless feeling. Watching Ye is like watching a car crash in slow motion. I feel terrible about everything.”
Early amid West’s controversy, Kim vaguely denounced her ex-husband’s words in a two-sentence tweet without naming him. “Hate speech is never OK or excusable,” Kim wrote on Instagram. “I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end.” But after that, nothing. Kim seemingly went about her life as if nothing was happening. The reality star received her own backlash for not speaking up more, with many saying that her silence was its own form of complicity.
“I feel guilty that I posted something in support of the Jewish community, then people dropped him today. Is that my fault?” she wondered. “Did that push them, and I should have just kept quiet? But I’m vocal about everything else. I never know what to do.”
Of her decision not to say more about West at the time, Kim said she felt torn between standing up for her own beliefs and respecting the father of their four children.
“The whole situation is sad. I don’t know how to emotionally manage it. I’m conflicted,” she said. “I don’t ever want to jump in and be part of the downfall of the father of my kids.”
But if Kim won’t say it, Khloé made the family’s stance on West clear: “He had so many opportunities to retract what he said, and he would double down all the time. None of us share these antisemitic views. We think it’s gravely irresponsible. We’re all very aware of the following that Kanye has and how his words can be used to rile people up.”
And Khloé, who is often the voice of reason in the family, made sure that her sister understood that just because Kim spoke out about West, it doesn’t mean she isn’t allowed to still care about him: “I think our silence speaks louder and what you did was not wrong. What you did had nothing to do with what’s happening right now.”
“It’s OK that you’re crying, it’s OK that you have feelings,” she added.
Earlier in the season, without getting into any details of what West said or did at the time, Kim briefly opened up about her relationship with the rapper — and why she stayed silent for so long. “I really do believe in my soul that one day, my kids will appreciate my silence, my understanding, and my grace. I will try my hardest to keep it together at all times.”
Kim said she refuses to be the reason her children have a sour relationship with their father and that as much as his words and actions might hurt her, she does her best to put on a happy face in front of their four kids.
“I will be his biggest cheerleader to them forever,” she said. “One day, when they see for themselves, I’ll answer whatever they want me to, but it’s just… a lot.”
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