Kim Kardashian and Kanye West: a relationship timeline

From friends to power couple, via a whole lot of controversy

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend a basketball game between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, on May 12, 2012, the year the couple began dating. EPA

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the Valentino show as part of Paris Fashion Week on July 4, 2012 in Paris, France. Getty Images

Kim Kardashian, then pregnant with their first child, daughter North, and Kanye West attend the Givenchy show as part of Paris Fashion Week on March 3, 2013 in Paris, France. Getty Images

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, US, on May 6, 2013. Kardashian gave birth to North the following month. EPA

The couple scored the April 2014 cover of 'Vogue' magazine. Courtesy Vogue

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the Met Gala at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, US, on May 5, 2014. EPA

People gather around Kim Kardashian, centre, and Kanye West, left, as they leave their residence in Paris on May 23, 2014, before their wedding. AFP

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West make their way down the aisle after their wedding on May 24, 2014, at Fort di Belvedere in Florence, Italy. Courtesy E! Entertainment Television

Kim Kardashian, baby North West, Kanye West and Helene Arnault attend the Givenchy show as part of the Paris Fashion Week on September 28, 2014 in Paris, France. Getty Images

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian attend the Lacma Art + Film Gala at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles, California, on November 1, 2014. EPA

Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Kris Jenner attend the Balmain show as part of Paris Fashion Week on March 5, 2015 in Paris, France. Getty Images

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the 57th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California, on February 8, 2015. EPA

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the Met Gala at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, US, on May 4, 2015. EPA

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian attend the Time 100 Gala at Frederick P Rose Hall in New York, US, on April 21, 2015. EPA

Kayne West and Kim Kardashian, pregnant with son Saint, attend the 32nd MTV Video Music Awards at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on August 30, 2015. EPA

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian attend the Louis Vuitton show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 21, 2018 in Paris, France. Getty Images

Corey Gamble, Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott arrive at the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, US, on May 6, 2019. EPA

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West attend the Vanity Fair Oscar Party following the 92nd annual Academy Awards ceremony in Beverly Hills, California, on February 9, 2020. EPA

Visitors take a photo with the wax figures of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West at Madame Tussaud's in Istanbul, Turkey, on February 14, 2020. EPA

Kim Kardashian and Rappers, Kanye West and J Cole attend the 69th NBA All-Star Game as part of 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend on February 16, 2020 at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. AFP

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian head out of their hotel on October 09, 2021 in New York City. Getty Images

Over the course of their nine-year relationship, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West did, whatever your opinion of them, become one of the most famous couples on the planet.

Kardashian, with her reality television empire and undoubtable star power, and West, with his Grammy-winning rap career and intent for world domination, were a match made in Hollywood heaven. Their combined empires catapulted them to the top of just about every celebrity gossip sheet going.

While they may still be prime tabloid fodder, they managed to earn the respect of the high-end fashion world, too, although West's recent string of controversial outbursts meant that his standing among fashion's elite severely declined, with labels including adidas and Balenciaga cutting ties with the star. Still, in years gone by, West's Yeezy label was launched at Paris Fashion Week. And Kardashian's star continues to soar, as her sell-out shapewear brand Skims is stocked at luxury retailers around the globe and she features on the runways and front pages of brands and magazines the world over.

Add into the mix their four children, and the past decade has been quite the evolution for the couple, who have just settled their divorce.

Here, we take a look back at the rise, and fall, of Kimye.

2003

It was in the early Noughties that Kardashian and West’s paths first crossed. At the time, Kardashian, who was married to record producer Damon Thomas, was working as an assistant to singer Brandy, the sister of RnB star Ray-J, who she went on to date after her split from Thomas the following year.

2008

In one of West's most random ventures (which is really saying something), he got Kardashian on board to star in his hip-hop comedy puppet show, Alligator Boots. While the show never actually was shown, clips of Kardashian's involvement in the project surfaced online years later. She was seen dressed as Princess Leia, while West and his puppet friend Beary White attempted some cheesy chat-up lines.

2009

A year after West and Beary White's failed attempts to woo Kardashian, he released a verse on Keri Hilson's Knock You Down, widely believe to be about the star, that implored her to leave her then-boyfriend, NFL player Reggie Bush.

2010

West made his first appearance on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, attending the opening of Kim and sister Kourtney's NYC Dash Boutique. In a clip from the show, Kim said: "Kanye and I have been good friends for a long time. He's someone that we definitely respect his fashion taste and his style and so we wanted him to come check out the store." At the time, she had just started dating NBA player Kris Humphries, who she famously went on to marry for only 72 days.

2012

The official start of Kimye. After years of trying, West finally bags the girl, and not long after releases his track Cold, which throws some serious shade at Kardashian's ex-husband. Humphries, at the time, played for the Brooklyn Nets, owned by West's friend and collaborator Jay-Z.

He raps on the track: “And I’ll admit, I had fell in love with Kim / Around the same time she had fell in love with him / Well that’s cool, baby girl, do ya thang / Lucky I ain’t had Jay drop him from the team.”

The year of Kimye was rounded off by West dropping the bombshell at a New Year’s Eve concert that the couple were expecting their first child together.

“It’s true! Kanye and I are expecting a baby,” Kardashian later confirmed in a post on her personal blog. “We feel so blessed and lucky and wish that in addition to both of our families, his mom and my dad could be here to celebrate this special time with us.

“Looking forward to great new beginnings in 2013 and to starting a family. Happy New Year!!! Xo.”

2013

In May, the couple attended the Met Gala together, when Kardashian was heavily pregnant. Her first time at the prestigious event, it was a big moment for Kardashian, who had officially taken her first steps into the world of the A-list, beginning to shed the skin of her reality television past.

A month later, on June 15, 2013, the couple welcomed their daughter, whose name, North West, caused a whole new media swarm.

Four months later, in October, West surprised Kardashian with a proposal at an empty AT&T Stadium in San Francisco. However, the entire Kardashian clan were hiding in the shadows waiting to surprise the star and, of course, the whole thing was filmed for KUWTK.

2014

Another big year for Kimye. In April, the pair got the call they had been waiting for – inviting them to appear on the cover of Vogue. Photographed in a bridal gown with her 15-carat engagement ring on show, they were deemed the "#worldsmosttalkedaboutcouple", which, by 2014, was not an overstatement.

A month later, on May 24, 2014, the pair tied the knot in Florence, Italy, in a wedding attended by 200 people and, of course, watched by millions more through the all-seeing eyes of the KUWTK cameras.

2015

In late 2015, following another difficult pregnancy for Kardashian, the couple welcomed their son, Saint West, born on December 5. The pair had spent the previous year dealing with fertility issues.

2016

A tumultuous year for the couple. West had some serious beef with Taylor Swift, who accused him of disrespecting her on his track Famous. Swift was unhappy with how her image had been used in the song's music video, however, Kardashian quickly leapt to her husband's defence, posting recordings of Swift supposedly giving West her permission to use the content.

Later that year, in October, Kardashian flew to the French capital for Paris Fashion Week, where she was held at gunpoint as her hotel room was raided by masked thieves. They escaped with $6.7 million worth of jewellery, including her prized engagement ring, leaving the star traumatised. West was performing in the US when he learnt of the robbery, cutting the show short to jump on a private jet to be at his wife's side.

In November, West was admitted to hospital after suffering from mental health issues and exhaustion.

2018

After the trauma of 2016, the couple remained quiet for 2017, reemerging in early 2018 to announce that they had welcomed their third child, Chicago West, via a surrogate, on January 15. Kardashian had been diagnosed with placenta accrete the previous year, making it difficult to conceive and carry another baby naturally.

Later that year, West confirmed he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and caused yet more media controversy after he made public comments deeming slavery as a choice. In an interview with TMZ, he said: "When you hear about slavery for 400 years ... for 400 years? That sounds like a choice."

It was in 2018 that he also publicly stated his support for President Donald Trump, appearing alongside him in the White House wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap.

2019

The couple announced they were expecting their fourth child via a surrogate in January 2019, with Psalm West arriving on May 9.

Shortly after his birth, the pair renewed their marriage vows.

2020

On American Independence Day, July 4, West announced his intention to officially run for president in the upcoming US election. Following the initial announcement, Kardashian showed her support for her husband, retweeting his post alongside a US flag emoji.

However, West’s mental health appeared to deteriorate as the year went on, leading to a series of erratic tweets from the star, in which he revealed a number of personal details about his wife and their family. He also claimed he was trying to divorce the star.

Kardashian later released a statement calling for "compassion and empathy" for her husband and his mental health.

"As many of you know, Kanye has bipolar disorder," she wrote, calling him a "brilliant but complicated person."

"Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions," Kardashian added.

Throughout the rest of 2020, the couple spent time together at the family's ranch in Wyoming, and holidayed together, including Kardashian's controversial private island 40th birthday trip.

2021

Kardashian filed for divorce from West, after reportedly hiring celebrity divorce lawyer Laura Wasser. Reports suggest the couple had a prenuptial agreement, and that discussions on a property settlement are well advanced.

In the months following their split, the pair remained friendly as they navigated their co-parenting relationship. On October 21, Kardashian hosted Saturday Night Live, which she described as a momentous time in her career, and joked that she was divorcing West "for his personality". It was there she met comedian Pete Davidson, who she started dating shortly afterwards.

However, West made several public attempts to win his estranged wife back, including asking her to "run right back to him" during a December 9 concert in Los Angeles, for which Kardashian was in the audience with children North and Saint.

The following day, on December 10, Kardashian filed to be declared legally single.

2022

Things appeared to turn sour between the former couple at the start of the year. On March 1, Kardashian was declared officially single, despite an attempt from West's lawyers to contest the ruling.

West also made several public statements and social media posts concerning Kardashian's new boyfriend, culminating in the release of a disturbing music video on March 4, in which an animated version of West appears to kidnap and bury an animated version of Davidson alive. Kardashian was reported to be extremely upset and disturbed by the video.

However, the following month, Kardashian said during an ABC televised interview with Robin Roberts that she and West would "always be family".

"You have to just be there for them," she said. "No matter what, even in this crazy life that we live, you just have to have a really open dialogue with your children. Kanye and I have had conversations. We have to talk daily for the kids so you know, I hate that it had to play out like that. But when it comes to family, I mean, Kanye and I will always be family.

"At the end of the day, I just want my kids to be happy and healthy, and think the world of their dad," she said. "And they do."

In an episode of the star's Hulu reality show The Kardashians which was shown in June, she told her sister Khloe she had tried "everything humanly possible" to make her marriage work.

"If people knew what my relationship really was like, I think they would be like, 'How did this last this long?' " she said. "But I can live with myself knowing that I tried everything humanly possible to make a situation work and so I can walk away feeling absolutely guilt-free."

In September, West caused yet more controversy when he debuted a "White Lives Matter" slogan t-shirt at his Paris Fashion Week showcase, which attracted universal criticism. He also made anti-Semitic comments on social media, causing several brands including adidas and Balenciaga to cut ties with the star, causing him to lose his billionaire status overnight.

On November 29, the couple reached a settlement in their divorce, averting a trial that had been set for the next month.

The duo and their lawyers filed documents asking for a judge's approval of terms they have agreed on, including $200,000-per-month child support payments from Ye to Kardashian.

The two will have joint custody, and neither will pay the other spousal support, according to the documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. They will equally split the expenses for the children's private security and private school, including college, according to the settlement proposal.

See Kim Kardashian's style evolution in 44 pictures