Kim Kardashian is sharing details about what it’s like to co-parent with Kanye West.
During a candid interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, the SKIMS founder opened up to host Alex Cooper about everything from dating to raising her four kids — North, 12, Saint, 9, Chicago, 7, and Psalm, 6 — with her controversial ex-husband. And when it comes to their current dynamic, Kim didn’t sugarcoat a thing.
“What do you think co-parenting with Kanye West is like?” Kardashian quipped to Cooper during the Wednesday, October 15 episode, playfully flipping the question back before getting serious. “It’s not easy,” she admitted. “I raise the kids full time. They live with me. I welcome a great healthy relationship with my kids and their dad, and I think he knows that.”
Kim emphasized that she encourages her children’s bond with Kanye, but she’s also fiercely protective when necessary. “I push for it all the time, but I also protect them when it’s time for that,” she shared. The reality star described the rapper’s involvement as inconsistent: “The dynamic… goes in waves and phases. It’s a lot of work.”
The 44-year-old went on to reflect on her own childhood and what she hopes to mirror for her kids. “I have the best memories and the best relationship with my dad,” she said of her late father, Robert Kardashian Sr. She also pointed to sister Khloé Kardashian’s co-parenting relationship with Tristan Thompson as a model. “I love that, you know, I see Tristan puts, you know, their kids to bed every night and takes them to school every day when he’s not, you know, in season. So I just welcome healthy relationships, but it’s not easy,” Kim continued.
When Alex asked when her kids last heard from Kanye, Kim revealed, “Whenever he’ll call for them and ask. It’s probably been a couple months since we’ve heard from him.”
Despite that gap, Kim said her children have adapted to their dad’s unpredictable presence. “They always knew that he had a big life traveling before and was always on tour and all of that,” she explained. “So we manage it really well. They love their life, their routine and their schedule. And I think my job as their mom is just to make sure that they stick to their routine and they’re healthy and happy.”
Kim Kardashian Is ‘Making More of an Effort’ to Get Along With Kanye West
Kim also addressed the narrative that she keeps the kids from Kanye — something he’s publicly accused her of in the past. “Look, it’s not easy no matter what, co-parenting with anyone,” she said. “The one thing that gets me is that there’s this narrative that I keep the kids. I’ve never once [kept them] away from him, I’ve never once done that.”
She recalled moments of frustration when Kanye’s claims didn’t align with reality. “There’s been so many times where I’ve been like, ‘Oh, I just wanna show all of these texts. What are you talking about? Haven’t heard? I begged them to go hang out.’ It’s more of just the narrative that think it’s all good and we’re living our life and then I wake up and there’s all these tweets about how I’ve kidnapped the kids and I’m like, it’s not a kidnapping, it’s a divorce,” she explained.
Ultimately, Kim hopes their co-parenting relationship can evolve into something healthier. “You know, we can still all be in each other’s lives and have group dinners,” she reflected. “I just grew up so differently, seeing my family co-parent so great. And I see it with Khloé and Tristan, and I just see really healthy relationships.”
