Kim Kardashian recently opened up about an unexpected part of her marriage to Kanye West, feeling financially unsafe. The two were married between 2014 and 2022. Obviously, even billionaires aren’t immune to the anxiety that comes from not knowing whether your partner’s money decisions will put you at risk.
Marriage & Money
In an Oct. 15 episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Kardashian told host Alex Cooper that her ex-husband’s unpredictable spending, including buying and giving away luxury cars without warning, made her feel emotionally and financially unstable.
“Not feeling safe, not even physically, maybe emotionally or even financially,” Kardashian said. “That’s a really unsettling feeling.”
Financial therapist and Your Financial Therapist CEO Erika Wasserman says Kardashian’s experience is more common than people realize. Financial insecurity in relationships often comes down to trust and communication, not income level.
“When you can’t trust the partner you’re with on how money is being spent, saved, or invested, fear creeps in,” Wasserman told CNBC. “And that fear starts to spill into other parts of the relationship.”
At one point West, said Kardashian, was giving away their luxury cars. “I would like come home, and we had like five Lamborghinis, and I’d come home and they’d all be gone if he was in an episode,” she said. “And I’d be like, ‘Oh, wait. Where’s all our cars? Like, my new car?’ And it would be like, oh, he gave them away to all of his friends.”
For Kardashian, who shares four children with West, leaving her marriage was a step toward reclaiming emotional and financial stability. “I had to save myself in order to be a better mom,” she said.
At one point West had reached billionaire status until he lost several major brand partnerships due to controversy over antisemitic and other statements on social media and in interviews. Kardasian, who recently debuted a poorly received Hulu show called “All’s Fair,” has seen her net worth grow to about $1.7 billion, with earnings from her reality show, her new beauty brand ad her highly successful shapewear/apparel brand Skims.
