By Lindsay Der
By now, you’ve likely forgotten about the rumors of Kim and Kanye’s divorce; after all, there have been other things to think about. Or maybe you haven’t, since the news of their split was accompanied by a substantially more shocking rumor that Kanye cheated on Kim— with beauty guru Jeffree Star. Originating from Tiktok, the claim obviously has no basis and the perpetrator of this lie has since admitted its falsehood, but that did not stop the internet from taking and running with this almost comical situation. Kanye West, a famed ladies man, cheated on his wife with a man?! Not surprisingly, countless memes have been made about the rumor and gone viral, even though by now, most everyone knows the affair was not real. Kanye and Jeffree trended on Twitter as, for a day or so, the internet seemed to believe the rumor. Though it is doubtful that this situation will do any real damage to Kim or Kanye’s careers or well-being, the wildfire-like spread of this rumor shows the dangers of online disinformation. A baseless Tiktok made by a girl trying to get her 15 minutes of fame by spreading lies about a celebrity marriage, took the internet by storm within a day and hardly anyone stopped to investigate the source or basis of the claim. But you already know, you can’t believe everything you see on the internet!
What actually happened to Kim and Kanye? Over the course of 2020, the couple had a few alleged falling outs, most notably when Kanye mentioned his and his wife’s discussion of aborting their first daughter in a speech to support his pro-life platform. She was apparently shocked that her husband would share such a private conversation. Additionally, Kim has struggled, despite her best efforts, to support Kanye during his trials of living with bipolar disorder, because of “how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand.” In January 2021, reports of a Kimye divorce made headlines, though neither has confirmed nor denied the allegations. In the end, only Kim and Kanye truly know the ins and outs of their relationship, so all we can do is speculate— or wait for the next season of KUWTK!