Kim Kardashian sobs over ex-husband’s antisemitism
In the third season of the Hulu reality series, Kanye's former wife is confused by his hatred for Jews
Brigit Grant is the Jewish News Supplements Editor
Kim Kardashian breaks down in tears over Kanye West’s antisemitic remarks in the latest episode of Hulu’s The Kardashians on Disney+.
The reality star, worth 1.2 billion, also questions expressing her support for the Jewish community on Twitter, fearing she was responsible for her ex-husband being dropped by his agency CAA and MRC, as well as sponsors Adidas and Balenciaga.
“I feel guilty that I posted something in support of the Jewish community, then people dropped him today,” Kim tells her sister Khloé Kardashian in the episode “Is that my fault? That I posted that? And did that push them? And I should have just kept quiet? But I’m vocal about everything else…I never know what to do.”
Following his disparaging and dangerous remarks about Jews and sampling of music filled with hate speech, distribution of a completed documentary about Kanye, now known as Ye also stopped. “The whole situation is sad, and I don’t know how to emotionally manage it,” says Kim. “I’m conflicted because I don’t ever want to jump in and be apart of a downfall for the father of my kids.”
“I’m so angry, but I’m also so sad,” Kim adds. “Your instinct wants to be like, ‘Wow, I can never talk to this person again,’ but then you think of your babies. I’m having a hard time figuring it out.”
In the new episode which aired on Thursday, Khloé consoles her sister telling her, “it’s not your fault. He had so many opportunities to retract what he said and he would double down all the time. Sometimes our silence speaks louder, and what you did was not wrong. What you did had nothing to do with what’s happening right now. People have probably wanted to cancel him for a while and he’s always said, ‘I’m not cancellable.’ … And now, this is probably just the last thing.”
To camera privately Khloé says she is “heartbroken” to see Kim in so much pain and expresses her family’s support for the Jewish community. “It’s such a helpless feeling because me watching Ye is like watching a car crash in slow motion. I feel terrible about everything. 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.”
The consequences of West’s hate speech are evident in an updated FBI report of hate crimes which revealed that in 2023 over 51% of religion-related incidents were against Jews, making Jews the most targeted religious group in America. Amid West’s ongoing public commentary, a group of demonstrators raised their arms in a Nazi salute and held a banner over the 405 freeway in Los Angeles that read, “Kanye is right about the Jews.”
“Kim and West were married from 2014 to 2022 and share four young children together. “I am just in protection mode of my kids, and just try to hide everything,” says Kim in the latest of the series which is produced by Ben Winston.
“It’s just hard for me to figure out — if they (the children) don’t know anything, why wouldn’t dad come over for dinner? Why isn’t dad at my things? That kills me. It’s the one thing that gives me anxiety,” Kardashian explains. “Because then I’m embarrassed if people are going to say something at a game or a function. Is it safe? Is it dangerous? I just don’t know what to do. I’ve been managing it the best way that I know how because I want my kids to see a healthy dad.”
Kim admits that what confuses her most is the fact that ” he’s so different to 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. I feel so bad for him. I don’t even think he feels bad for himself because I don’t even know if he knows how…I just feel so bad.”
Without mentioning her ex by name in October 2022, Kim Kardashian told her 75.1 million followers on Twitter – “Hate speech is never OK or excusable. I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful rhetoric towards them to come to an immediate end.” Kanye West has over 30 million followers on Twitter. There are an estimated 14.8 million Jews in the world.
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