By Mariah Trujillo, Editor-in-Chief
Kanye West, an icon and musical legend, has always been controversial, but in recent months, the backlash over his words and actions has increased. Since his divorce from Kim Kardashian, reality TV star and entrepreneur, some say West has “spiraled.” The timeline below documents what some would consider his emotional rollercoaster.
May 4, 2014: West and Kardashian wed in Florence, Italy.
July 4, 2020: West takes to Twitter to announce his 2020 United States presidential election campaign.
July 19, 2020: West takes the stage for his first presidential campaign rally. The rally is held in Charleston, South Carolina, and revolves around West’s anti-abortion views. Sobbing, he reveals he was almost terminated during his mother’s pregnancy.
“My mom saved my life. My dad wanted to abort me. My mom saved my life. There would’ve been no Kanye West because my dad was too busy,” said West.
He then went on to reveal that his daughter with Kim Kardashian, North West, was also almost terminated before birth. “I almost killed my daughter,” cried West. “In the Bible, it says, ‘Thou shall not kill.’ I remember my girlfriend [Kardashian] called me screaming and crying … she said, ‘I’m pregnant’ … She said she was pregnant and for one month, and two months, and three months we talked about her not having this child. She had the pills in her hand.
“Even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech,” West said, “she brought North into the world.”
July 20, 2020: West flies to their home in Cody, Wyoming. That night, West tweets, “Kim was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up like on the movie ‘Get Out’ because I cried about saving my daughters life yesterday.”
July 25, 2020: West visits a hospital near his ranch after publicly apologizing to Kardashian. Earlier that day West tweeted, “I would like to apologize to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter. I did not cover her like she has covered me. To Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me.”
November 4, 2020: West’s presidential election is suspended.
February 19, 2021: Kardashian files for divorce from West.
June 10, 2021: Kardashian elaborates on her split from West during the season finale of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”
“After turning 40 this year, I realized, ‘No, I don’t want a husband that lives in a completely different state.’ To me, I thought, ‘Oh my god, that’s when we’re getting along the best,’ but then that is sad to me and that’s not what I want,” Kardashian says in a conversation with her mother, Kris Jenner. “I want someone that we have the same shows in common; I want someone that wants to work out with me.”
November 25, 2021: On Thanksgiving, West shares a five-minute prayer on Instagram addressing much of what he’s been struggling with in his past months including his troubled marriage and his mental health.
“All I think about every day is how to get my family back together and how I heal the pain that I’ve caused,” West says.
Later November 2021: West purchases a $4.5 million home across the street from Kardashian, claiming it will allow him to be closer to his children. Kardashian and West have four children together, North, 8, Saint, 6, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 2.
December 31, 2021: Model Julia Fox meets West at a surprise performance in Miami.
January 6, 2022: Fox pens a brief essay about their whirlwind romance for Interview magazine.
Fox goes on to detail their second date, saying after dinner West prepared “an entire hotel suite full of clothes” for Fox, which she describes as “every girl’s dream come true.”
“But I was so surprised. Like, who does things like this on a second date? Or any date,” Fox writes, “I don’t know where things are headed but if this is any indication of the future I’m loving the ride.”
January 14, 2022: West releases a track called “Eazy” containing lines targeting Pete Davidson, Saturday Night Live cast member and Kardashian’s latest romance.
The lyrics that spark controversy, in particular, are, “God saved me from that crash / just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s a**.” This line references the near-fatal car accident he survived back in 2002 and clearly targets Davidson.
January 15, 2022: West attends his daughter’s 4th birthday party though he claims he wasn’t invited. According to West, he had to retrieve the address through rapper Travis Scott who was in attendance that day. Kardashian has disputed these claims.
February 4, 2022: Kardashian and West take to Instagram to show their different opinions in regards to their oldest daughter, North West being on TikTok.
“SINCE THIS IS MY FIRST DIVORCE I NEED TO KNOW WHAT I SHOULD DO ABOUT MY DAUGHTER BEING PUT ON TIK TOK AGAINST MY WILL?” West writes next to a screenshot of North from the account she shares with her mother, @KimAndNorth.
Not much later, Kardashian posts her response.
“Kanye’s constant attacks on me in interviews and on social media is actually more hurtful than any TikTok North might create,” Kardashian writes. “As the parent who is the main provider and caregiver for our children, I am doing my best to protect our daughter while also allowing her to express her creativity in the medium that she wishes with adult supervision — because it brings her happiness.”
February 7, 2022: West deletes every trace of their dispute from Instagram.
February 12, 2022: West begins targeting individuals associated with Davidson, including one of his longtime collaborators, Kid Cudi.
“JUST SO EVERYONE KNOWS CUDI WILL NOT BE ON DONDA BECAUSE HE’S FRIENDS WITH YOU KNOW WHO,” West posts as a handwritten note on Instagram.
February 13, 2022: West calls for his fans to berate Davidson.
“IF YOU SEE SKETE IN REAL LIFE SCREAM AT THE LOOSER AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS AND SAY KIMYE FOREVER,” he reportedly wrote. “FOR EVERYONE MARRIED HOLD YOUR SPOUSE CLOSE MAKE SURE THEY KNOW HOW MUCH YOU LOVE AND APPRECIATE THEM BECAUSE THERES A SKETE LURKING IN EVERY DIRTY A– ALLEY WAITING TO HELP DESTROY YOUR FAMILY AND WALK AROUND IN CALVIN KLEINS AROUND YOUR CHILDREN.”
He later goes on to share private messages between himself and Kardashian. Throughout the conversation, she accuses him of “creating a dangerous and scary environment” for Davidson and West goes on to tell his fans that he will “handle the situation” himself.
February 14, 2022: Fox announces her split from West.
“Y’all would love if I was soooo upset,” Fox writes on her Instagram story. “The media would love to paint a picture of me a sad lonely woman crying on a plane by myself but it’s not true!!”
That morning, West apparently delivers a truckload of roses to Kardashian’s home. West posts an image of the black truck to his Instagram with the caption, “MY VISION IS KRYSTAL KLEAR🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹”.
February 16, 2022: The Netflix docuseries “Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy” is released.
March 1, 2022: According to TMZ and People, a judge grants Kardashian’s request to be “legally single.”
March 2, 2022: West releases his music video for “Eazy” which causes just as much controversy as its lyrics with a cartoon version of Davidson being decapitated and buried by West.
March 13, 2022: Davidson shares screenshots from a conversation between him and West.
“Yo it’s Skete, Can you please take a second and calm down. It’s 8am and it don’t gotta be like this,’ Davidson writes. “What she [Kardashian] does for those kids is amazing and you are so f*cking lucky that she’s your kids mom. I’ve decided I’m not gonna let you treat us this way anymore and I’m done being quiet. Grow the f*ck up.”
West quickly responds, “Oh you using profanity, Where are you right now?”
Davidson, clearly fed up, responds with an ultimate clap back.
“In bed with your wife,” he sends, along with an image of himself in bed.
It is important to note that nearly all of West’s tweets and Instagram posts have been deleted since their initial publication. Just this past Thursday, West was temporarily suspended from Instagram and on Friday, he was removed from the list of performers for the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.
Marcus Collins contributed to this report.
