Kanye West Thinks This Is What Ended His Marriage

On February 19, 2021, the news broke that Kim Kardashian West filed for divorce from her husband of six-and-a-half years. The filing came after months of public speculation about the pair's relationship.

Many people are curious about what could have driven the two apart, and now one source close to the couple has revealed to People that Kanye West believes his failed 2020 presidential run might be the ultimate reason why Kim Kardashian West decided to file. The source says, "He's in that place of 'if only.' 'If only I had done this, if only I hadn't done that.' He's processing things. He thinks that the Presidential run was the straw that broke the camel's back. Before that, there was hope. After that, none. It cost him his marriage."

Kanye West announced he planned to run for President of the United States on July 4, 2020. Billboard shared his announcement, which the rapper and designer posted on Twitter. "We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States."

Kanye West followed up his announcement with a series of interviews. He spoke to Forbes for four hours, and revealed that he didn't think Joe Biden, who ultimately won the election, was really standing in his way. "I'm not saying Trump's in my way, he may be a part of my way. And Joe Biden? Like come on man, please. You know? Obama's special. Trump's special. We say Kanye West is special. America needs special people that lead. Bill Clinton? Special. Joe Biden's not special."

He also explained why he ran as an Independent. "I would run as a Republican if Trump wasn't there. I will run as an independent if Trump is there." Kanye West had a lot working against him when he announced his bid. For starters, his late announcement meant he was only able to be on the ballot in 12 of the 50 states. Despite that, Billboard reports that West walked away with about 60,000 votes, which is no small feat, and he possibly ignited a new generation of Independent candidates in the process.

As political commentator Mike Muse said, "Those 60,000 people are part of an awakening that the status quo can't continue — [that] the way we select candidates, the policies they have, the style of campaigning is something we need to talk about."

However, friends of Kardashian have stated that there's another reason she's decided to leave Kanye. Page Six reports that a family friend said, "This divorce is happening because Kim has grown up a lot. She is serious about taking the bar exam and becoming a lawyer, she is serious about her prison reform campaign. Meanwhile Kanye is talking about running for president and saying other crazy s***, and she's just had enough of it."

Kim Kardashian West is also reportedly mulling over whether or not she will drop Kanye's last name. E! News reports, "Kim hasn't expressed whether or not she will remove 'West' from her branding. If she left it, it would be for her to share the same last name as her kids. Her kids and their happiness are her main priority. She is very protective over them." 

Sources close to the family have also explained that when it really came down to filing for divorce, the situation wasn't dramatic. E! News states that, "There was no dramatic final moment between them recently where she said, 'This is it.' They decided a while ago that they were going to do this and go their separate ways." The source went on to add that "it became very clear that they did not have similar lifestyles or viewpoints."

Kim Kardashian West has also reportedly been relying on her famous family for support, with the same source saying that the Kardashians "all fully understand that this is what Kim needs to do. Whenever she is upset or sad, she knows she can FaceTime them or go over to one of their houses and they are always there for her" (via E! News).

For his part, Kanye West has largely remained silent as article after article reveals Kim Kardashian West's mental state and thoughts about their split. In 2020, TMZ posited that Kardashian West was ready to end their marriage months ago, but held on due to Kanye West's mental health. "Kim was ready to pull the plug on the marriage at one point, but it was when Kanye was going through a serious bipolar episode and she felt it was cruel to do it when he wasn't well."