Kim Kardashian West has left the building: May we reintroduce Kim Kardashian.
The reality TV mogul is officially a single woman after a judge granted her request to restore her martial status to single amid her ongoing divorce from estranged husband Kanye West, according to multiple outlets.
While there is much to be settled in the former couple’s increasingly messy divorce battle, including child custody and property issues, both parties are now legally single, with Kardashian officially dropping West from her last name.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Steve Cochran made the ruling during a bifurcation hearing on Wednesday, where Kardashian appeared via video conference. West was not present for the proceedings.
West’s fourth attorney in recent months, Samantha Spector, appeared on his behalf after the rapper reportedly fired lawyer Chris Melcher shortly before the hearing. West’s working relationship with the attorney had become “extremely difficult, with little communication,” per TMZ.
The ruling is a major win for Kardashian. She first filed the request in December 2021, months after splitting from West, who has sought to repeatedly stall the process.
The rapper, who shares four children ― North, 8, Saint, 6, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 2 ― with Kardashian, previously challenged her request because her filing did not “provide the protections necessary for an early termination of marital status.”
The news arrives after a particularly tumultuous period for the former couple, during which the reality star accused West of causing her “emotional distress” by spreading “misinformation” on his many social media rants.
“I very much desire to be divorced,” Kardashian stated last week, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press. “I have asked Kanye to keep our divorce private, but he has not done so.”
In a slew of Instagram posts shared earlier this month on West’s account, the Yeezy founder took aim at Kardashian and her new relationship with Pete Davidson, sharing private text messages he’d received from both of them along with disturbing memes and images.
In response to her filing, West’s attorney at the time said there was no proof that the posts were actually written by the rapper, arguing that her statement is “inadmissible hearsay,” per court documents obtained by TMZ.
West apparently had a last-minute change of heart. In a statement shared with Hollywood Unlocked on Wednesday, West said he directed his lawyers to “expedite the dissolution of my marriage to Kim so I can put my entire attention into our beautiful children”
Kardashian, who filed for divorce in February 2021 after nearly seven years of marriage, previously expressed some frustration about her ex’s changing legal representation since their split was announced.
“Divorce is difficult enough on our children and Kanye’s obsession with trying to control and manipulate our situation so negatively and publicly is only causing further pain for all,” she wrote via Instagram.
“From the beginning I have wanted nothing but a healthy and supportive co-parenting relationship because it is what is best for our children and it saddens me that Kanye continues to make it impossible every step of the way,” she continued. “I wish to handle all matters regarding our children privately and hopefully he can finally respond to the third attorney he has had in the last year to resolve any issues amicably.”
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