Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have been at the centre of divorce rumours this year. Photo / Getty Images
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have been at the centre of divorce rumours this year. Photo / Getty Images
They're two of the most scandal-prone people in the entertainment industry, and just months ago, their marriage seemed to be in tatters.
While Kim and Kanye's gushing festive season display of late may make their relationship woes seem a lifetime ago, the Twitter-rampage scandal of July cracked their marriage wideopen, with the drama playing out in front of the world.
And at the centre of it all was a photo from two years ago.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have been dogged by divorce rumours all year, with Kanye's public meltdown in July seemingly causing irreparable damage. Photo / Getty Images
A photo of Kim meeting with rapper Meek Mill to discuss prison reform back in 2018 at a hotel in Los Angeles was unearthed during Kanye's infamous barrage of tweets earlier this year.
West shocked fans when he claimed that he had been "trying to get divorced" from Kim since the meet-up at the Waldorf in Beverly Hills, suggesting something untoward took place and she was "out of line".
He wrote: "Meek is my man and was respectful That's my dog Kim was out of line I'm worth 5 billion dollars and more than that through Christ But ya'll ain't listen to MJ and now ya'll believe them?"
The photo which emerged as a result of the fiery tweet shows Kim, 40, and the 33-year-old rapper, real name Robert Rihmeek Williams, joined by philanthropist Clara Wu at a rooftop restaurant, where they are believed to have discussed prison reform – a cause they both support passionately.
Responding to Kanye's wild claim, Mill wrote: "Sh** is cappp cmon," which is slang for lies.
Later, when the photo emerged, Mill added to followers: "Being around the wrong environment and wrong people will make you forget your worth! Stay focused."
It came after Kim received glowing praise from Mill last year, with the rapper calling her a "friend" and hailing her for her work on prison reform.
Recent reports suggest Kim Kardashian West is still considering leaving her husband, and the father of her four children. Photo / Getty Images
KANYE'S MELTDOWN
Among the string of now-deleted tweets, Kanye, 43, slammed both Kim and his mother-in-law Kris Jenner, claiming they tried to "lock me up".
It came after the rapper held a presidential campaign rally in North Carolina where he shared intimate details about he and the reality star's decision not to abort their daughter North.
During the emotional rally, West broke down in tears as he spoke about how he and his wife had considered terminating the pregnancy.
In another tweet, West claimed his wife tried to fly a doctor to Wyoming to "lock me up like on the movie Get Out" because he cried about "saving" his daughter North's life.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West with their children Chicago, Saint and North. Photo / Instagram
The movie Get Out, which West compared his life to, is about an African-American man who is brought to his white girlfriend's family home and uncovers a series of disturbing details about them.
The majority of West's tweets were swiftly deleted but a mere 24 hours later he unleashed on his family again.
"I would like to apologise to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter," he wrote. "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."
Kim threw her support behind her husband following the outburst. Photo / Getty Images
KIM'S RESPONSE
Kardashian-West broke her silence about her husband's mental health shortly after her husband's tirade, posting a statement to Instagram in which she defended the rapper and made mention of his bipolar disorder.
"Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand," she wrote.
"I've never spoken publicly about how this has affected us at home because I am very protective of our children and Kanye's right to privacy when it comes to his health."
The couple first met in 2003. Photo / Getty Images
But Kardashian said she felt compelled to speak out because "of the stigma and misconceptions of mental health".
"Those that understand mental illness or compulsive behaviour know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor," she went on.
"People who are unaware or far removed from this experience can be judgmental and not understand that the individual themselves have to engage in the process of getting help no matter how hard the family try."
DIVORCE RUMOURS
Reports from as recent as December 13 suggest all is still not well with the couple, despite their efforts to put on a united front.
According to the New York Post, the couple may still be together, but "very much live separate lives".
