Kim K talks of Kanye’s struggle
Notorious family is ‘powerless,’ reality star says; asks for empathy.
Kim Kardashian is asking for compassion and empathy as her husband, rap mogul Kanye West, and their family deal with his recent behavioral outbursts that have called his mental health into question.
West, 43, accused the E! reality star of trying to lock him up this week after he criticized her at a campaign rally and in a flurry of tweets on Monday. Kardashian took to Instagram Stories on Wednesday morning to remind followers that West has bipolar disorder, a lifelong mental health condition that causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs and lows.
Though West has publicly refuted his diagnosis, Kardashian asked people to be sensitive to those who struggle with mental health issues.
“Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand,” Kardashian said in her statement.
“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,” she added. “But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health.”
The mother of four, who has been married to West since 2014, said that those who understand mental illness or compulsive behavior know that the family is powerless unless the person with the illness is a minor. She reminded people that an individual has to “engage in the process of getting help.”
Her candid comments come amid renewed scrutiny of the Grammy-winning rapper after he announced he was running for president on July 4. A sprawling Forbes interview about his platform followed, as well as a heated campaign event in South Carolina where he claimed in part that Harriet Tubman did not actually free any slaves and said that when Kardashian, then his girlfriend, was pregnant with their first child, daughter North, he initially wanted her to get an abortion.
The beauty mogul did not specifically address West’s political ambitions or his new album, “Donda” (named after his mother), which he’s expected to release this week.