The Show (and Kim’s Marriage!) Is Over
The Kardashian empire is at stake as the TV show and Kim’s relationship implode
He hadn’t missed a Met Gala in six years. But on May 1, Kanye West was 2,700 miles away from the event dubbed “fashion’s biggest night” as wife Kim Kardashian walked the red carpet solo. “He’s at home,” Kim explained. “He’s been taking some time off and really loving that.”
Not exactly. Kanye, 39, “did want to go with Kim to the Met Gala, but she told him to stay home,” a source close to Kim tells In Touch. “Their marriage is in shambles. Kim is living a completely separate life from Kanye and wants to file for divorce this summer.” A rep for Kim denies the marriage is over but compounding Kim’s troubles is the fact that Keeping Up With the Kardashians has been hemorrhaging viewers. (There’s no denying what the chart below shows!) “The Kardashian reign is coming to an end,” says a family insider. “It’s just a matter of time before they pull the plug on the show.”
Kim’s marriage has been hanging by a thread for months. “Kanye is back living in his old Hollywood Hills bachelor pad,” reveals the source close to Kim. “This last year has been absolute hell for Kim and made her realize life is too short. She wants the fairy tale and knows it’s not going to happen with Kanye.” The rapper’s November breakdown and hospitalization, which came barely a month after Kim, 36, was robbed at gunpoint in Paris, put a huge strain on their relationship, which never recovered. On May 5, Kanye deleted all his social media accounts. “His anxiety level is at an all-time high,” says a Kardashian insider. Meanwhile, adds the source close to Kim, momager Kris Jenner, 61, “is pressuring Kim to discuss her marriage problems on Keeping Up With the Kardashians.”
The show needs all the help it can get. Season 13 is averaging 1.35 million viewers, which is the lowest since Season 1, when the show averaged 1.31 million viewers. “The show is over and will be canceled,” says a source. A production insider insists the show won’t be canceled, but acknowledges its decline: “They’ve had an unbelievable nine-year run. The problem is the show is overplayed. How many times can Scott Disick go to rehab? It’s flat compared to all the past drama. They need a baby, wedding or divorce.” (One website that addressed the show’s fall from glory hilariously suggested, “Of course, they could do what other TV shows do after many seasons and kill off a main character.”)
The irony is that Kim’s disintegrating marriage could be her failing show’s salvation. But so far, she’s refusing to turn her marital issues into a plotline. “Kris is scrambling to come up with a plan, butkim has told her that it may be time to hang it up,” says the family insider. “Kris is in total panic mode, and when she’s desperate, who knows what scandal she’ll come up with to keep the Kardashian and Jenner names — and the show — relevant.” ◼