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Kanye West and Kim Kardashian met in the early 2000s, though they did not start dating until 2012. The couple got married in 2014 and currently has four children together. Their relationship was once cited as the most long-lasting one among the Kardashian sisters, but the couple divorced in 2022.

Like many Hollywood relationships, West and Kardashian’s marriage increased their fame and fortunes. However, as West found himself in one controversy after another, he began negatively affecting Kardashian’s public image.

Kim Kardashian was initially thought to be bad for Kanye West’s image

Kim Kardashian attends KKW Beauty launch.
Kim Kardashian | Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for ULTA Beauty / KKW Beauty

West and Kardashian both rose to fame in the 2000s for different reasons.

West was a rapper and producer known for having hit singles like “Gold Digger,” “Stronger,” and “Heartless.” Many of his records sold really well and he has also won over 200 awards for his work. West was often celebrated for being a successful African-American artist in an industry that is not always known for being racially inclusive.

Meanwhile, Kardashian was initially known for being friends with Paris Hilton and having a sex tape with Ray J, which allowed her family to launch their own reality show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Kardashian has often been called a celebrity who is only “famous for being famous” and has no apparent talent.

As such, when West and Kardashian first got together, onlookers believed that Kardashian could damage West’s image of being a serious artist. Many also accused her of being a gold-digger and social climber, even though she had amassed a fortune for herself.

Kanye West has been criticized a lot recently

These days, West seems to be capable of damaging his reputation all on his own.

In 2016, he attracted a lot of backlash when he openly supported Donald Trump. West wore the infamous “Make America Great Again” hat on multiple occasions and talked about how liberals were “bullying” the president.

West also was heavily criticized in 2018 when he said that slavery “sounds like a choice.”

More recently, West found himself in hot water after he told his wife to dress in a less sexy manner. As if that was not enough, West supported T.I.’s statement about putting his daughter through “virginity testing,” calling the act “God-approved.”

In 2022, West lost several business deals and endorsements following a series of antisemitic comments. His statements on the Holocaust and other topics were condemned. In an episode of The Kardashians, Kim Kardashian expressed shock and sadness at West’s behavior.

Is Kanye West now a liability for Kim Kardashian’s image?

While West has been receiving a lot of criticism lately, Kardashian has been working hard to improve her own image.

She is currently running a huge empire that consists of a makeup brand and a shapewear line. The TV personality is also working at a law firm as an apprentice and studying for the bar exam. Kardashian has also shared that she wants to give up her celebrity life down the road and focus on helping those negatively affected by the justice system.

It seems that the table has turned, and now West could be the one that is holding Kardashian back from establishing a positive image for herself. After all, it is well-known that Kardashian does not agree with West’s politics, but she still defends him in public anyway — at least until his 2022 comments.

Ultimately, since she chooses to stand by him, anything that he does also reflects on her, which might not be a good thing if he gets a lot of backlash from people.