Inside Kanye West's Relationship With Kris Jenner

In the midst of his presidential campaign, Kanye West went on a Twitter rant addressing his wife and his mother-in-law. Kanye's relationship with his spouse, Kim Kardashian, and her mom, Kris Jenner, is apparently on the rocks, according to the since-deleted Twitter thread, in which Kanye accused the women of trying to "lock him up," avoiding his calls, and then vowing to never let his children pose for Playboy or release sex tapes. The rapper also called out actor Shia LaBouf and famous Vogue editor Anna Wintour in the tweet storm, per People. 

The mostly now-deleted flurry of tweets happened July 20, 2020, just days after Kanye's first presidential rally in South Carolina. There, too, Kanye spoke about his family, discussing how he and Kim reportedly talked about aborting their child, North, and how happy he was that Kim had the baby. He also supposedly made a comment at the rally about how he knows that if he and Kim ever divorce, he'll be thankful for his kids

Many people on social media noted that Kanye's speech at his rally seemed off for him, and paired with the aforementioned tweets and his history of mental health issues, many are concerned about the rapper and his family. Let's take a closer look, specifically, at the dynamic between Kanye and Kris. 

Kanye West posted a string of since-deleted tweets accusing Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner of trying to "lock him up" after his presidential rally in South Carolina. At the event, Kanye reportedly revealed that he and Kim had discussed aborting their firstborn, daughter North. After the event, Kanye tweeted (per People): "Kim was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up like on the movie Get Out because I cried about saving my daughters life yesterday." 

According to E! News, Kanye also addressed his mother-in-law and, seemingly, her boyfriend, Cory Gamble, in the deleted tweets, saying that they weren't allowed near his kids. "Kriss [sic] don't play with me you and that calmye are not allowed around my children Ya'll tried to lock me up." He also tweeted: "If I get locked up like Mandela Ya'll will know why," referencing South African civil rights leader Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison. 

Given Kanye's bipolar diagnosis, which he has spoken about at length, his family members may have been trying to get him some medical help. After tweeting that Kardashian and Jenner apparently weren't answering his calls, Kanye's tweets about the women grew sharper. 

Kanye West took to Twitter on July 20, 2020 to launch some pointed messages at his wife, Kim Kardashian, and her mom, Kris Jenner. In one tweet, per E! News, he said, "I put my life on my God that Norths mom would never photograph her doing playboy and that's on God I'm at the ranch ... come and get me." 

Those who keep up with the Kardashians might remember that Jenner reportedly encouraged Kim to feel proud and enthusiastic about a Playboy shoot in 2007. After having North, Kim even posted pictures from the shoot, relishing in how much fun she'd had at the time. According to People, Kanye tweeted that he would "put his life on the line" if Kim ever "sold" a sex tape of North's, referring to his wife's 2007 video with then-boyfriend Ray J. It has never been confirmed that Kris or Kim "sold" that footage to gain fame, but speculation has surrounded the mother-daughter pair for years. 

In short, Kanye's collective tweeting essentially shamed his wife and her "momager" for their personal and professional decisions, and that marks a major break from what they've said about each other in the past – at least publicly.

Kris Jenner has said glowing things about her son-in-law, Kanye West, in the past. Well, kind of. In 2018, after West came out publicly in support of Donald Trump and tweeted some controversial opinions, Jenner appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and said (via Billboard): "Kanye's an amazing son-in-law. He's an amazing dad and husband and friend and brother-in-law ... I think what I really want to do is be there to help him be the best version of himself that he can be."

She also addressed Kanye's trip to the White House to meet Trump in 2018. "That was so Kanye. He was sharing thoughts and things of himself. But I would rather he share some of that stuff privately," she said. "Obviously, that would be great. But I need to be able to show him that I'm here if he needs me."

However, there has been tension between Jenner and her son-in-law before, and it involved Jenner's boyfriend, Corey Gamble. In 2019, per the Associated Press, Kanye allegedly sent Gamble texts that questioned his motives — a situation that played out on an episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians. At the time, Jenner didn't appreciate the meddling. "I just wish I knew why [Kanye] has to bring bad energy into the field." 

Kris Jenner has a job to do as the family's manager and brand protector, but Kim Kardashian and the rest of the family members have nonetheless been worried about Kanye West since he announced that he was running for president in early July 2020. In a Forbes interview about his candidacy, Kanye declared he was running under the "Birthday Party;" proclaimed that vaccines prevent one from getting into a heaven (a conspiracy theory that has no scientific backing); and announced that he would model his administration after Wakanda — a fictional place in the movie Black Panther. 

People reported that Kardashian was worried about her husband's mental health. "Kanye has been doing well for a long time. In the past, he has suffered both manic and depressive episodes related to his bipolar disorder. Right now, he is struggling again," a source told the magazine. "Kim is concerned, as well as her whole family," the insider alleged. "It's super stressful for Kim, because Kanye's behavior is very unpredictable. She is worried. The episodes usually last for a few weeks and then things go back to normal."

While no one knows exactly what is going on between Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, and Kris Jenner, something unusual appears to be affecting the family dynamic. 

In 2019, per CBS News, Kanye told David Letterman that he uses alternative medicines to treat his bipolar disorder, though he believes other medications work for other people. "I'm not a doctor. I can just tell you what I'm feeling at the time, and I feel a heightened connection with the universe when I'm ramping up," Kanye explained. "It is a health issue. This — it's like a sprained brain, like having a sprained ankle. And if someone has a sprained ankle, you're not going to push on him more. With us, once our brain gets to a point of spraining, people do everything to make it worse." Kanye noted that he was under a doctor's care. 

We hope the talented artist is able to access any care he needs and communicate clearly with his wife, mother-in-law, and the rest of the family. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, or call the National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264).