Socialite Kim Kardashian is speaking out just days after her husband, entertainment magnate Kanye West, held a freewheeling campaign event during which he revealed details of their private conversations about abortion and how God intervened in the process.
In the immediate aftermath of the rally in Charleston, South Carolina, which marked his first political event since announcing his candidacy for president, West’s family expressed concern the 43-year-old rapper could be in the middle of a significant bipolar episode.
West’s wife seemingly confirmed that concern Wednesday.
“As many of you know, Kanye has bipolar disorder,” Kardashian wrote in an Instagram post. “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 went on to write that she’s never addressed her husband’s mental wellbeing publicly but felt like she needed to as this point “because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health.”
In the wake of the intense criticism West is facing, the “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” star described her spouse as “a brilliant but complicated person who … has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bipolar disorder.”
She continued:
Those that understand mental illness or even compulsive behavior know that the family is powerless unless the member is a minor. 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 family and friends try.
I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions. He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressures of being an artist and a black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bi-polar disorder. Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words sometimes do not align with his intentions.
Living with bi-polar disorder does not diminish or invalidate his dreams and his creative ideas, no matter how big or unobtainable they may feel to some. That is part of his genius, and as we have all witnessed, many of his big dreams have come true.
At the end of her lengthy post, Kardashian, who identifies as a Christian, urged people to extend “grace to the issue of mental health” as well as to “individuals who are living with” conditions like bipolar disorder.
“I kindly ask that the media and public give us the compassion and empathy that is needed so that we can get through this,” she concluded. “Thank you for those who have expressed concern for Kanye’s wellbeing and for your understanding.”
What happened?
Through tears, the rapper told those gathered at the campaign stop on Sunday that he “almost killed” his now-7-year-old daughter North by trying to convince Kardashian to have an abortion. Ultimately, West said, God stopped him and changed his mind.
West recalled the moment God intervened. He said he was sitting at his laptop when the screen turned to black and white. The rapper said God told him, “If you [expletive] with my vision, I’m going to [expletive] with yours.”
The entertainer, who last year underwent a public conversion to Christianity, said he immediately called Kardashian and they decided against aborting North.
“Even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into the world and I didn’t want to,” said West. “She stood up and she protected that child.”
According to a report from TMZ, both the West and Kardashian families believe the “Yeezy” creator is in “desperate need of professional help.” His wife’s family was also reportedly very upset over West’s decision to discuss the details of Kardashian’s pregnancy.
West, who wore a bulletproof vest during the Charleston rally, also promoted a bizarre policy to incentivize parents against aborting their unborn children. Anyone who chooses to carry a baby to term, he said, should get $1 million — an idea he termed “Plan A,” an apparent knock against the emergency contraceptive pill known as Plan B.
“The only thing that can free us is by obeying the rules that were given to us for a promised land,” West said. “Abortion should be legal because guess what? The law is not by God, anyway. So what is legality?”