Khloe Kardashian has said it’s “hurtful” to be blamed for Tristan Thompson’s infidelity as she opens up about the impact of the tabloid press on her mental health.
In a new interview with Variety ahead of the release of The Kardashians next month, the Good American founder – who has appeared on reality TV since 2007 – said having her relationships play out in the public eye has left her “very vulnerable”.
Kardashian was previously married to former basketball player Lamar Odom. She filed for divorce in 2013 following multiple allegations of infidelity, which Odom admitted to during an episode of Celebrity Big Brother last month.
In recent years, she has been in an on-off relationship with NBA player Tristan Thompson, with whom she shares a three-year-old daughter named True.
In January, Thompson issued a public apology confirming that he had fathered a baby boy with personal trainer Maralee Nichols.
He admitted to having sex with Nichols on his birthday in March 2021. He was in a relationship with Kardashian at the time.
Speaking about how infidelity in her relationships was reported by the press and discussed in public, Kardashian said she felt blamed for her partners’ actions.
“If your significant other is doing something wrong, for the woman to be blamed, that’s always been really hurtful for me,” she said.
“I’ve never quite understood that instead of there being some sympathy or like, ‘Wow, that must really suck to have to go through that’. And not only go through it, but then go through it so publicly.
“I don’t even care if people have sympathy. I just don’t understand why there’s so much finger pointing – like it must be me. That’s a heavy thing to carry.”
Kardashian said she believes a double standard exists in society, which unfairly “celebrates” men for cheating.
Calling on the media to be “more responsible”, she said: “It’s sad and it puts so much on the women’s shoulders emotionally.
“It’s a big burden to carry, and I don’t think people realise what it does psychologically to the women.
“And the men, it’s almost like another notch on their belt because they’re kind of celebrated in a way. But this is nothing new. It’s always been the boys’ club. I feel like it’s been like this for quite a long time.”
Some users have branded Kardashian’s comments as hypocritical after she publicly criticised Jordyn Woods, the former best friend of her half-sister, Kylie Jenner, for kissing Thompson at a party in 2019.
“Khloe, you need to publicly apologise to Jordyn. You’re right, when a man cheats it’s on him. The breakup of the family is on him. You dragged Jordyn,” one person said.
Another wrote: “It didn’t seem ‘hurtful’ and ‘hard to understand’ when you blamed Jordyn Woods!”
Also, during the Variety interview, the youngest Kardashian sister confirmed that the upcoming Hulu show will address Thompson’s paternity scandal.
She said that while she’s uncomfortable talking about Thompson’s infidelity, is a “part of [her] journey in life”.
“I wish I never had to talk about that because it’s not a fun thing to talk about,” she said.
“But it is part of my journey in life, so we will see it on the show.”
