There's trouble in paradise for Kim Kardashian and Kanye West—and the evidence might be hidden in plain sight.
The first couple of reality television has reached a breaking point in their relationship after mounting tensions in 2020. A source exclusively told E! News on Tuesday, Jan. 5, "It's gotten to the point where they haven't spent time together as a married couple in months."
The insider said, "They've seen each other for the sake of the kids but have been living separately. Kim knows the marriage is over. She's known for a while." However, Kim hasn't filed for divorce yet because she's still deciding what's best for their four children: North West, 7, Saint West, 5, Chicago West, 2, and Psalm West, 20 months.
There seems to be some solid proof that their relationship recently took a turn for the worse. Fans may have realized the stars were heading their separate ways after the KKW beauty founder shared two new pictures in which she appeared to have her wedding ring removed.
In one pic posted to Instagram on Dec. 22, she posed in the snow during her family's Lake Tahoe vacation. The 40-year-old mom held up peace signs in their air, and her sparkler was nowhere in sight.
Kim appeared to be without it once again on Jan. 5, when she promoted her new SKIMS Body Basics on Instagram with a mirror selfie—sans ring.
Kanye proposed to the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star in 2013 with a 15-carat, multi-million dollar diamond ring, created by celebrity designer Lorraine Schwartz, making it pretty hard to miss. But since her Paris robbery in 2016, Kim has often opted to wear a simple gold band instead, although she sometimes goes without.
Last month, the couple noticeably spent the holidays mostly apart. Kim traveled to Tahoe in December with her sisters before privately celebrating Christmas with her family at Kourtney Kardashian's Los Angeles home.
Earlier in December, a source explained to E! News how the parents were navigating their newfound dynamic. "Kim and Kanye are doing their own thing. They spend a lot of time apart," the insider said, adding they were "focused on the things that are important to them."
Kimye set off a rocky road in July, when Kanye revealed on Twitter that he had been trying to divorce Kim since 2018. He then apologized to his wife for the public airing of grievances, writing, "I would like to apologize to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter... I did not cover her like she has covered me. To Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me."
She had been trying to support the Grammy winner following his diagnosis with bipolar disorder. She posted on July 22, "As many of you know, Kanye has bi-polar [sic] disorder." The reality queen continued, "I've never spoken publicly about how this has affected us at home because I am very protective of our children and Kanye's right to privacy when it comes to his health. But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health."
We learned that Kim had forgiven the 43-year-old rapper for his Twitter outburst and was spotted with her husband out in Wyoming later that week. However, she was still said to be "very hesitant about the future."
Now the spouses are trying to decide the best path forward for their four children. As a source said on Tuesday, "It's not about the marriage anymore, she'll always care for Kanye but it's over between them. Kim is only focused on what's best for the kids. It's a tough decision for her and she's figuring it out."
E! News has reached out to their reps, but has not heard back.