Ye may be one of the most controversial, yet genius rappers in the past two decades. He’s always had someone to be by his side throughout his turbulent career.
As a rapper who has his way with words, recalled meeting his ex-wife Kim Kardashian. “Every time I was around her or I saw her, it was a magnetic attraction to this force of energy,” the Life of Pablo artist recalled on True Hollywood Story, before on to describe her as “good,” “pure,” “happy,” “loving,” “courageous” and “strong.
Related: Kim Kardashian’s Complete Dating History, From Kanye to Her New Rumored Non-Celeb Beau
Now, rumors are swirling that he’s about to break things off with his current wife Bianca Censori after a controversial red-carpet appearance at the 2025 Grammy Awards.
Look back at Kanye’s exes who became famous in their own right.
Kanye’s first known relationship was with his high school classmate Sumeke Rainey. He rapped about their relationship in “Never Let Me Down,” “Nothing sad as that day my girl’s father passed away/ So I promised to Mr. Rainey I’m gonna marry your daughter.”
Kanye dated his peer Alexis Pfiefer on-and-off from 2002 to 2008. He proposed to her in 2006, but broke things off when Kanye’s mother Donda died. “It’s always sad when things like this end, and we remain friends,” Phifer said at the time to Essence. “I wish him the best in his future and all of his endeavors. He’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever met.”
MTV employee Brooke Crittendon briefly in 2006 when they attended the Grammy Awards with his mother. She told Essence that they’re on good terms, “Mr. West and I are amicable wish him the best, and he wishes me likewise. As far as I’m concerned, if he ever needed anything, I’d be there and [he would do] the same for me.”
Kanye West was in a high-profile relationship with Amber Rose. The two dated for two years and Rose broke things off because of constantly bullying.
“When I started dating homeboy, I genuinely cared for him. It wasn’t anything malicious,” Rose said on Drink Eyes. “I wasn’t using him or anything like that. But in my head, I’m like, ‘I’m not going to be famous.’ I didn’t even think about fame, like, it was not in my head. And then, you know, I would be out with him and they would take pictures of us and I’m like, okay….I was like, ‘This isn’t my life, this is his life, but I’m with him, so I guess it just comes with it, whatever, it’s weird, people are always in our face.’ All of a sudden, I would start going out by myself and paparazzi would follow me when I was not with him….I would go back home and be like, ‘Why is the paparazzi following me? Like, I’m not the famous one here.’”
Kim’s most high-profile and serious relationship by far was with rapper Kanye West. The couple had been friends for years before their relationship turned romantic in 2012. They welcomed their first daughter, North, in 2013, and later got married in a lavish ceremony in Florence, Italy, in 2014.
Kimye quickly became one of Hollywood’s most famous power couples, collaborating on a number of projects together and supporting each other’s careers. During their decade-long relationship, they went on to have three more children together: son Saint, born in 2015, daughter Chicago, born in 2018, and another son, Psalm, born in 2019.
Their relationship, however, faced its fair share of challenges, including Kanye’s mental health struggles and controversial public statements. Kim filed for divorce in 2021, and it was finalized in 2022, marking the end of an era for both of them.
Kanye dated model Irina Shayk in 2021. Kanye and Irina met in 2010 when she starred in the music video for his song, “Power.” In 2012, she walked the runway in his 2012 Yeezy Paris Fashion Week show. According to a source for Us Weekly on Wednesday, June 16, Kanye was the one who contacted Irina first to reconnect. “Kanye was the first one to reach out,” the insider said. “The romance was similar to his [relationship] with Kim because he saw her on his video shoot in 2010 and thought she was gorgeous. He always thought she was special and she held a place in his mind.”
The Bound 2 artist rebounded with New York City’s It Girl Julia Fox. The relationship was super brief, and Fox regretted the relationship years after they broke up. “I regret that relationship so much,” Fox told the outlet of West, whom she apparently described as “the artist” in her 2023 memoir Down the Drain.
“I hate it! It was only a few weeks but enough to last me a lifetime,” she continued, “I was in probably the most uncomfortable position in my life and that’s saying a lot. I don’t want to be known for being anyone’s girlfriend.
News of Kanye’s relationship with Chaney came two months after his breakup with Julia Fox in February 2021. The new couple have gotten so close that Kanye even introduced Chaney to his extended family on his grandmother’s birthday in April 2022. The two split shortly after.
He tied the knot with Bianca Censori in 2023 after his divorce with Kim Kardashian.
Bianca Censori is an architectural designer for Ye’s brand Yeezy. She’s worked with the brand for several years since 2020 and was promoted to head designer. Censori was recently spotted with Kanye on several occasions days before the wedding.
According to TMZ, Ye was wearing a wedding ring on the week of January 13, 2023, when he and Bianca arrived at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, California. Sources told the tabloid site that the ring symbolizes his commitment to her following the ceremony.
The “wedding” seemed to be confirmed by friends of the couple. “Kanye and Bianca did have a small marriage ceremony, friends don’t know if it’s legal, but it’s very real to them,” a source told Us Weekly. According to sites like Daily Mail and on social media, there have been notable similarities between her and Kanye’s ex Kim Kardashian. “Bianca Censori looks like a face mash of Kim Kardashian and Lourdes Leon. That’s all I’mma say about that,” one person tweeted.
Ye also wrote a song directly referencing his employee. The track “Censori Overload,” which has also been called “Someday We’ll All Be Free,” doesn’t include lines referencing the architect, there are a few lines that reference marriage. “Wakin’ up to ‘I can’t do this anymore’ texts/And the Bible said I can’t have any more sex ’til marriage.”
Rumors started to swirl that Censori and Ye were headed to a divorce after she appeared nearly naked on the Grammys red carpet. TMZ was the first to report.
“Ye and Bianca are in Los Angeles, about to enjoy Valentine’s Day together,” Ye’s rep Milo Yiannopoulos confirmed to USA TODAY in an emailed statement Thursday. “Announcements about their private life will come from them directly, not unsourced rumor in the tabloid press,” Yiannopoulos continued. “Is this the fifth or is it the sixth time the press has wrongly reported that Ye and Bianca are separating? I’ve lost track.”
Right after the rumors came out, Ye took to Instagram to post a cryptic Google screenshot. “Yes, coercion is illegal,” it read, before he deleted it. “Coercion is the act of forcing someone to do something against their will through threats or intimidation.
“It can involve physical harm, psychological abuse, extortion, blackmail or sexual assault,” concluded the definition.
