Kim Kardashian breaks silence on Kanye West's bipolar disorder for first time
22 July 2020, 18:25
Kim Kardashian West has spoken about her husband's bipolar disorder for the first time, after he publicly claimed she almost aborted their daughter and called her mother a "white supremacist".
Taking to Instagram, the reality TV star, 39, acknowledged her 43-year-old husband is in the midst of a bipolar episode, and said his words "sometimes do not align with his intentions".
In recent weeks West has launched a bid to become the next US President and made a string of concerning claims, including tweeting that his wife was trying to divorce him and tried to "lock me up".
He also called her mother, Kris Jenner, a "white supremacist" and told a crowd at a Presidential rally that they had considered aborting their daughter, North West, but a message from God convinced him to keep the baby.
He added that while he believed abortion should be legal, financial incentives to help struggling mothers could be a way to discourage the practice.
"Everybody that has a baby gets a million dollars," he said as an example.
Kim has pleaded for the public to show "empathy and compassion" to her husband and family while he deals with his condition.
She told her 180 million followers: "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.
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She added that she has not discussed his condition before because she is "very protective of our children and Kanye's right to privacy when it comes to his health".
She added: "But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health."
The condition does not "diminish or invalidate his dreams or his creative ideas, no matter how big or unobtainable they may feel to some", she said.
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"That is part of his genius and as we have all witnessed, many of his big dreams have come true."
Society should give "grace" to those who suffer from mental health issues, she added.
Living with bipolar yourself, or having a loved one that does, is "incredible complicated and painful" to understand, Kardashian said.
She added: "I kindly ask that the media and public give us the compassion and empathy that is needed so that we can get through this.
"Thank you for those who have expressed concern for Kanye's well-being and for your understanding."
While the rapper has said he is running for his country's highest office, it appears he missed the cut-off to run in South Carolina.
He previously shared a petition calling for his name to be added to the ballot in the state.