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Khloé Kardashian Says Lamar Odom Divorce Helped Her Cope With Tristan Thompson Split
Khloé Kardashian is a pro at finding peace and befriending ghosts of her past. On the July 2 episode of her Khloé in Wonderland podcast, the 41-year-old founder of ‘Good American‘ opened up during a fan Q&A. She reflected on the experiences that made her feel like “the strongest version” of herself.
“I feel like I’ve had many moments that sort of prepared me for other situations in my life, where I was able to endure them,” she explained.
“So I feel like everything that happens in our lives is meant to happen, and even if they’re not all positive situations, I do think that there’s steps in why things happen to you.”
Khloé Opens Up About Her Divorce From Lamar Odom
Khloé called her public split from ex-husband Lamar Odom one of the most transformative moments of her life.
“For example, with me and my ex-husband,” she shared. “Me going through such a public divorce and handling that — and yes, it was between him and I, and it was a great love that was now lost and that whole thing — it was so public. So public that I’ve never dealt with something like that before. But I dealt with it and I had my family’s support and all of that.”
Kardashian met the former NBA star in August 2009. She married him just one month later. But by 2013, their marriage was strained amid cheating allegations and Odom’s struggles with substance abuse.
(Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images For AXE)Khloe filed for divorce that year, but Odom’s refusal to respond delayed proceedings. In 2015, just two months after finalizing the divorce, Khloé withdrew it when Lamar was hospitalized after a near-fatal overdose. They eventually split for good in 2016.
How That Heartbreak Helped Her Face Tristan’s Betrayal
Soon after ending things with Odom, Khloé began dating NBA player Tristan Thompson. But just before the birth of their daughter True in April 2018, headlines broke that Thompson had been unfaithful.
“That was sort of a stepping stone, if you will, for the next big traumatic thing that happened to me,” she said. “Obviously no one can prepare you for something like that.”
“And it wasn’t the cheating that’s like, ‘Ugh.’ People get cheated on. It’s more that I was nine months pregnant — I was having a baby two days later — and it was so public and it was everywhere.”
While the moment was harrowing, Khloé credited her previous experience with Odom for giving her the strength to navigate it. “I think I handled it the best that I knew how because I almost got a little experience of it, or a lot of experience of it, from my divorce with Lamar,” she said. “So it sort of prepared me.”
“Everything Prepared Me”: Khloé on Growth and Resilience
Khloé went on to rekindle her relationship with Thompson even after he cheated with Jordyn Woods, her younger sister Kylie Jenner’s best friend. Later, he fathered a child with another woman while still with Khloé.
The couple welcomed a second child, son Tatum, via surrogate in August 2022. They split for good in January of that year. Despite the heartbreak, Khloé says she now views her life’s painful moments as part of her journey to becoming stronger.
“Everything prepared me for each experience in my life, and I think when you overcome those experiences, you feel really strong,” she concluded. “And also for how I handled so many of those moments in my life, I’m really proud of myself for the way I handled them.”
