Kim Kardashian & Kanye West's Relationship Timeline Has Highs & Lows

For years, there was only one right answer to the question of who the most famous celeb couple is: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. Kimye spent more than a minute in the spotlight together, and though eyes are still on them, the reason why isn't exactly ideal. Now that their divorce is reportedly underway, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's relationship timeline will help you keep up with one of the world's most famous couples — their backstory, their highlights, and the end of their wedded bliss.

Over the years, the always open and honest Kardashian has discussed some very personal details about her marriage to West. In fact, during her appearance on The Alec Baldwin Show on Oct. 21, 2018 she commented on her relationship, per People, and definitely raised a few eyebrows in the process.

"I think being with a man like Kanye, you have to learn how to be a little bit not-so-independent," the reality star said, "I’ve always been so independent and working, and [had a] schedule, and when you get married and have a husband that has their career and then have kids, your independence … you have to let it go. ... I had to learn that being with a man like Kanye."

It's definitely an interesting way for the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star to describe how she's evolved since marriage, and looking back, it could very well have been a red flag. In case you're wondering just what Kimye's relationship journey (and, consequently, Kardashian's personal journey) has entailed, the following timeline has got you covered.

2002/2003: Kimye Meets

It might sound wild, but long before Kimye was even a thing, the pair met in the early 2000s. During the 10th anniversary special for Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Kardashian revealed how she met her husband around 2002 or 2003, per Teen Vogue. She also let it slip that he didn't exactly know how to pronounce her last name then.

"I met him I think in 2002 or 2003. He was recording a song with Brandy, and I was her friend. I vividly remember hanging out with him, and then they did a video together, so I’d see him a few times," she said, "He was asking his friends: 'Who is this Kim Kardajan?' He didn’t know what my name was." Well, they've certainly come a long way since then.

2011/2012: They Start Dating

Again, Kardashian's comments on the KUWTK 10th anniversary special highlight another major relationship milestone for Kimye. She said that after she split from her ex Kris Humphries in 2011, she sparked up a relationship with her now-husband.

"After my breakup, I was feeling really low and down and he said, 'Just come to Paris and see my fashion show,'" she said. "He jokes that he put on this whole fashion show just to get a date with me. So I went there and I stayed with him, and that’s where we started dating."

Putting on an entire show in Paris? OK, that sounds like the most romantic grand gesture ever.

June 2013: Introducing North West

Shortly after it was confirmed that they were dating, it was reported in December 2012 that Kimye was set to become a family of three, per the Daily Mail. In 2013, they welcomed their first child together, a daughter named North.

October 2013: An Engagement Like No Other

You could always count on West to make a grand gesture for his love. In late 2013, he pulled off the grandest of gestures in order to ask Kardashian to marry him. As seen on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the singer had many of his girlfriend's friends and family fly to San Francisco, where he then proposed. The whole romantic event left Kardashian and all of her family members completely surprised.

May 2014: A Wedding To Remember

Following their fabulous engagement, Kimye went down the aisle on May 24, 2014 in Florence, Italy, per E! News. The KKW Beauty mogul marked their fourth wedding anniversary on Instagram with a lovely message in which she said, in part, "4 years down and forever to go."

December 2015: Here's Saint West

In late 2015, Kimye welcomed the newest addition to the West family. Their second child, a son named Saint, was born on Dec. 5, 2015, with Kardashian announcing on her website and app at the time, "KANYE AND I WELCOME OUR BABY BOY!"

January 2018: Another Addition To The Fam

After a little bit of a rough patch in their lives in 2016 that included Kardashian's terrifying robbery ordeal and West's hospitalization, Kimye revealed some happy news. In 2017, it was reported that the famous couple was set to welcome their third child via surrogate in 2018. Come January 2018, Kardashian and West's third child, Chicago West, entered the world.

May 2019: Welcome, Psalm West

The couple didn't stop at three kids. Kardashian and West went the surrogate route again for their fourth child, Psalm West, who was born less than a year-and-a-half after Chicago. By September, Kardashian revealed on The View that their house was "a little wild" but "complete." She also shut down the possibility of having more kids, saying, "That means absolutely no more."

July 2020: An Infamous Speech

Unfortunately, their relationship had its lows, too. After West announced he was running for president in July 2020, he gave a speech in South Carolina that touched on a very sensitive subject. He recalled Kardashian's pregnancy with their first child, North, and admitted that he had favored abortion.

"Even if my wife were to divorce me after this speech, she brought North into the world, even when I didn't want to," West told the crowd at his rally, per USA Today. "She stood up, and she protected that child."

Well, it seems Kardashian was indeed upset after his speech. Following the rally, West tweeted that she and her mom, Kris Jenner, were both demanding he call them, according to Metro. He also wrote, "Kim was trying to fly to Wyoming with a doctor to lock me up like on the movie Get Out because I cried about saving my daughters life yesterday," per the publication.

Kardashian addressed the situation via her Instagram stories on July 22, opening up about West's mental health struggles. "As many of you know, Kanye has bi-polar disorder," she wrote. "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." She went on to explain that she was speaking out "because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health."

Days later, on July 25, the rapper tried to make amends, tweeting out an apology. "I would like to apologize to my wife Kim for going public with something that was a private matter," he wrote. "I did not cover her like she has covered.To Kim I want to say I know I hurt you. Please forgive me. Thank you for always being there for me."

Ultimately, the damage may have been done. In the wake of the divorce filing, a source told People that West thinks that his run for president "was the straw that broke the camel's back." The insider also said, "Before that, there was hope. After that, none. It cost him his marriage."

August 2021: An Attempt To Save The Marriage

The couple didn't throw in the towel easily. After Kardashian and West reunited in Wyoming at the end of July, the family traveled together to the Dominican Republic in early August to try to work out their issues, according to a People source.

"She just wants to do what's best for the kids," the source said at the time. "And she thinks finding a way to save her marriage is what's best for them."

February 2021: The Divorce Filing

Months of divorce rumors came to a head when the Skims founder reportedly filed for divorce in February. TMZ sources called it amicable and said that Kardashian has asked for joint legal and physical custody. Additionally, the two reportedly have a prenup that neither plans to contest.

Kardashian and West have been through so much together, and while the marriage ultimately wasn't forever, their years as a couple led to the four beautiful children they share.