Some people call him a genius. One of his exes calls him a "stunt queen."
Here's what Kanye West's former flames have said about him.
According to The Sun, reality tv producer and businesswoman Brooke Crittendon dated Kanye West
from 2004 to 2006. While the couple's romance certainly wasn't as high-profile as some of
West's other relationships, their partnership clearly made an impression on Crittendon. The
entrepreneur told the outlet in 2013 that she met West in 2004 when he was opening up for R&B star
Usher in New York. Crittendon, who was working as an MTV production assistant at the time,
said that West began pursuing her that very night.
Crittendon described her ex to The Sun as childish,
and insisted that he wasn't at all a macho man.
She added that West was also woefully insecure and needed constant reaffirmation. As she put it:
"I got the impression he worried he wasn't good enough for me.
He needs people to tell him he is good and that he is needed and wanted."
Fashion designer and stylist Alexis Phifer dated Kanye West, off and on, beginning in 2002.
The two later got engaged in 2006, but, according to People, ultimately broke up in
2008. Following the split, Phifer confirmed that she and West remained on good terms.
A West source also told the outlet that the pair went through a rough
patch before mutually agreeing to break from their relationship once and for all.
In 2011, Phifer told Vibe that she ultimately began to appreciate life
out of the spotlight after having been with West.
Though the romantic relationship between model Amber Rose and Kanye West
ended back in 2010, according to Us Weekly, the two still managed
to make plenty of headlines for their comments about each other. In 2015,
West famously stated during an interview with The Breakfast Club that it was hard to be with
another woman after breaking it off with Rose — but not for the reasons you might think.
The rapper explained that he felt dirty after his relationship with Rose,
and added that he had to thoroughly wash before he could be with future wife Kim Kardashian.
Ten years later, Rose said she was tired of being linked to her ex-partner and told the
No Jumper podcast that she had no idea why Ye continued to slander her after their split.
"You can't
really mention anyone who says anything really bad about me — except for him, because I got away."]
In 2022, Us Weekly reported that Rose was continuing to distance herself from the rapper
after his "dirty" remarks resurfaced once more. Rose summed up her thoughts succinctly:
"I never got an apology, "but f— it."
Kanye West and model-actress Selita Ebanks were rumored to have had a short-lived romance
near the end of 2010, after being spotted looking cozy together at the U.S. Open.
The model also starred as a phoenix in West's mini-film for "Runaway,"
and spoke about the experience during a 2010 interview with Vulture. At the time,
she told the outlet that she was already "good friends" with West when she took the role,
and added that West was a talented and formidable director without a shred of ego.
During an Essence interview, Ebanks stated she'd taken her role in "Runaway" very
seriously and stayed in character, remaining "phoenix-ed out" even when it was difficult
to do so. When asked about a potential romance with West, the model claimed
they weren't dating but, quote, "just hanging out because we're doing this movie together."
Back in 2011, Us Weekly reported that model Chanel Iman and Kanye West were quietly dating.
At the time, Iman denied that the two were in a relationship,
and instead said the reports as nothing more than rumors.
She explained that the pair were very close and that West was supportive of her modeling career.
Iman nonetheless appeared supportive of the often controversial West,
calling him, simply, "a good guy." She added that West was very dedicated to
his career and insisted that his work ethic was nothing short of inspirational:
"When you're around him, you want to be at your best too."
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West started their romantic relationship way back in 2012.
However, some relationships don't last forever, and Kim officially filed for divorce in 2021.
After their split, the former couple continued to make headlines as outlets such as Entertainment
Tonight reported that Kardashian was supportive of her ex dating other people. Still, despite
the Skims' founder's apparent acceptance of the situation, it didn't seem that West felt the same
way, and Ye waged a vocal campaign against his ex's new beau, comedian Pete Davidson.
After West's attacks continued, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star complained in an
Instagram Live video that West's slander was damaging to all involved. Kardashian pointed
out that the couple's separation was very hard on the couple's children and added:
"Kanye's obsession with trying to control and manipulate our
situation so negatively and publicly is only causing further pain for all."
According to TMZ, Kanye West was spotted with model Irina Shayk shortly after his split from
ex-wife Kim Kardashian. The outlet reported that the two began dating around March 2021. However,
in an interview with Highsnobiety, Shayk appeared to contradict the report, saying:
"Tomorrow there is going to be a rumor that I'm dating my doorman,
okay? Then after tomorrow, it's going to be someone else."
In July of that same year, US Weekly reported that Shayk had distanced herself from West. An
insider told the outlet that the rapper and the model had less contact with one another
and explained that Shayk wanted to remain friends. Not long after that report, People announced that
the pair had split, with a source telling the outlet that the couple had never been serious.
According to Glamour, Kanye West and model-actress Julia Fox seem to have had a short-lived romance
in late 2021 through early 2022. As noted by Buzzfeed, the "Uncut Gems" star confirmed
the rumors of their break-up herself in a since-deleted statement on Instagram,
while also calling out The Daily Mail for alleging that she was in tears over their separation:
"@dailymail yall are straight trash. I haven't cried since
1997 and I especially wouldn't cry over THIS!!"
Billboard reported that the actor was still on friendly terms with Ye after their break-up.
"Are you still in touch with Kanye?"
"We're still friends, yes."
According to an interview with The New York Times,
Fox said she saw the bright side of her relationship with West. As she put it:
"Look at the big picture. That was amazing for me. The exposure was priceless."
During the chat, Fox also referred to her ex as,
quote, "the ultimate stunt queen" and mercilessly added:
"Kanye's not the most interesting thing that's ever happened to me."
Fox later told Buzzfeed:
"I have love for him but I wasn't in love [with]
the man. [...] What do [you] guys think I am 12 years old?!"
While the outlet noted that some people have said that Fox was using West for personal gain,
Newsweek reported that one of Fox's friends, Niki Takesh, stated that her friend was self-made:
"She was having dinner with Madonna before she met Kanye."
In addition to her other statements regarding her now ex-husband Kanye West,
Kim Kardashian more recently revealed that there's still a lot that people
don't know about her relationship with Ye. According to Buzzfeed,
the reality star opened up even more about her split on the season finale of The Kardashians.
While speaking to the camera,
Kardashian pondered her family's approach when handling one another's relationships. She stated:
"If people knew what my relationship really was like,
I think they would be like, 'How did this last this long?'"
Still, Kardashian said that she knows that she tried every possible option to make things work,
so she doesn't feel guilty about her divorce from West.
"I think he deserves someone who can go support his every move,
and can follow him all over the place, and move to Wyoming. I can't do that."
Likewise, Buzzfeed noted that the reality star's more recent statements came soon
after Kardashian publicly apologized to her family for her exes' behavior.
The outlet also reported that, during an episode of their reality series,
the celeb addressed Ye's past actions towards her and her family. Kardashian stated that
she wouldn't let what happened in the past happen again. In a confessional, she added:
"I do recognize the impact that my relationship has had on my family and
that I've never had the opportunity to just say, 'I'm sorry guys.'"
Some of Ye's previous treatment towards Kardashian's family members include the
rapper calling her mom Kris Jenner "Kris Jong-Un" and suggesting she was a white supremacist.
As noted by TMZ, Kanye West and Chaney Jones initially coupled up in February,
shortly after West's split from Julia Fox.
The model started appearing at some of Ye's events like Donda 2, before they officially
went public with their relationship. Things looked like they were starting to get serious and
Jones even shared an image of a "Ye" tattoo that she'd gotten on her left wrist on social media.
However, according to the celebrity news source, the pair ultimately parted ways
after a trip to Japan. TMZ added that it was unclear as to who broke up with who.
Shortly after their reported split, Ye was spotted with an unidentified woman at the movies.
While Buzzfeed News noted that Jones deleted all her photos of West from her Instagram account
soon after the break-up claim, they added that the model didn't seem to agree with
the reports about her relationship status. Just a day after TMZ's report, Jones posted a photo
montage showing off her partnership with West, as a tribute to his 45th birthday. She wrote:
"Happy birthday baby, I love youuuu."
The model also posted a video of the couple together in a car and captioned it, quote,
"Laughing with you is my favorite." If that wasn't enough of a clap back, Jones directly
called out the TMZ article commenting on the celebrity site's Instagram, writing: