Who has Kanye West dated before getting together with Kim Kardashian? The “Praise God” rapper
has actually had a lot of relationships – some much shorter than others – over the past two
decades, including his fair share of catwalk models (he has been linked to quite a few Victoria’s
Secret Angels over the years, FYI) singers and actresses!
Some of his relationships are definitely more high profile than others. For example, while Amber
Rose, Irina Shayk and Julia Fox are some of his most famous exes, some people are surprised to
learn that the 45-year-old “Love Lockdown” rapper, who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021,
actually got engaged to his on/off fashion designer girlfriend back in 2006, six years before he
started dating Kim, i.e., the mother of his four children. Take a look at Kanye’s entire dating history
over the past 20 years, because we guarantee that some of the ladies on this list will surprise
you!
Kanye had an on/off relationship with the fashion designer and stylist (she is perhaps most famous for being the designer and curator behind the Los Angeles based clothing company A-Threads) way back in 2002. The “Runaway” rapper got down on one knee in 2006, but 18 months after getting engaged, the pair called it quits, which coincided with the unexpected death of Kanye’s mother, Donda.
Alexis Phifer
Kanye had an on/off relationship with the fashion designer and stylist (she is perhaps most famous for being the designer and curator behind the Los Angeles based clothing company A-Threads) way back in 2002. The “Runaway” rapper got down on one knee in 2006, but 18 months after getting engaged, the pair called it quits, which coincided with the unexpected death of Kanye’s mother, Donda.
Brooke Crittendon
During one of Kanye and Alexis’ off periods of their on/off relationship, the “Jesus Walks” rapper had a brief thing with the Harlem Nights star. Things fizzled out pretty quickly, but some sources have revealed that the pair are still “amicable.”
Sessilee Lopez
Kanye was linked to the model back in 2008 after she appeared in his “Flashing Lights” music video. They reportedly enjoyed a very brief fling, but it didn’t last long. Sessilee is currently married to David Holmes, and they have two children together: Mackenzie Grace (born February 13th, 2017) and Hudson (born December 7th, 2018.)
Amber Rose
One of Ye’s longest and most high-profile relationships was with model Amber Rose – and their two-year romance was just as big as their breakup! They first started dating in 2008, and after the pair had broken up in 2010, Kanye was pretty vocal about their relationship. During an interview with Power 105.1 in February 2015, Ye infamously said he needed “30 showers” after being with Amber. “If Kim had dated me when I first wanted to be with her, there wouldn’t be an Amber Rose,” he said, talking about his now estranged ex-wife, Kim Kardashian. “It’s very hard for a woman to want to be with someone who’s been with Amber Rose… I had to take 30 showers before I got with Kim,” he added.
Amber didn’t take kindly to those remarks, as she issued her own response on Twitter, writing: “Wait 30 showers? But Kim let RayJ nut on her…. Never mind.” She also said: “I’ll leave that up to the Kartrashians to humiliate u when they’re done with u.”
Ten years after they went their separate ways, Amber addressed their relationship and their breakup, referencing how the “Flashing Lights” rapper has “bullied” her. During an October 2020 episode of the “No Jumper” podcast, Amber told host Adam22 (Adam Grandmaison): “He has picked on me for 10 years. He has bullied me for 10 years. That’s what narcissists do, right? You share two years with someone, you take them around the world, you buy the jewelry, you shout-out to the world how much you love them and how much fun you have with this person and then the person decides that this is not what they want their life to be.”
“I opted out,” she continued. “I don’t want my life to be like that. I’m not that type of person. And I don’t know if he says things to make his wife more comfortable, but to slut-shame me and say you needed 30 showers, like, bro, you took me around the world. Since when do you need 30 showers?”
In January 2022, Amber actually apologized to Kim and the Kardashian family for her “immature” Twitter message all those years ago. “Kim nor her sisters deserved that tweet and y’all shouldn’t co-sign that either,” Amber wrote on Instagram. She also said that it was “immature af of me to involve the KarDASHians in the mess HE made. Moving forward…. Learn from my mistakes. We all have kids and family’s life is hard enough right now for a lot of ppl I just wanna spread love and positivity.”
Angela Martini
Kanye had a brief thing with the then-Miss Universe Albania back in 2010. According to the rumor mill, Angela allegedly became obsessed with the “Heartless” rapper, which she has always denied, instead claiming that the only problems were caused by her own stalker.
Selita Ebanks
Kanye was briefly linked to the Caymanian Victoria’s Secret model and actress after she starred in his 2010 short film, Runaway. However, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model has since denied that there was ever anything between them, insisting that they were simply friends.
Melody Thornton
The “Stronger” rapper was very briefly linked to the Pussycat Dolls member in 2010 after they made a few public appearances together, although no one knows much about their rumored relationship, or if there even was a relationship to start with.
Chanel Iman
Kanye and Chanel were briefly linked in 2010 after being spotted together at various after parties during Paris Fashion Week and the CFDA Awards. Although no one knows exactly what went on between them, Chanel shut down any speculation of anything romantic, telling Us Weekly: “Rumors are rumors. Everyone’s going to have something to say.” She also said that they are “really close” friends, and added: “I’ve always loved his music. He’s an incredible performer.”
The “Gold Digger” rapper and the Sports Illustrated model sparked romance rumors in 2011 after they were spotted flirting with each other at an event in LA, with sources claiming that they left the event holding hands. However, the rumors didn’t progress any further.
Kim Kardashian
Kimye – to use the name coined for them by the press – started dating in 2012. Kim was pregnant with daughter North West at the end of 2012, and the pair have since welcomed three more children. In addition to daughter North, they are parents to son Saint, daughter Chicago, and son Psalm, the latter two of which were born via surrogate.
Kimye tied the knot in a lavish ceremony in 2014, but Kim filed for divorce from the rapper in February 2021 after seven years of marriage. The Skims founder’s first high-profile relationship since filing for divorce was with Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson, who she dated for nine months before they went their separate ways. Kanye and Pete feuded publicly during Pete and Kim’s nine-month relationship, with Kanye once saying: “You wanna see me… Come to Sunday Service.”
Vinetria
Ye and Vinetria sparked dating rumors in November 2021, shortly after his ex-wife was spotted with the SNL comedian for the first time, when they were photographed together at his Donda Academy’s debut basketball game in Minneapolis. Their rumored romance fizzled out almost as quickly as it began, and neither Ye nor Vinetria have discussed what went on between them.
Irina Shayk
The world was pretty shocked when the “Dark Fantasy” rapper was linked to Bradley Cooper’s ex, Russian supermodel Irina Shayk. They were first spotted together in Paris in June 2021, but it was only a short-lived fling (two months to be exact) as the pair had gone their separate ways by August.
Julia Fox
The Yeezy designer and the Uncut Gems actress first sparked dating rumors when they were spotted together on New Year’s Eve in Miami. They were later photographed looking cozy while having dinner at Carbone in New York which confirmed that there was something going on between them!
“His energy is so fun to be around,” the actress told Interview in January 2022. “He had me and my friends laughing, dancing and smiling all night. We decided to keep the energy going and fly back to New York City to see Slave Play. Ye’s flight landed at six and the play was at seven and he was there ON TIME. I was impressed.” She continued: “After the play we chose to do dinner at Carbone which is one of my favorite restaurants. Obviously. At the restaurant, Ye directed an entire photo shoot for me while people dined! The whole restaurant loved it and cheered us on while it was happening.”
Their romance was over in February 2022. “Julia and Kanye remain good friends and collaborators but they are no longer together,” a source told Us Weekly. Julia has since spoken out about their relationship, telling Entertainment Tonight that it was “the best thing that could have happened to me.” She also said that being with the rapper was “like hitting a reset button. It kind of brought a spark back into my life that I had kind of forgotten about.”
Chaney Jones
The “City of Gods” rapper and the social media influencer and mental health advocate – and Kim Kardashian lookalike, may we add – were linked in February 2022 when the two were spotted leaving Ye’s “Donda 2” listening party at Nobu in Malibu. They seemingly enjoyed a four-month relationship until they split in June that same year. The rumors of their breakup first started on June 7th after Chaney deleted all of her pictures with the rapper on Instagram.
Shutterstock/Splash News
Candice Swanepoel
The former Victoria’s Secret Angel and the Yeezy designer first sparked romance rumors when they were spotted together at New York Fashion Week in September 2022. Some sources have called it a “PR stunt,” so that Ye can promote his sunglasses, which the model is also the face of, while others think that it is the real deal, with a source telling Entertainment Tonight: “They like each other and are happy with how things are going so far.” Watch this space!
Kanye West’s Dating History
Kanye West has had his fair share of short flings and long-term high profile relationships, as well as one seven-year marriage which saw him welcome four beautiful children. We can’t wait to see what his dating future holds!