The testimony came on the day the judge also declared Kim can drop West from her last name.
Kim Kardashian spoke to the court at a hearing where a judge granted her request to be declared legally single amid her divorce from Kanye West.
The 41-year-old reality TV star gave her testimony on Tuesday via Zoom, wearing a dark gray SKIMS T-shirt with her hair pulled back into a slick bun. The mogul and mother of four wore minimal makeup and her demeanor was professional and poised as she answered the judge's lighthearted questions before he dove into specifics about the long, drawn-out divorce case.
Judge Steve Cochran said there was special interest in the children -- North, 8, Saint, 6, Chicago, 4, and Psalm, 2 -- and asked Kardashian how they were doing. "Everyone is doing OK," she responded. Cochran also asked Kardashian if she's showering them with affection, to which she responded, "Absolutely."
At one point, when lawyers briefly exited the courtroom, Kardashian also signed off from her Zoom session but later returned wearing a gray robe, which she later removed. When the Zoom session resumed, the judge relayed to Kardashian that they've made a lot of progress and that West's counsel and her counsel have been cooperative. He said they are straightening out the paperwork and rolling with it fast like "a European train."
The judge also asked Kardashian if she's having fun with the children, to which she replied, "so much fun" and noted that four children is "a lot" but it's "the best." The judge then asked Kardashian to raise her right hand before telling her they're going to do the "whole truth thing," as in swear her in for her testimony.
The judge asked, among other things, if she had problems and disputes with West that led to the dissolution of the marriage. She answered, "Yes." The judge also asked whether time and counseling would save the marriage. Kim answered, "No." She was also asked if it is her desire for the courts to grant her legally single. Kardashian responded, "Yes."
Kardashian's maiden name was then restored without opposition. She smiled, drank out of a white mug and appeared happy. The judge later noted to Kardashian that it's his practice to see photos of the children, but that the court is going to respect their privacy. He asked her if that's OK and she agreed. He also joked with her about taking the children to Disneyland once a week. Kardashian laughed and said, "Thank you so much, Your Honor."
In a statement to ET, Kanye said, "I’ve asked my team to expedite the dissolution of my marriage to Kim so I can put my entire attention to our beautiful children." The divorce case is by no means final. The judge's ruling simply means Kardashian's marital status is single while she continues to work out a divorce settlement with West.
Just hours after ruling, Kanye dropped the music video to his "EAZY" track on Instagram, in which his disses Kim's boyfriend, Pete Davidson. In the music video -- partly claymation -- Kanye slips a pillow case over the head of a character that's eerily reminiscent to the SNL star, who is tied up in a rope and dragged before being buried.
In any event, the court's decision came a day after ET learned that West has changed divorce lawyers. Christopher C. Melcher is no longer representing the rapper and Samantha Spector has been hired.
At the hearing, Spector reiterated to the judge that she's been on the case for less than 24 hours and couldn't answer certain questions about the case. Kardashian's attorney, Laura Wasser, told the judge that the request to be declared single is something they've discussed for five months and the motion requesting it has been pending for three months. Wasser said she had been speaking to West's counsel about all of this, and feared West changing legal counsel at the 11th hour was just a tactic to stall the request.
Wasser noted that the case has moved very slowly and claimed that there's been no cooperation or discovery from West. She also claimed West "hasn't been communicative" with his counsel, but hopes Spector has better luck with him. While the sides agreed to modify the order for the retirement plans and with regard to preservation of reimbursement -- which West had previously brought up in court -- the judge denied West's motion regarding the trusts, citing that West is protected.
Kardashian, who filed for divorce from West in February 2021 after six years of marriage, had previously said in court that being declared legally single "will help Kanye to accept that our marital relationship is over and to move forward on a better path which will assist us in peacefully co-parenting our children."
The next hearing is set for Aug. 5.
RELATED CONTENT:
