For years, Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods were inseparable. From red carpet appearances to cozy Instagram selfies and even living together, the bond between the beauty mogul and her best friend seemed unbreakable.
Fans admired their friendship for its closeness, with many dubbing them “friendship goals.” But in early 2019, that perfect picture shattered when Jordyn Woods found herself at the center of a cheating scandal involving NBA star Tristan Thompson—who was, at the time, dating Kylie’s sister, Khloé Kardashian.
The fallout was swift and brutal. Jordyn was quickly iced out from the Kardashian-Jenner inner circle, and her relationship with Kylie appeared to dissolve overnight. But as time would reveal, things weren’t as cold or final as they seemed on the surface.
So, what really happened between Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods? Why did they stop being friends—and how did they eventually find their way back to each other?
The Scandal That Changed Everything
It all began in February 2019, when reports surfaced that Tristan Thompson, Khloé Kardashian’s then-boyfriend and father to her daughter True, had kissed Jordyn Woods at a party.
The news sent shockwaves through Hollywood and social media, not only because of the betrayal Khloé experienced, but also because of Jordyn’s close connection to the Kardashian family.
She wasn’t just Kylie’s best friend—she was practically family, often appearing in episodes of Keeping Up With the Kardashians and even living in Kylie’s guesthouse.
The immediate reaction from the Kardashians was one of heartbreak and anger. Jordyn was ousted from the family’s inner circle, and Kylie distanced herself publicly from her longtime friend. For the outside world, it seemed like a full-on friendship breakup.
A Painful But “Needed” Distance
But according to Kylie Jenner, the narrative that she “cut off” Jordyn entirely wasn’t completely accurate. In her November 2023 cover story for ELLE, Kylie revealed that even in the thick of the scandal, she never went completely cold on Jordyn.
“We’ve always tried to talk through things, so it’s never been a full cold-turkey cutoff,” Kylie explained. “It was needed distance.”
That distance, however necessary, was emotionally devastating. “I was heartbroken,” Kylie admitted. “Anytime something happened, good or bad, and I needed to call someone, it would always be her. To lose that person felt really lonely, but I had to go through that.”
She went on to describe how the separation helped her grow and gain independence. “We were so attached at the hip. I think that in order for us both to grow, she needed to spread her wings and do what she needed to do as well.”
Jordyn’s Side of the Story
Jordyn Woods addressed the scandal head-on in a March 2019 appearance on Red Table Talk with Jada Pinkett Smith. She admitted that while she had been drinking that night, she was aware of the gravity of the situation and regretted allowing herself to be in that position.
“I don’t think he’s wrong either, because I allowed myself to be in this position,” she said. “I was in shock. I was like, ‘That didn’t just happen.’”
Later that year, in an interview with Cosmopolitan UK, Jordyn spoke openly about her heartbreak and her hope for reconciliation.
“I love her. That’s my homie,” she said about Kylie. “I hope everything falls into place and that we can all grow and build our relationships with our family and God and come back together one day and be stronger and happier.”
Though Jordyn never painted herself as a victim, she clearly hoped the friendship could eventually be mended.
The Fallout and the Rebuilding Process
Following the incident, Jordyn moved out of Kylie’s house and began building her own path outside the Kardashian orbit.
She ventured into new business opportunities, appeared on reality TV, and began rebuilding her personal brand. Meanwhile, Kylie became more private and selective about her inner circle.
In that same ELLE interview, Kylie talked about how the incident made her more careful with who she lets into her life.
“I think it’s important to keep things to yourself,” she said. “It’s hard for me to make a decision by myself sometimes, so the opinion of the whole world… it can be tough.”
Despite the long public silence between the two, it appears that behind closed doors, Kylie and Jordyn were slowly working on rebuilding their friendship. According to reports from TMZ in July 2023, the two had been reconnecting in private for over a year before being spotted grabbing dinner together in Los Angeles.
Reunited at Last
Their public reunion in July 2023 was a surprise to fans but not to insiders who had seen the slow thawing of their relationship. The dinner date, captured by paparazzi, showed the two walking side-by-side and smiling—offering a quiet but powerful statement that they were back on good terms.
While neither has detailed exactly how the reconciliation unfolded, the reunion seemed to reflect mutual growth, maturity, and forgiveness.
Both women have experienced major life changes since their 2019 fallout—Kylie becoming a mother of two and launching new ventures like her clothing brand Khy, and Jordyn emerging from the scandal with a renewed focus on independence and entrepreneurship.
What Their Story Teaches Us About Friendship and Forgiveness
The breakup—and eventual repair—of Kylie Jenner and Jordyn Woods’ friendship is a rare example of grace under public pressure.
It shows that even in the spotlight, personal relationships can be complex and deeply human. Mistakes happen, feelings get hurt, and sometimes people need space to figure things out.
But it also proves that forgiveness is possible. As both women have acknowledged, they needed to grow individually in order to find their way back to one another. Their story isn’t just about betrayal; it’s also about resilience, maturity, and the ability to move forward.
Friendships—especially the ones formed at a young age—can evolve. Sometimes that means stepping away to become the person you’re meant to be. And sometimes, if you’re lucky, that journey circles back to the people who’ve always mattered.
