Nearly 14 years after Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries tied the knot in what was dubbed a fairytale wedding, their brief union has once again resurfaced in public discourse. Despite the glitz and glamour surrounding their 2011 nuptials, their marriage lasted only 72 days before Kardashian filed for divorce. However, the legal battle dragged on until 2013, as their split played out in the spotlight.
Recently, on The Kardashians, Kim shed new light on what really happened behind the scenes, revealing details that continue to spark interest in one of pop culture’s most talked-about marriages.
Kim revealed she was still married to Humphries while pregnant with her first child, North West, with Kanye West. During the March 13 episode of The Kardashians, Kim disclosed she had to return her massive emerald-cut engagement ring, even though she claimed to have paid for most of it.
She shared that Humphries demanded the ring as part of the divorce settlement, although he had only contributed a fifth of its cost. The ring was later sold at a Christie’s auction in 2013 for $749,000, marking the end of its journey as a symbol of their short-lived love story.
At the time of their split, Kim was already in a relationship with Kanye West, with whom she later had four children: North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm. The couple married in 2014, but their union also ended in divorce in 2022.
Reflecting on her past marriages, Kim noted that she would have liked to keep the rings as part of a personal collection. Her first marriage to music producer Damon Thomas also ended in divorce after a few years, making her wedding to Kris Humphries the second of three public unions.
Kim and Kris Humphries began dating at the end of 2010 and got engaged in May 2011. Just three months later, they were married at a lavish ceremony in Montecito, California, which aired as a two-part special titled Kim’s Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event.
While the event was luxurious and televised for millions to watch, it wasn’t a happy occasion behind the scenes. Kim later admitted she felt pressured to go through with the wedding, and her mother, Kris Jenner, even offered to help her back out the night before the ceremony.
According to Kim, her mother told her to run away if she didn’t feel ready and promised to handle everything. Despite those warnings, Kim feared being labeled as a “runaway bride” and believed she was just experiencing cold feet. The weight of public expectations and the show’s production made her feel obligated to proceed with the marriage.
However, by the time the honeymoon in Italy arrived, Kim realized she had made a mistake. She confessed to feeling deeply unhappy once they returned and started living together in New York.
During a 2021 Keeping Up With the Kardashians reunion, Kim opened up about how poorly she handled the breakup. She admitted she was scared to end the relationship and ultimately broke up with Humphries in a way she regrets. She described it as the worst way possible and confessed that she lacked the emotional tools at the time to deal with such a high-profile separation.
While she expressed remorse for how she treated Humphries, she emphasized that she learned a lot from the experience.
Kim denied that the marriage was a publicity stunt, despite Humphries later filing for an annulment citing fraud. She claimed the relationship and marriage were genuine at the time, though they were based on limited knowledge of each other.
In a 2012 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Kim admitted that she and Kris had never spent more than a week together before their wedding and had never lived together. It wasn’t until they shared a home that she realized they were incompatible.
From Humphries’ perspective, the marriage was real, even if everything around it felt surreal. In a 2019 essay for The Players’ Tribune, he explained the toll the experience took on his mental health.
He expressed frustration over public perceptions that the marriage was fake and explained that the attention brought him deep embarrassment. He didn’t want to leave his home and struggled with feelings of shame and depression for nearly a year after the breakup.
Humphries described the experience as brutal, especially since he was being judged by the world. The former NBA player noted that he didn’t want to defend himself publicly because he felt it would only make things worse.
He wrote that being portrayed in the media as “That F****** Guy from TV” haunted him for years, overshadowing his professional basketball career. Despite that, he hoped people would remember him for his contributions to the sport rather than just his association with reality TV.
After stepping away from the NBA, Humphries entered the restaurant business. He opened multiple Five Guys franchises, and by 2019, he was preparing to launch seven Crisp & Green restaurants across the Midwest. In 2022, he expanded into Dave’s Hot Chicken, working with his family to open ten stores. His post-basketball ventures reflect his desire to rebuild his identity outside of the media frenzy that once consumed him.
Humphries also embraced a more relaxed lifestyle, frequently traveling and enjoying time on the water with friends and family. His Instagram posts often show him boating in places like East Hampton, Miami, Malibu, and Minnesota’s Lake Minnetonka. He found a new passion in pickleball, which he picked up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although he hadn’t played tennis seriously, he found pickleball to be a fun and competitive outlet, reigniting his love for athletic competition.
As of now, Humphries’ relationship status remains private, though he appears content with his two dogs, Ricardo and Rocky, who often feature on his social media. Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian has continued to evolve personally and professionally. After splitting from comedian Pete Davidson and later NFL player Odell Beckham Jr., Kim remains focused on her children, business empire, and her legal education. While she’s open to love, she’s not actively pursuing a relationship, according to recent reports.
The Kardashians and Jenners have all experienced various romantic journeys since Kim’s split from Humphries. Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble have maintained a long-term relationship since 2014, while Kourtney Kardashian married rocker Travis Barker and welcomed their first child together in 2023. Kim continues to remain one of the most watched figures in the entertainment industry, balancing motherhood, business, and personal growth while reflecting candidly on her past.
In the end, Kim and Kris’s marriage stands as a cautionary tale about rushing into love under the glare of public scrutiny. It also shows the personal toll such decisions can take, even on celebrities. While both have moved on, their brief union remains etched into pop culture history—reminding audiences of the high cost of fame and the human stories behind tabloid headlines.
