The cult of the Kardashian family has grown to include a wide array of players — the most famous and controversial being Kanye West. But despite his break with America’s most recognisable family — Kim filed for divorce from the rapper last year after six years of marriage — he remains firmly within their orbit thanks to some peculiar goings on.
In December, it was reported that West had bought a house across the street from Kim in a desperate bid to win her back. All the while, Kim was seemingly moving on with Pete Davidson. Then, several weeks later, a new player entered the scene — cult actress, Julia Fox, who is best known for her role in 2019’s Uncut Gems, and now, for (presumably) dating and shortly splitting from West…
Prior to their widely documented romance, West and Fox were publicly contending with issues in their personal lives. During the Free Larry Hoover concert in early December, the designer made a public appeal to his ex-wife as he performed alongside Drake.
“I need you to run right back to me,” he rapped. “More specifically, Kimberly.”
Then, just a few days before Christmas, Fox was praised online for sharing a slew of candid Instagram Stories speaking about her estranged husband, Peter Artemiev, whom she claimed to have abandoned her and their one-year-old son, Valentino.
Labelling Artemiev a “deadbeat dad”, the actress said that pilot had been physically and emotionally abusive. He later denied the allegations in a statement to Page Six.
Several days later, news of West and Fox’s romance broke the internet. As we all know, throughout this time, Kim was publically seeing notorious serial dater, Pete Davidson — who has previously been linked (and occasionally engaged) to the likes of Ariana Grande, Kate Beckinsale, and Phoebe Dynevor.
This news similarly rocked the pop culture sphere, and people couldn’t help but wonder whether West and Fox’s fling was an elaborate publicity stunt devised by the rapper to “get back” at Kim. Their evidence? An old Paper magazine shoot starring none other than Davidson and Fox.
It’s the spectacle-cum-theatre of pop culture playing out in real time, and it’s highly enjoyable to watch unfold. Read on for a timeline of the pair’s relationship — purported or otherwise.
December 31, 2021: Fox meets West at a surprise New Year’s performance in Miami. The actress later told papparazi at the beach that she didn’t know where the fling was headed, per TMZ.
Later, she told Interview magazine: “I met Ye in Miami on New Year’s Eve and it was an instant connection… His energy is so fun to be around.”
January 2, 2022: TMZ published snaps of the pair were enjoying an intimiate dinner at Carbone, at its Miami location.
One day later, the 31-year-old tells Page Six that she’s unsure if she’ll see the rapper again, and that it was “nothing serious” amidst his divorce from Kim.
January 4, 2022: West and Fox see Jeremy O. Harris’s Slave play — taking their romance to New York. Afterwards, they eat at the city’s Carbone.
January 6, 2022: Fox confirms her romance with West in a brief essay penned for Interview Magazine, titled ‘Date Night’.
The actress detailed that the DONDA singer proceeded to dress her up all night — in head-to-toe Balenciaga, naturally.
“Ye had an entire hotel suite full of clothes. It was every girl’s dream come true. It felt like a real Cinderella moment,” she wrote. “I don’t know how he did it, or how he got all of it there in time. But I was so surprised. Like, who does things like this on a second date? Or any date! Everything with us has been so organic.”
January 7, 2022: Fox readressses her qualms with her ex in an interview with The Cut.
“I obviously was not expecting all the publicity to come after I had come for my son’s father online,” she said. “My son’s dad loves his son more than anything in the world. He just has some issues that I shouldn’t have made public.”
“The overall message is that if ur in a toxic relationship, get out of it cuz u never who know or what could be waiting on the other side <3 [sic],” she added in a text to the reporter.
That evening, Ye posts several Instagram Stories that see Fox walking down a road, in all black, at night.
Then, over the weekend, West shares a picture of Fox to the Instagram Stories of his Donda Creative account.
January 13, 2022: In an episode of her Forbidden Fruits podcast, titled Behind the Scenes with Julia Fox, the actress said she was going to “address some of the controversies and set the record straight.”
“There are always people that think that every celebrity scandal is a setup. I personally don’t,” she asserts, adding that there are “no labels” and that their relationship is “such a Gemini-Aquarius connection.”
January 15, 2022: Fox relays all of that week’s happenings back to Interview Magazine. She speaks about being Ye’s muse, watching television with him, as well as the fact that he gave her wardrobe a massive revamp. Hello, deja vu…
“After meeting him, a couple of days later, all my shit was in boxes, gone. It was so cathartic. It wasn’t like I was just packing up my old clothes, it was like I was packing up my old life. I was, like, making that very conscious decision to really put everything in the box. To let go of the past,” she told the outlet, detailing that they have “the most instant natural, organic attraction and connection”.
February 3, 2022: West joins in on Fox’s birthday celebrations at Lucien’s in New York, and he pulls out all the stops by gifting everyone mini Birkin bags.
February 7, 2022: It all seemingly heads south from here. After West and Kardashian go back on forth on Instagram speaking about their daughter North West’s TikTok accounts, Fox deletes all the pictures of her and West on Instagram. However, she denies that she and the rapper have called it quits.
Taking to her Instagram Stories, she says, “Guys, relax, I unfollowed the fan accounts because I was tired of seeing myself. Suddenly, Instagram was not a fun place anymore. I took the fucking photos down because I read the comments and everyone was like, ‘Oh my god, you clearly only posted photos you looked good in.”
February 14, 2022: On Valentine’s Day, Fox’s representative confirmed to Page Six that the pair had split after six weeks of dating, following his outburst about Kardashian and Davidson’s relationship, his desire to unite his family, and his beef with Kid Cudi.
“Julia and Kanye remain good friends and collaborators,” her rep said. “but they are no longer together.”
“Why not see me for what I am which is a #1 hustler,” Fox later said in a now-deleted Instagram Story. “I came up yall lol and not only that but Kanye and I are on good terms! I have love for him but I wasn’t in love w the man Jesus Christ what do u guys think I am 12 years old?! [sic]”
The 32-year-old also slammed reports that she was crying in paparazzi photos snapped at LAX. “For the record, the only time I cried in 2022 was on Feb 6th on my dead BFF bday,” she continued, referring to the suicide of Hollywood manager Chris Huvane. She concluded by saying that she was considering writing a book so people could get “the full tea”.
