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A look back at Kanye West's dating history

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A complete timeline of Kanye West's dating historyRich Fury/VF20 - Getty Images

For many Keeping Up With The Kardashians fans, there is no Kanye West dating history before Kim Kardashian. Seriously, what even existed before Kimye?

The pair met all the way back in 2010, and after a brief stint as friends (remember those KUWTK scenes?) the pair finally got together in 2012 and married in 2014. After six years as husband and wife and four children together, the pair filed for divorce in January 2021 and are now dating other people. So here's a look back at Kanye's dating history.

Sumeke Rainey, pre-2002

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Long before Kanye was famous he dated his high school sweetheart Sumeke Rainey and the pair were still together when Kanye got his start in the music industry. He references her in 'Never Let Me Down', a song on his debut album The College Dropout.

"Nothing sad as that day my girl's father passed away / So I promised to Mr. Rainey I'm gonna marry your daughter."

Alexis Phifer, 2002 - 2008

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Kanye dated designer Alexis Phifer on and off between 2002 and 2008, and the pair even got engaged in August 2006.

The pair finally split after an 18-month engagement in early 2008, with Phifer telling PEOPLE that while the split was sad, she and Kanye were still friends. "I wish him the best in his future and all of his endeavors. He’s one of the most talented people I’ve ever met," she added.

Brooke Crittendon, 2008

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Kanye and reality star Brooke Crittendon dated during his split from Phifer, something that ultimately had a bit of an impact on the relationship.

Speaking to Essence in 2009, Crittendon said, "I was just living in a big city on my own and had to live in the shadow of that's 'Kanye's ex-girl.' I’m so much bigger than that."

Amber Rose, 2008 - 2010

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Amber Rose and Kanye had a pretty high profile relationship, which is still grabbing headlines to this day. The pair were together for two years from 2008 to 2010 when she called time on the relationship.

In October 2020, Rose spoke out against West during an interview on the No Jumper podcast, saying: "He has picked on me for 10 years. He has bullied me for 10 years," by continuing to speak about their two-year relationship after their split in 2010.

She also addressed comments made by West in a 2015 interview in which he said he "had to take 30 showers" after their breakup.

"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 [Kim Kardashian] 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?... He has picked on me for 10 years. He has bullied me for 10 years."

Kim Kardashian, 2012 - 2021

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Shortly after splitting with Amber Rose, Kanye met Kim Kardashian while filming KUWTK, but at first the pair were just friends. Kim married and split from Kris Humphries and Kanye was off being Kanye. Then in 2012 things changed and turned romantic. A year later baby North is born and a year after that Kim and Kanye tied the knot in a luxurious ceremony in 16th-century Fort di Belvedere in Florence, Italy.

Kimye welcomed three more children together; Chicago, Saint and Psalm and went through countless dramas over the years, from feuds with Taylor Swift to some weird and wonderful Instagram posts. After six years of marriage the couple announced they were filing for divorce in February 2021.

Irina Shayk, 2021

how kim kardashian feels about kanye west and irina shayk dating
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With his split from Kim still unfolding Kanye was linked to model Irina Shayk. According to TMZ, Kanye and Irina enjoyed a holiday together in Provence, France, to celebrate his 44th birthday in June 2021.

The report claimed that the pair "were seen smiling and strolling around on the grounds of a luxury boutique hotel with some friends, but also by themselves...looking very much like a couple." The outlet added that the pair are "100% romantically together."

By August, though, they had reportedly split - Us Weekly, People, and Entertainment Tonight all claimed the pair were no longer a thing, with one source adding, "Kanye and Irina are over, but they never really started, there’s nothing going on there. They aren’t great romantic partners."

Julia Fox, January 2022

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Uncut Gems actor Julia and Kanye met on New Year's Eve 2021, before being spotted out on dinner dates in New York and LA in the weeks that followed. In early January, Julia opened up about their "instant connection", telling Interview magazine, "His energy is so fun to be around. He had me and my friends laughing, dancing and smiling all night."

She later added, "Everything with us has been so organic. I don’t know where things are headed but if this is any indication of the future I’m loving the ride."

We're interested to see what happens too, Julia.


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