Kim Kardashian is not your average mother; she’s a multimillionaire with a media empire, a fleet of hired help, and the willingness to suffocate herself for fashion. But she’s also a single parent juggling her career with the demands of four children, a tough situation for anyone — and one that has taken its toll. Kim filed for divorce against her ex-husband, Ye, in early 2021, and the separation was finalized after tense disputes in late 2022. The most recent episode of The Kardashians — which appears to have been filmed in late 2023 — shows Kim reaching her breaking point.

Calling a friend on the way to jury duty, Kim confesses to locking herself in the bathroom during a Zoom interview to escape her kids, who were “banging on the door, just screaming … that’s, like, my biggest nightmare.” She admits to being a pushover who has tried to enforce screen limits but caves to her kids’ whining, and expresses envy toward her sister Khloe’s ability to set boundaries with her children. “I just can’t do it anymore. I just need to get away,” she tells her friend.

Kim has been open about her struggles with motherhood before, stating on the On Purpose With Jay Shetty podcast that it was “the most challenging thing.” “There are nights I cry myself to sleep,” she added. On that podcast, she also lamented that she has “no one there” to help after her divorce, prompting criticism for neglecting to mention the support she receives from chefs and nannies. She later responded to the situation on season four of The Kardashians: “Obviously, having nannies and a chef to help cook is beyond helpful … But at the end of the day, your kids only want you. The struggles that my kids go through really have nothing to do with the amount of help that I have.”

Kim Kardashian locks herself in bathroom as she admits being a single parent is tough

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She’s not the only Kardashian sister struggling with single parenting. Khloe separated from her ex, Tristan Thompson, before the birth of their second child, Tatum, in 2022. On the same Kardashians episode, she also opened up about her challenges, revealing that it took a year for her to let her nanny put her daughter to sleep.