EXCLUSIVE: Kanye West Wants Sole Custody of 4 Kids After Ex-Wife Kim Kardashian 'Exploited' Daughter North West for 'Commercial Gain' at Met Gala
Kanye West doesn't want his four children at any public events.
May 9 2025, Published 3:20 p.m. ET
A furious Kanye West has threatened to seek sole custody of his four children with Kim Kardashian after he claimed his ex-wife “exploited” their eldest, North, for “personal or commercial gain,” RadarOnline.com has been told.
Kardashian, 44, took daughter North to Monday's Met Gala in New York City which, according to West, he did not authorize and violated the terms of the pair’s 2022 divorce settlement.
Battle For The Kids
West has claimed Kardashian is 'denying' him access to his kids.
The rapper — who is currently living in Palma, Spain — has also blamed his former wife for “denying” him access to their kids: North, 11; Saint West, 9; Chicago West, 7; and Psalm West, 5.
A raging West, 47, told the reality television star this week that she’s violated his “parental rights,” and “breached their joint custody agreement” that was struck in 2022, a friend with knowledge of the situation revealed.
While North did not attend the Met Gala itself, she and her mom shared videos and photos with their hundreds of millions of fans across social media showing themselves preparing for the event from inside their hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Midtown Manhattan.
That drew the ire of West, who instructed his lawyers to tell Kardashian he believed it constituted “unauthorized exposure,” according to the insider.
He is also furious at reports that North was left unattended in a vehicle during portions of the event, which he fears posed risks to her safety.
Said one source: “Kanye told Kim in no uncertain terms that he explicitly objects to the children being flaunted on social media platforms.”
In a stinging rebuke, West also accused Kardashian – whom he was married to for six years before their 2021 split – of exploiting North’s likeness for “personal or commercial gain” without his approval, one source said.
North and her mom shared videos and photos with their hundreds of millions of fans across social media.
What’s more, West – who now goes by the name Ye – claimed he’s been denied “meaningful access to his children” and claimed he’s had “no contact” with their son Saint at all this year.
Said a source close to West: “Kanye’s interactions with North, Chicago, and Psalm have been unreasonably restricted, which he believes is in violation of the custody agreement’s provisions for equal parental access and decision-making.
Ye's Social Media Anger
West and his ex-wife share four kids.
“He wants Kim to scrub her social media content of the children she has posted without his consent and to stop publishing photos and videos featuring all four children on social media platforms.
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“He also doesn’t want the children to attend any public events without his prior written consent.”
Most importantly, the source said, West is telling Kardashian she must “facilitate regular and unimpeded access” to his children, including “immediate in-person visitation.”
North did not attend the 2025 Met Gala, but joined her mom for the car ride there in New York.
