Khloé Kardashian & Tristan Thompson Are Back Together —And We Should Be Happy For Them
Khloé Kardashian revealed her renewed romance with Tristan Thompson on his 30th birthday.
Eugene Powers / Shutterstock It appears Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson are back together, and the internet is going wild.
Based upon a recent Instagram post, it appears the reality star and youngest Kardashian sister has reconciled with the famously unfaithful father of her child, Tristan Thompson.
The reality star revealed her renewed relationship in an Instagram post commemorating Tristan’s 30th birthday on March 13th, seemingly making their relationship public once again.
But should we judge Khloé and Tristan getting back together?
Khloé praised her on-again partner beneath a photo set of the couple with their daughter, True, at Tristan’s birthday celebration. The 36-year-old wore a short, silver-studded wrap dress for the occasion, paired with winger eyeliner and a sleek high ponytail.
“The ones that are meant to be are the ones who go through everything that is designed to tear them apart and they come out even stronger than they were before,” Khloé captioned the images, referencing previous drama in her relationship with the NBA player.
“Thank you for showing me everything you said you would,” she continued. “For the father you are. For the best friend I have in you. I’m thankful that I can do absolutely nothing with you and it feels like everything.”
“I hope you know today and everyday how loved you are by me and so many,” Khloé told Tristan. “Happy birthday TT! Welcome to 30!”
She concluded by looking forward to the couple’s future together: “I can’t wait for all of the memories. This is when life just starts getting good!”
The reunion is controversial, considering Thompson’s past — and very public — infidelity.
In 2018, the basketball star was caught on camera kissing another woman just days before his then-girlfriend Khloé gave birth to True.
The couple reconciled, but apparently, Tristan had not changed.
In mid-February of the following year, Tristan was exposed for cheating on Khloé yet again — this time with her sister Kylie’s then-best friend, Jordyn Woods.
The revelation was devastating for the family, who already have few people they can trust, and Jordyn was quickly exiled from their circle.
However, it would appear that these scandals are water under the bridge, as, per Khloé’s Instagram post, the couple seems to be happily back together.
Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner also wished Tristan a happy birthday on the social media site.
“Happy 30th birthday,” Kim captioned a selfie of her and Tristan, tagging the athlete’s account.
“Honestly I’m so proud to call you my brother,” she wrote. “I know we’ve been through it but we came out stronger and closer and I’m just grateful that Khloe has a bestie in you!” Kim also called Tristan “a great dad” to True.
Kris’s post referred to Tristan as “an amazing son, brother, dad, friend, partner, and uncle.”
“We love you very much,” the matriarch declared.
Furthermore, Khloé and Tristan revealed last month that they are planning for another baby, and have frozen their embryos in preparation for expanding their family.
In light of the fraught history between the pair, however, spectators have seen fit to speculate on their reconnection.
Fans continue to question Tristan’s integrity, whether he deserves it or not.
“Let me give it a week,” one fan commented.
“Give it until she’s at her 9th month of her 2nd pregnancy,” responded another.
Others criticized Khloé for forgiving Tristan while Jordyn remained on bad terms with the family.
“Khloe Kardashian owes Jordyn a public apology,” wrote one Twitter user, claiming that Khloé had “dragged this girl through the mud just to take Tristan back.”
“It’s Khloe taking Tristan back and not wanting to ever speak to Jordyn for me,” another posted. “Women don’t like each other.”
However, any evidence of Khloé attacking Jordyn as she is accused of remains absent.
Khloé did initially place blame on Woods for the incident, publicly calling her “the reason my family broke up,” but she later retracted the statement and explained her strong reaction in a series of tweets.
The TV personality wrote that she was “a rollercoaster of emotions” after the events transpired, and had “said things I shouldn’t have.”
She explained that she had already known her boyfriend was a cheater but was shocked by the betrayal by her former family friend, Jordyn.
“But Jordyn is not to be blamed for the breakup of my family,” Khloé continued. “This was Tristan’s fault.”
In light of such receipts, the tweets accusing Khloé of skewing the blame towards the other woman in the situation seem to be more indicative of their own bias. Pitting women against each other is common enough in the media without serving as a framework for such allegations.
The tide of public opinion does appear to affect Khloé, as the Kardashian clan has previously discussed on KUWTK.
In a preview clip from the show’s 20th season that was shared on Instagram last month, Kim and Tristan discussed Khloé’s reaction to rumors and judgments about her relationship.
Kim told Tristan that Khloé’s decision to take him back no longer concerned simply “getting over the past,” but was now “just mostly what other people are gonna think.”
Tristan agreed. “She’s carrying a suitcase of other people’s opinions and thoughts,” the basketball star added.
Ironically, some of these unfair judgments surfaced in the comments section under the post.
“So…is Kylie allowed to be friends with Jordyn again?” one Instagram user asked.
Khloé was so upset by the assumption behind this question that she responded to the comment with an angry paragraph.
"I’m so sick and tired of this narrative that I control my sister or I dictate who she chooses to surround herself with,” Khloé wrote.
“Never once have I ever, and I mean ever, told my sister who she can be friends with,” she emphasized. “She is an adult, who can do whatever she wants to do. I will support her in anything and everything she wants to do!”
“I love my sister unconditionally,” Khloé continued.
“That means regardless of who she chooses to be friends with, I will always love, respect, and value my sister unconditionally! She is my life partner and I will always respect what she chooses! By the way, I have no ill feelings towards ANYONE!!! Truly. My heart carries no hatred at all.”
Maybe we should just be happy for Khloé and Tristan, and wish them the best.
We all know in a logical sense that reality TV is not reality, but it can be tempting to believe we know the full story when given so much insight into people’s personal lives.
Filling in the blanks with speculation is something fans have been doing for decades, but it is important to remember that no one exists for the entertainment of others.
According to Khloé, the family’s connection to Jordyn Woods is between Jordyn and Kylie, and to place blame on Khloé without knowing the private details of the relationship is unfair.
Khloé expressed in her Instagram post that Tristan had fulfilled his promises to change, and while those on the outside cannot confirm her claim, we have no meaningful grounds on which to deny it.
The Kardashians are not defined by the figures that cross our Instagram feed, as photoshop critics have been eager to point out. There are human beings behind these public constructs.
And families, even those that exist in the public eye, are far more than just fodder for drama.
Allie McGlone is a writer who covers a variety of topics for YourTango, including pop culture and entertainment.