Khloe Kardashian is opening up about her decision to become the primary caretaker for her ex-Tristan Thompson’s younger brother, Amari.
During the July 30 “Ask Me Anything” episode of her podcast Khloe in Wonder Land, the reality star explained why she stepped in to care for 18-year-old Amari following the unexpected death of his and Tristan’s mother, Andrea Thompson, in January 2023.
“For those who don’t know, Tristan has a younger brother who is 18 years old, and he is severely disabled. Amari has LGS (Lennox-Gastaut syndrome), which is a form of epilepsy, and he is disabled,” the 41-year-old said. “He can’t walk or talk. He’s never been able to talk.”
She shared that after Andrea’s passing, “we — me, Tristan, my whole family — took Amari back with us to the States,” noting that Andrea had been his sole caregiver while they lived in Canada.
With Tristan’s busy NBA schedule keeping him on the move, it quickly became clear that full-time care for Amari would be difficult for him to manage. “Tristan is in the NBA, and he is in a different state literally every other day or every few days, and it’s just not conducive for Amari to be on that many planes,” The Kardashians star said. “Amari has a handful of seizures a day with the type of epilepsy that he has.”
“So Amari stays in LA with me, and I have chosen to take care of him and be there for him, because it’s not good that he travels,” she explained.
The Good American co-founder added that she deeply values having Amari in her home. “I love having Amari be a part of my family,” she said, giving credit to the “two sensational caretakers for Amari” and adding, “we just want to provide Amari with the best, most beautiful life that we know how. And he deserves that.”
Kardashian also emphasized the important lessons her children, True, 7, and Tatum, 2, whom she shares with Tristan, as well as their cousins are learning by having Amari in their lives. “I think it’s so important for my kids, my nieces and nephews, to be exposed to all different types of people in the world,” she said. “I think it teaches everyone compassion, understanding. It opens up their minds to seeing, wow, Amari is disabled, sure, but he’s also just like us at the same time.”
“And I love seeing how Amari lights up when he’s around the kids. He can’t verbally talk, but if you know him well enough, he can definitely express himself, and you see the glimmer in his eyes. And he’s just such an amazing, amazing young man. And I’m so proud and honored that I have Amari in my life.”
She also addressed critics who question why she’s taken on this role despite no longer being romantically involved with Tristan. “People are always like, why did I do that? Me and Tristan aren’t together, why would I take on helping with Amari?” she said. “But when I met Tristan and his family, oh my gosh, like nine, almost 10 years ago, which is crazy. When I met them, Andrea, Tristan’s mom and I, we became such good friends.”
Kardashian continued, “I would help her with Amari medically. She would have questions. She would need connections to certain doctors, and I would help with that. So I was very much involved in all of his medical appointments when Andrea was here.”
“I also know how much Amari means to Andrea, and she passed away because she had a sudden heart attack. Me being in a relationship or not with Tristan, I still have this family that I’ve spent so many years with, that I have such connections with that, my relationship with Andrea has nothing to do with Tristan, and my commitment to her has nothing to do with Tristan, and Amari deserves someone who will be there for him, take care of him, provide a great lifestyle for him and so Amari deserves my love and care, regardless of where me and Tristan stand.”
After Andrea’s passing, Tristan filed to become Amari’s legal guardian in September 2023. Since then, the mother-of-two has been by Amari’s side for birthdays, milestones, and even dance recitals.
“I appreciate you putting this all together. It’s definitely a special day,” Tristan told her during Amari’s 18th birthday celebration, as seen on The Kardashians. “I know Mommy is happy and she’s smiling down on us.”
In her confessional, Kardashian added, “Amari has never and will never be a burden or anything like that. Amari is one of the most special souls I have ever met.”
In May, the Hulu star supported Amari at his dance recital and posted a selfie with him backstage alongside her mom, Kris Jenner. She captioned the moment, “I love you so much mommy. Thank you for always supporting ALL of us always.”
Photo Credit: Khloe Kardashain Instagram
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