I’ve covered Kanye’s dark decline for years – the shocking truth of what REALLY pushed Kim Kardashian to breaking point

UNTIL now, the disturbing story of Kanye West’s spectacular fall from grace has only been told through explosive social media rants, lawsuits, and headlines.

Now, having learned the full tale of – and how he and shamefully reduced members of his ex-wife ‘s family to tears – the truth is that it is even sadder than many could have ever imagined.

Kanye West has had a troubling fall from grace in recent years Kanye with ex-wife Kim Kardashian and the family The couple finalised their divorce in November 2022

is a lot of things. He’s a generational talent, a free thinker, a husband, and a father, some may say funny, and likely still very rich.

But he’s also a polarizing star, an unpredictable, often unstable 48-year-old man who has undoubtedly . It’s true. Hurt people hurt people.

This week, I got a sneak preview of a new behind-the-scenes documentary, In Whose Name? , which is being released in US cinemas.

The shocking film pulls back the curtain on Kanye’s most controversial years, during which he appears to have been on a mission of self-destruction.

This is not a production that was meticulously planned out and professionally shot with a big-name documentary team before a red carpet premiere.

This is a raw movie, filmed on an iPhone by a man named Nico Ballesteros, who was just a teenager when he first entered Ye’s inner circle six years ago.

He documented over 3,000 hours of Kanye’s life, mixing with the rich and famous and traveling the globe with the star, as he became more fearful, angry, and paranoid as each year passed.

For those, like me, who have covered Ye as a journalist for over a decade, it is a disturbing watch that shows how the seeds of his decline – and – were planted earlier than many devoted fans even realised.

It starts with a scene showing Kanye in the back of a car with his eldest daughter, , now 12, during a sweet father-daughter moment.

There is a string of big names pumping Ye up during the height of his fame, everyone from and P to make appearances. even pops up to trade relationship advice.

During one prophetic moment in 2018, warns Kanye about ruining his life and career.

“You are taking control of the water in the fish tank. This is yours,” he tells him. “But it is very easy to flip and f*** all this up.”

Tensions laid bare

Soon, things begin to unravel.

That same year, Kim confronts her then-husband for telling reporters that he and the family were moving to Chicago to live in his late mom’s Donda’s old house.

“We can talk about that later, and more thoroughly, but…” Kim says, only to be interrupted by Ye, who admits he had been off his meds for five months.

“It ain’t no but!” he shouts before storming off, in a telling early glimpse of the tensions that tore apart their marriage.

Later, he is seen having a breakdown on SNL and, on occasions during the movie, wearing a bulletproof vest as his mental state deteriorates.

The impact on his family becomes clear. On a trip away with his team, Kim is seen trying to calm him down.

He screams at her in one terrifying clip, saying nobody can tell him what to do.

Kim and Kayne have tense talks in scenes from In Whose Name? One bizarre scene sees Kanye and Elon Musk talk relationship troubles His isolation from Kim become clear throughout the documentary

This was the start of Kanye’s path to ‘freedom’, which saw everyone from Adidas and GAP to his talent agency cut ties with him.

One of the most jarring things about the film is seeing in full how Kanye speaks to those around him, often blaming his outbursts on his ‘personality.’

Kim tells him: “But it’s a reality that people say no, people say no to me on a daily basis. I don’t just start screaming and throwing a tantrum.”

He replies: “That’s just personality.”

Kim is seen crying as she replies: “But your personality was not like this a few years ago.”

She says the mental health episodes were few and far between, adding that it wasn’t “daily, every single conversation”.

It’s hard to watch, and Kanye doesn’t seem to care about her opinion, or anyone’s, for that matter. Kanye only seems to care about Kanye.

Disturbing confrontation

The way he speaks to those around him, who are often calmly trying to help, is nothing short of disgusting.

The most uncomfortable part of the movie for many will be a scene with his former mother-in-law, , which is the sort of thing that would push any loving daughter to breaking point.

Walking into the house, Ye tells a friend: “They try to scare you. They try to control you. All that. Because I feel emasculated by Kris Jenner, by my wife.”

He then shouts at Kris, who is in the kitchen: “Y’all demasculated me and made me feel like a piece of s***. I’d rather be dead, not in jail, I’d rather be dead than on medication. (sic)

“No one from the family has taken any responsibility for my hospital visit. But, if you wanna go online, that’s 50 per cent of what people say, at least, or maybe, am I lying?”

Kanye was attempting to articulate how strangers always bring up his hospitalization in for exhaustion, hours after he canceled the remainder of his 2016 tour.

Seething and screaming in a scene that made people in the cinema squirm in their seats, he blasted at Kris: “It does matter! It does matter!”

Kanye’s increasingly desperate and divisive stunts come under focus Kanye has since moved on with Bianca Censori, whose provocative outfits have drawn concern

Over the years, I’ve covered Kanye’s many ups and downs, from his album releases and fashion projects to his failed property deals and legal disputes.

I’ve observed him and observed how people act around him. Many, I fear, are yes men who have encouraged his behavior.

We’ve recently seen how was egged on during his own mental health crisis in his latest documentary. Kanye’s story is very similar.

I’ve spoken to his closest friends, his colleagues, and his fans. There has been so much chaos.

Kanye was determined to take control of his career, but even now he’s free from many of the contracts he once had with major companies, he’s incapable of running a business on his own, of managing staff, or even following through on many of his ideas, as seen later in the movie.

His unchecked mental illness has, in the eyes of many, ruined his legacy.

Ye continues to produce some music that a lot of fans love, but his Yeezy business is not what it once was, and he’s wasting his potential.

I’m intrigued to know what was left on the cutting room floor, and how anyone could cut this footage down into a one-hour, 44-minute film. It can’t have been easy, and I hope Kanye had no say in the edit.

Kayne wearing a despicable KKK outfit in a sick recent stunt Kim was seen on her show breaking down over her relationship with Kanye

In the movie, he does not appear to have any regrets despite destroying his marriage and now having to co-parent his four children.

If Kanye was an average guy with such issues trying to hold down a 9 to 5 job, he may likely be broke and homeless now, or worse.

Not everybody can stay off meds, ignore their loved ones, and do and say whatever they please and live to tell the tale.

Ye has publicly complained on many occasions about not being able to see his children as much since the divorce, and I can’t begin to imagine what damage has been done and how they will feel when they look back and learn about everything that unfolded.

Upsetting watch for Kim

If Kim does see the documentary in full, I think it’ll be an upsetting watch for her and the family.

The have been very patient over the years and did everything they possibly could.

Kanye’s story is not over. He’s been silent for months after coming off social media, and is usually seen with his second wife, .

Their relationship has been controversial, and she does not feature in the film.

It’s worrying to think how his life and career will continue.

Talking about an interview during one part of the movie, he says: “They still refuse to call me a billionaire because they want my story to be about mental health.”

And this is, sadly, a story about mental health. I hope people learn a lot from the film, and that there’s no shame in getting help before it’s too late.