What happened between Kanye West and Kim Kardashian? Newly unearthed phone call reveals fashion mogul warning rapper over "having nothing"

The life and marriage of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are in the limelight once again after the documentary In Whose Name? was released in mid-September 2025. The film draws on thousands of hours of footage filmed over several years. It reveals a phone call that took place in 2018, during which Kim addressed Kanye about how his actions in the spotlight were hurting him and those around him.

In the clip, Kim is agitated. She warns Kanye that his actions are putting his friends, business relationships, and influence at risk. The call is the result of a few high-profile events that Kanye West experienced in 2018, including his meeting with President Trump and publicly making remarks that were heavily criticized.

According to InStyle reports, in the exchange, Kim tells Kanye she “can’t sleep” and that she has been “crying all day,” and she warns bluntly:

“You’re gonna wake up one day and you’re gonna have, like, nothing.”

Kanye West responds angrily, rejecting the idea that he will end up with nothing. He says he feels trapped by business deals, at times using the word “slave” to describe his relationship with some companies. Those lines in the documentary have been widely reported because they show how personal concern and business risk overlapped within the marriage.

Kim’s warning and what she said in the call

In the clip, Kim makes a direct appeal about consequences. She tells Kanye she is overwhelmed and that his public actions are pushing people away. InStyle reported that the documentary quotes her saying:

“I can’t sleep. I’ve been crying all day. It’s just this bad dream that’s not ending,”

Then, “You’re gonna wake up one day and you’re gonna have, like, nothing.”

Journalists who reviewed the film noted the lines because they capture how Kim framed the risk as immediate and practical, not just emotional.

Kanye West’s reply and his words about industry ties

Kanye West pushed back in the same call. He told Kim not to put the idea of “having nothing” into the universe and described feeling exploited by parts of the entertainment business, using phrases that equate contracts with loss of freedom.

The documentary shows him saying he felt like “a slave to Universal” and comparing some outlets to a “slave ship.” Kim counters that companies had helped build her career and that burning bridges could be damaging.

Why does the 2018 timing matter?

The call came after Kanye’s 2018 public controversies, including his White House visit and remarks on slavery that sparked national backlash. Those events help explain why Kim sounded alarmed.

They were not private missteps but widely seen actions that could affect deals, partnerships, and public goodwill. The documentary places the call in that sequence of public controversies and private reactions.

How does this moment connect to the later fallout?

The phone call is one piece of a longer story. In the years after 2018, several major partners severed ties with Kanye West following his later controversial statements. This included Adidas ending the Yeezy partnership and top talent agencies dropping him.

By 2022–2025, those business splits had a clear financial and professional impact. The phone call takes on greater meaning when considered alongside these events. It records a warning that, for some observers, foreshadowed the professional losses that followed.

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