Kardashian Curse: What Happens to Their Exes

Why Do the Men Who Date the Kardashians Keep Hitting Rock Bottom?

It's one of pop culture's longest-running theories: date a Kardashian, and something in your career or public image starts to unravel. Fans have been tracking this pattern for over a decade, and it keeps finding new names to attach itself to. We break down where the "Kardashian Curse" theory actually comes from, who it's been pinned on, and whether the newest names on the list have any reason to worry.

Watch the Full Breakdown of the Kardashian Curse and What Happened to Their Exes

Where the Curse Theory Started

The theory traces back to Kim Kardashian's highest-profile relationships. Kanye West's public unraveling in the years following his marriage to Kim became one of the most-cited examples, with fans pointing to the timing of his career and public image shifts as evidence something was off. Before that, there was Kris Humphries, whose NBA career reportedly cooled off in the years after his marriage to Kim ended after just 72 days, a mismatch so brief it became a punchline in its own right and helped cement the "curse" idea in pop culture memory long before the term had a name.

Is Lewis Hamilton the Next Name on the List?

The theory found a new test case in early 2026, when Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton and Kim Kardashian were spotted together in Paris and later at the Super Bowl, fueling dating rumors that neither has confirmed. Hamilton is a seven-time F1 world champion with one of the most decorated careers in the sport's history, which makes him a very different kind of test case than Kim's past partners. If the rumors turn into something official, fans will be watching his next season closely, less because there's any real evidence a relationship affects performance on the track, and more because the "curse" narrative has become a running joke the internet enjoys checking in on.

Khloé Kardashian's Exes Carry the Heaviest Reputation

If one Kardashian sister is treated as the theory's proving ground, it's Khloé. Lamar Odom's public struggles following their marriage are often cited as the most dramatic example fans point to. James Harden's on-court slumps during his relationship with Khloé get folded into the same narrative, even though NBA performance dips are common and rarely tied to one clear cause. Tristan Thompson's repeated, highly publicized cheating scandals throughout their on-and-off relationship added a different kind of drama to the mix, one that shaped his public image far more than it affected his playing career, but that kept his name firmly attached to the "curse" conversation regardless.

Timothée Chalamet: The Newest Name Under the Microscope

The most recent addition to this theory is Timothée Chalamet, whose high-profile relationship with Kylie Jenner has put him under a level of tabloid and reality-TV-adjacent scrutiny that's new for an actor mostly known for prestige film roles. Whether that pressure actually shows up in his career trajectory remains to be seen, but the fact that fans are already speculating says a lot about how quickly this theory attaches itself to anyone new who enters the family's orbit.

Real Pattern, or Just Selective Memory?

The honest answer is probably a mix of both. High-profile relationships come with more media attention by default, so any career dip that follows gets noticed and narrated in a way an ordinary bad year wouldn't. At the same time, the sheer number of names now associated with the theory, spanning multiple sisters, multiple decades, and multiple industries, is part of why it refuses to die as a piece of pop culture shorthand. Watch the full breakdown above for the deeper dive into each case.