Kanye West's Romances: A History -- From High School Sweethearts to Reality Stars

Throughout his career, Kanye has been spotted getting cozy with several other stars, from models to fashion designers. In fact, he was actually engaged once before he ever tied the knot with Kim! And now that he's back on the market, his dating life has only seemed to get more interesting.

Here’s all of the people Kanye has publicly dated during his career…

Sumeke Rainey

Before Kanye made it big in music, he was dating his highschool sweetheart Sumeke Rainey. While not much is known about their relationship, he did mention his former love on "Never Let Me Down," a track off of “The College Dropout.”

"Nothing sad as that day my girl's father passed away / So I promised to Mr. Rainey I'm gonna marry your daughter," he rapped.

Alexis Phifer

In 2002, Kanye began dating designer Alexis Phifer and the pair remained together until 2004 when the rapper's career began taking off. After about a year apart, the duo reunited and ended up getting engaged in August 2006 during a trip to Capri. Their engagement lasted for 18 months, with the couple splitting in early 2008, shortly after the unexpected death of Kanye’s mother Donda.

"It's always sad when things like this end, and we remain friends. I wish him the best in his future and all of his endeavors. He's one of the most talented people I've ever met," she told People at the time.

Brooke Crittendon

During Kanye's split from Alexis, he briefly dated "Harlem Heights" star Brooke Crittendon. He even took her to the 2006 Grammys, where they walked the carpet together. The couple split later that year, which Brooke attributes to the pressure of being in the spotlight.

"[I] had to live in the shadow of that's 'Kanye's ex-girl.' I'm so much bigger than that. Mr. West and I are amicable. I wish him the best and he wishes me likewise. As far as I'm concerned if he ever needed anything I'd be there and [he would do] the same for me," Brooke told Essence several years after the split.

Amber Rose

Kanye began dating Amber Rose in 2008 after initially seeing her in Ludacris' music video for "What Them Girls Like." He invited her to fly to Los Angeles and star in the unreleased video for "Robocop" — and the rest was history. The former couple were spotted jet setting around the world until their split in 2010. At the time, the breakup was reportedly due to Kanye’s busy schedule recording "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" but things quickly got messy. Kanye at one point said he needed to take "30 showers" after dating Amber, to which she alleged that she endured "constant bullying" from Kanye throughout their relationship. Even a decade after the split, Amber still had negative feelings about their relationship.

"Me and him are two very different people. I'm a compassionate person. I have empathy. I'm a good person. That's why people love me. That's why anybody I’ve ever dated loved me…I don't know if he says things to make his wife more comfortable, but to slut-shame me and say you needed 30 showers, like, bro, you took me around the world. Since when do you need 30 showers?" Amber said on the "No Jumper" podcast in 2020.

Kim Kardashian

Kanye first met Kim Kardashian in 2003 but the couple didn't begin dating until 2012. The duo had remained friends throughout the years and truly connected during a trip to Paris after Kim's split with ex Kris Humphries. By late 2012, Kim was pregnant with the couple's first child and months after welcoming their first daughter, Kanye popped the question in an elaborate proposal at the San Francisco Giants baseball stadium. The couple officially tied the knot in 2014 in a stunning ceremony in Florence, Italy. Kim and Kanye went on to welcome three more children and even renewed their vows in 2019.

Unfortunately, the duo began to face difficulties in 2020 following Kanye's presidential run and controversial comments he made about their family. Over the course of the year, Kanye spent much of his time on the family's property in Wyoming while Kim spent time with their children in Los Angeles. In February of 2021, Kim officially filed for divorce from Kanye.

Irina Shayk

Following his split from Kim, Kanye reportedly began dating model Irina Shayk. The duo had professionally known one another for years, with Irina being featured in Kanye’s 2010 music video for "Power" and having modeled for Yeezy. While it's unclear exactly when the couple began dating, they were first publicly spotted in June during a trip to Paris. The reputed relationship didn’t last long though as Irina and Kanye split in August.

Julia Fox

Things moved quickly for Kanye and his latest girlfriend, model and actress Julia Fox. The couple first met on New Year’s Eve in Miami, where Julia says they had an “instant connection.” By the next day, they had jetted to New York City together, where they had their second date — and Kanye arranged for a wardrobe makeover for Julia. The following week they were spotted hanging out with Madonna as well as Floyd Mayweather and Antonio Brown. While it's not clear where the new romance will go, Julia admitted that Kanye is different than anyone she’s ever dated.

"I'm so used to being f**ked over in relationships, so I keep waiting for him to disappoint me, because he makes very grandiose promises, and it's like, 'How could he ever pull it off with all the other things he has going on?' But he always does...It was the most instant natural organic attraction and connection. I just feel really safe with him," Julia told Interview Magazine.