Kim Kardashian knew the king of Staten Island might not want to join his queen on TV.
Noting she was acutely aware of the difficulties of dating while on reality television, the SKIMS founder, 42, recently shared how she had a chat with then-boyfriend Pete Davidson about how their romance might play out on The Kardashians.
"In the dating conversation, once there's a story about you, you start to believe the hype," she told Scott Disick and Khloe Kardashian in the June 1 episode, "that you're together, and oh my god, and it's hot and heavy and it's everywhere. And everyone thinks that you guys are practically getting married in a week."
For her, that's one of the biggest challenges of looking for love after her 2021 split with husband Kanye West.
"It's hard when you start dating someone, and you live your life on a reality show," Kim continued, "so Pete and I had that conversation right away. You obviously know what you're getting yourself into."
Although the couple initially kept their romance away from the Hulu cameras, things changed after viewers clamored for more.
"The fans were like, ‘Pete's not on the show.' And I was like, 'We said that from the start. It's not what he does,'" Kim remembered. "Then I opened up, then I had him on the show. I talked about every last thing."
Pete, 29, appeared in a couple scenes from The Kardashians that were filmed during their romance, which lasted from November 2021 to August 2022, but Kim made sure the comedian wasn't pressured to be overly-involved.
"I'm not gonna meet someone and be like, ‘Pause. Before we get to a place, will you be on my show?' Like no," she said during a confessional. "And he was still on, guys. He was on at what level he was comfortable with."
It's a struggle Khloe could relate to, agreeing with her sister that she wouldn't want a new partner to jump into filming right away. "If I'm newly dating someone, I'm not gonna have them on the show," she added. "That's weird."
To relive Kim and Pete's nine-month romance, keep scrolling.
Kim Kardashian first crossed paths with Pete Davidson back in January 2019, when she and then-husband Kanye "Ye" West joined the comedian and Timothée Chalamet at a sushi dinner to celebrate Kid Cudi's birthday. The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star tweeted several pictures from the get-together and later spoke about it during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
"We went to Nobu and when I got there I realized it was like a guys' dinner," Kim explained in February 2019. "It was just such a fun night. Everyone just had such a good time. The vibe was so good and I didn't want to ruin it so I sat in the corner and just documented it for them."
In October 2021, Kim shared the screen with Pete while hosting Saturday Night Live. During her appearance on the NBC sketch comedy show, the two shared a sweet kiss as Princess Jasmine and Aladdin in a skit parodying Disney's Aladdin.
"A few days later, I called the producer at SNL and I was like "Hey do you have Pete's number?'" Kim recalled on a June 2, 2022 episode of The Kardashians. "They were like 'Yeah' and I text him. I wasn't even thinking like 'Oh my god I'm gonna be in a relationship with him.' I was just thinking...I heard about this BDE. I need to get out there. I need to just, like, jump start my...I was just basically DTF."
Shortly after they were spotted holding hands while visiting Knott's Scary Farm in California in late October 2021, a source close to Kim told E! News that the pair had started "casually dating," sharing that Pete "told her he doesn't want to see anyone else."
"Kim is smitten over him and it's very exciting to her," the source said, adding that the SKIMS mogul "is completely enthralled" by the comedian.
As their romance began to heat up, New York native Pete flew to Los Angeles to visit Kim at her stomping grounds. Paul Barewijk, who was visiting the Los Angeles from Amsterdam, bumped into the couple during a night out on Nov. 27, 2021, and was able to snapped a few selfies with them. He later told E! News of the encounter, "They looked really happy."
In December 2021, Kim was spotted visiting Pete in his hometown of Staten Island, catching a nighttime screening of House of Gucci with the actor at Eltingville's Atrium Stadium Cinemas. An eyewitness told E! News that the pair were joined by Scott Disick and some of Pete's friends for the casual outing, with the two stopping to buy snacks before heading into the theater.
Though Kim and Pete are based on opposite coasts, the two continue to make their bicoastal romance work. On March 2, 2022, the day Kim was declare legally single amid her divorce from Kanye "Ye" West, she and Pete were seen having lunch with friends at the Beverly Hills Hotel. At the time, a separate eyewitness told E! News that they "seemed to be having a great time enjoying their day together."
The duo were also spotted by blogger Casey Messer (@caseymesser), who unintentionally recorded a glimpse of Kim and Pete at the hotel while taking a video of her friends walking down a hallway.
The KKW Beauty founder posted a selfie with Pete on March 11, 2022, making the couple Instagram official. In the caption of her post, she reference a quote from the 2010 film The Town, writing, "Whose car are we gonna take?!"
Kim showed off their silly side with Pete on March 11, 2022, when she posted a picture of them sitting on the ground in a hallway. In the photo, the reality star—wearing a silvery fringe jacket, metallic dress and chrome thigh-high boots—appeared to blow a kiss at Pete as he laid his head on her lap.
Kim and Pete attended the premiere of her Hulu show, The Kardashians, together in April 2022. However, they didn't pose for photos on the red carpet together, but she told E! News' Daily Pop that he was being "supportive" from the side.
In April 2022, Kim and Pete made their red carpet debut at the 2022 White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington D.C.
In April 2022, Kim shared Instagram photos of herself and Pete looking cozy at a late-night dinner following the Kardashians season one premiere. In response to a headline claiming she appeared "to Photoshop Pete Davidson's nose and jawline," Kim wrote, "Hmmm...I guess Pete's jawline is snatched! Snatched to the point u guys thought I photoshopped it!!! One pic he's laughing in mid convo! Wait I did add a grainy filter tho."
In April 2022, Kim supported Pete at his Netflix Is a Joke festival comedy show in Los Angeles, during which he joked about her ex, Kanye West.
Kim and Pete attended the Met Gala in New York City together in May 2022.
Kim shares a kissing selfie video with Pete in May 2022. Pete recently dyed his hair platinum blond to match his girlfriend's.
The two visit London together in late May 2022.
Kim shared a sweet selfie with her man in a July 11 Instagram post.
Pete leans in for a kiss from Kim during a relaxing day at home in July 2022.
Pete and Kim broke up, multiple sources told E! News in August 2022. While sources said they have "a lot of love" for one another, their long distance relationship proved to be too difficult. She continues to co-parent with Kanye and their divorce is moving forward, according to multiple sources.
