Khloé Kardashian Recalls Moment She Knew She Couldn't Change Ex Lamar Odom’s Drug Addiction: 'I Can't Want Your Life More Than You'

Khloé Kardashian recalled the moment she realized she couldn’t change Lamar Odom’s drug struggles during a chat with Mel Robbins on her podcast Khloé in Wonderland, a pivotal experience that contributed to their decision to divorce.

Written by Seema Sinha , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Jan 30, 2025 | 12:42 PM IST | 11.2K

Khloé Kardashian with Lamar Odom (Getty Images)

Trigger Warning: This article references drug addiction

Khloé Kardashian is sharing more details from her time with her ex-husband, Lamar Odom.

On the third episode of her podcast Khloé in Wonderland, released on Wednesday, January 29, Kardashian sat down for a conversation with Mel Robbins. When the author asked if she’d ever been in a position where she knew what she had to do but couldn’t make a decision, the Good American founder shared a story from her relationship with the NBA player.

“I remember, I was married, and my ex-husband had a drug addiction. And I knew that his addiction always heightened when he was in the off-season because idle time is the devil’s playground,” Kardashian began.

“And so I remember he was asked to go to Team USA, if I remember correctly, and I was begging, ‘Please, please go to Team USA,’ and I was pushing, and I remember he just looked at me and said, ‘You can’t want it more than I do,’” she continued.

It was a valid argument and it did the trick on Kardashian, as she explained during the podcast. She added, “It’s so silly because I know that. But I wanted it so badly because I wanted to help him and get him to feel the motivation and feel good, but he just wasn’t in that place.”

Kardashian reflected that it was this moment when she decided to file for divorce. “That was a very pivotal moment in my life because I remember that statement being like, ‘Yeah, you’re right. I can’t want your life more than you.’”

Later in the episode, the mom of two recalled being very young and naïve during her relationship with Odom, whom she married in 2009 and divorced in 2016. She said she’s much better at realizing she can’t change people now, explaining, “I think maybe because I went through that experience, that I, for me, I’m so good at it.”

Kardashian also shared that being with Odom made her realize she wouldn’t ever want to be in a relationship with a person who does drugs, even a little, as it often leads to a slippery slope, spiraling things out of control in an instant.

Odom, for the record, had a near-fatal overdose in 2015, and the reality star was the one who looked after him at the time. She later moved on with Tristan Thompson, with whom she shares two children, daughter True and son Tatum.

Kardashian’s rare comment about her ex-husband comes ahead of his highly anticipated appearance on The Kardashians’ upcoming season. Fans were shocked to see the exes reunite as Odom walked in with a bouquet of roses in the trailer.

The reunion made Kris Jenner visibly upset, as she said of Odom in a confessional, he was the love of Kardashian’s life.

Season 6 of The Kardashians premieres on Hulu on Thursday, February 6.

If you know someone who is struggling with substance abuse, please reach out to the authorities and report it. There are several helplines available for the same.