Spoilers below for the latest episode of The Kardashians.
Tristan Thompson has been a consistent presence on the early episodes of Hulu’s The Kardashians. Although he and Khloé Kardashian have presumably been broken up since January, when a paternity test revealed the NBA player fathered a child with another woman, the docuseries so far has taken place during October 2021, when the couple had secretly reconciled. Thompson has really come off as a good father and partner to this point, as Khloé repeatedly has said on the series how hard he’s trying, and that therapy was working for them. So it’s all more than a little cringe to see things edited as such, since we all know the reveal of his big paternity scandal is coming.
Episode 6 of The Kardashians, “This is a Life or Death Situation,” showed the NBA player filling his girlfriend in on the events of a game in which a fan was ejected after heckling him about Khloé Kardashian’s past. The fan apparently called her a “whore” and told Tristan Thompson that he was “just the next one,” referencing the fact that Khloé has dated other NBA players in the past. The interaction resulted in the fan’s removal from the game, Tristan said, as he explained:
I said, ‘Yeah, you’re not gonna keep talking about my family like that,’ so got him up, got his ass out of there.
Khloé Kardashian said it was “really cute” that he was so protective of his loved ones. The episode went further to solidify Tristan Thompson’s place in the family when the couple discussed whether or not it was normal for the fathers of the Kardashian sisters’ children to remain close, even after the relationships end. This wasn't just about Thompson, though.
“This is a Life or Death Situation” showed Kanye West picking up his kids for school amid his and Kim Kardashian’s divorce (but prior to his social media feud with Pete Davidson), as well as lots of discussion about how Scott Disick — the father of Kourtney Kardashian’s three children — was dealing with Kourtney’s engagement to Travis Barker. Tristan Thompson said the family’s dynamic was definitely unique— calling it a “blood in, blood out" mentality — but Khloé explained they learned by the example set by their parents, after Kris Jenner divorced Robert Kardashian and married Caitlyn Jenner. She told Thompson:
That’s just how we are, that’s how we were raised. Like my mom and my dad were best friends. My dad and my stepdad played golf together twice a week… Like, Scott is never leaving. Kanye’s never leaving. Looks like you’re never leaving. We’re all here, forever. … I think either way it goes, we’re family if you like it or not. But I think it’s such a beautiful thing.
Beautiful, sure, but also, but the "either way it goes" makes it so incredibly awkward, because we know which way it eventually goes! If it makes us cringe, imagine how Khloé Kardashian feels. She has been open about the situation on social media, joking about how these episodes have aged non-gracefully. She also allegedly heckled Tristan Thompson at the Hulu premiere for their new show when he appeared on screen. Khloé’s obvious discomfort led to Kris Jenner facing backlash from fans after she publicly thanked Tristan Thompson along with the other men connected to her daughters for sending Mother’s Day bouquets. Looks like he’s never leaving!
Tristan Thompson’s paternity scandal may not have come to light on the show yet — though many fans were convinced the Chicago Bull thought he’d been caught cheating during a scene in the premiere — but everyone can be sure it’s coming, assuming each season doesn't take place during just a single month. It’s unlikely he’ll continue looking like such a devoted partner after that, though.
New episodes of The Kardashians are available for streaming to Hulu subscribers each Thursday. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what premieres are coming up soon.
