Khloé Kardashian’s Idealized View of Marriage Clashes with Her Reality with Tristan Thompson

There’s successful coparenting with an ex, and then there’s the dilemma Khloé Kardashian is facing as she and Tristan Thompson work together to bring up their kids, True, 6, and 2-year-old Tatum. “True thinks me and Tristan are married,” Khloé told her bestie Malika Haqq on a recent episode of Hulu’s The Kardashians. “It is the right thing to do, in my opinion — get married, have kids. That’s what I want to teach her.”

Yet the 40-year-old and the NBA star, 34, never wed before their 2021 split amid Tristan’s repeated infidelity (he fathered a child with another woman while they were together). Now an insider tells Star that the exes have become so entangled that it’s not just True who’s confused.

“Tristan is frustrated because Khloé has refused to take him back and give him another chance, but she also isn’t moving on or making it very comfortable for him to move on,” explains the insider. “He lives a few doors down from her, and there are zero boundaries — she will pop over whenever she wants with the kids, and he spends a ton of time at her place.”

It seems the duo are stuck with each other — and just plain stuck. “Any time Tristan says he wants more space, Khloé gets pouty,” shares the insider. “It’s a complete head trip, because she’s very clear that she doesn’t want to be with him.”

The insider says the codependence is beginning to wear on Tristan. “He’s dating again, or trying to,” adds the source. “He’s starting to get annoyed and wants clear boundaries drawn.” That might be difficult for the Good American cofounder, who seems to be holding on to an idealized version of marriage. Griping that True doesn’t see her parents kissing or sleeping in the same bed, she said, “I would love my kids to see me have a husband one day, and I’d love for them to see love and affection and romance. I do want them to have that.”