Painful past. Khloé Kardashian said she was “numb” to Tristan Thompson’s paternity scandal. The NBA player had an affair and conceived a child with Maralee Nichols while in a relationship with the reality star.

During an interview with USA Today, Khloé, 37, revealed the toughest thing to film for the Kardashians’ new Hulu series was the moment she learned Maralee’s son was fathered by Tristan. Kim Kardashian called Khloé to let her know Tristan, 31, admitted to being the father in an Instagram Story post.

“That was hard,” Khloé reflected. Kim, 41, added, “I think that was hard for me too.”

The Good American founder said that the pain of the affair “doesn’t get easier” to handle, though she admitted she’s become more “numb” to it. 

Khloé also said her experiences of being hurt in the past desensitized her to the situation. “When you’re hurt so many times, your reactions, your responses to the same thing happening over and over again — there is a numbing sensation to it,” she told the outlet.

Khloe Kardashian Says She Was ‘Numb’ to Tristan Thompson’s Paternity Scandal With Maralee Nichols
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Kourtney Kardashian added, “It almost becomes normal, when it should absolutely never become normal.”

Khloé and Tristan were first romantically linked in 2016. After the pair announced they were expecting their first child, daughter True Thompson, the athlete cheated on the Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum when she was nine months pregnant. Although Khloé was hurt by the affair, she decided to give him another chance.

The Canada native was once again caught cheating on Khloé with Kylie Jenner’s then-best friend, Jordyn Woods. The couple decided to part ways just 10 months after Tristan’s first run-in with infidelity.

Following the breakup, Tristan did everything in his power to win back the E! alum. Then in March 2020, a source told In Touch exclusively True’s parents were “getting on better than ever” while “self-quarantining” amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Khloé and Tristan eventually decided to give their relationship another try, though the reconciliation was short-lived. While he was exclusively dating the TV personality, Tristan began an ongoing relationship with Maralee, conceiving their child in March 2021.

The former personal trainer filed a paternity suit against Tristan in June 2021. The NBA player responded by acknowledging that the pair had sex at the time she claimed, though requested a paternity test to confirm the baby was his. Maralee later gave birth to a baby boy on December 1.

Tristan eventually confirmed that he was the father. “Today, paternity test results revealed that I fathered a child with Maralee Nichols. I take full responsibility for my actions. Now that paternity has been established, I look forward to amicably raising our son,” he wrote in a statement released in January 2022, continuing, “I sincerely apologize to everyone I’ve hurt or disappointed throughout this ordeal both publicly and privately.”

He went on to address The Kardashians star personally. “Khloé, you don’t deserve this. You don’t deserve the heartache and humiliation I have caused you. You don’t deserve the way I have treated you over the years,” Tristan revealed, adding, “My actions certainly have not lined up with the way I view you. I have the upmost [sic] respect and love for you. Regardless of what you may think. Again, I am so incredibly sorry.”

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