Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom once looked like they were trying to build a family together. At least, that was the version the public saw.
During their marriage, Kardashian spoke openly about wanting a child with the former Los Angeles Lakers star. Behind the scenes, though, she later admitted the situation was far more complicated.
Years after their split, Kardashian revealed she had only "fake tried" to get pregnant because she did not believe their marriage was stable enough to bring a child into. For Odom, who later said he wished she had told him privately, the confession added another painful layer to one of the most public chapters of his life.
Khloe made the revelation in 2017. It came during an episode of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians." She was visiting fertility specialist Dr. Andy Huang. The purpose was to find out whether she could serve as a surrogate. If that had been possible, Khloe would have carried a child for her sister Kim.
That alone was private. Then the conversation turned more personal. Huang asked about Kardashian's own fertility history. Whether she had ever tried to conceive. The 41-year-old initially said yes. However, Khloe then clarified that during her marriage to Lamar, she had only "fake tried" it.
Kardashian and Odom married in 2009. Before long, they were talking openly about starting a family. From the outside, it seemed like they were moving toward that future. Behind closed doors, though, one of them had already started pulling in the opposite direction. Quietly. Without the other fully realizing it.
"I knew that it wasn't the right situation to bring a child into," Khloe later explained , per E! News.
In recent years, more Americans have decided not to have children. A 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that money concerns remain a major factor. So do worries about the direction of the world and what the future might look like.
For Kardashian, the issue was the state of her marriage to Odom. He had his own struggles with drugs and alcohol. The relationship grew more strained because of that, and Khloe realized those were "deeper s—t" he had to deal with. She eventually stopped the treatments. Still, she kept acting as if she were trying to conceive. Perhaps part of that was because Odom already had more than enough battles on his hands.
Still, it's not surprising L.O. was hurt once the confession became public. Appearing on "The Wendy Williams Show" later that year, the two-time NBA champ with the Los Angeles Lakers admitted as much. But his response was actually more nuanced.
Odom said he wished his ex-wife had told him privately. Instead of revealing it on television, that was. However, the 2011 6MOY also acknowledged her reasoning may have been justified.
First and foremost, the story is about integrity. Or maybe about how life can put people in situations where showing it becomes a lot harder than it sounds. That seems to fit here just fine. The former couple appeared to be pulled in a direction where being completely honest with each other just wasn't in the cards.
In a perfect world, Khloe never would have felt the need to pretend. She could have simply been honest about where she stood. Odom, for his part, might have acknowledged sooner that fatherhood wasn't the right step for him. Not during a period of his life that was as turbulent as that one.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
