Khloé Kardashian shared a rare photo of her and ex Tristan Thompson’s 11-month-old son, Tatum, while celebrating Independence Day.
The reality star, 39, took to Instagram on Tuesday, July 4, to share photos from the festivities. In one snap, Kardashian’s little one ate a slice of watermelon and a strawberry while sitting next to a fruit platter resembling the American flag.
Kardashian became a mother when she welcomed daughter True in April 2018 with Thompson, 32. The former couple, who dated off and on since 2016, expanded their family with Tatum — who was conceived via surrogate. Their son arrived in the aftermath of Thompson’s paternity scandal with Maralee Nichols.
Nichols made headlines in December 2021 for her child support lawsuit against Thompson. The fitness model, who welcomed son Theo that same month, claimed the professional basketball player got her pregnant in March 2021 while he was still in a relationship with Kardashian. The NBA player confirmed his paternity via social media in January 2022.
Later that year, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that Kardashian and Thompson weren’t giving their romance another shot.
The Good American cofounder recently addressed the ups and downs of motherhood on her Hulu series The Kardashians. During a season 3 episode, which aired in June, Kardashian discussed feeling less of an immediate connection to her son that she felt after giving birth to True.
“When you compare it to True and him, it is a very different experience. Like, the connection. With True it took me a couple of days to be like, ‘OK, this is my daughter.’ It was just days. But with him, it has taken me months,” she shared. “I love him and I love kids, but I definitely don’t have that complete bond. So many people say it takes time.”
Kardashian went on to say that she felt “bad” about not connecting with her son sooner. “Not bad, but I feel guilty sometimes like, ‘Why isn’t it the same?’ I don’t treat him differently — I just question myself sometimes,” she continued. “Being a mom is truly one of the most magical experiences ever.”
That same month, the Strong Looks Better Naked author made it clear that she had no plans to reconcile with Thompson.
“Tristan and I, we always get along great. Him and I have a great friendship relationship. We get along fine, and for my kids, I will put anything to the side. What’s done is done, so why would I be still holding on to [past drama] for?” she explained on the show. “I don’t need to punish him because I am not getting back together with him.”
Kardashian noted that she set boundaries that allowed the pair to focus on being coparents, adding, “If I am not here, he is here. I would rather him be here than a nanny. There are still boundaries. Like, I definitely put my foot down on a lot of things. No one is here chilling if there are no kids involved. It is always about the kids and that’s what it is. But we are not hanging out by ourselves.”
She concluded: “I’ve gotten back with him after a cheating scandal, so I don’t know if Tristan is under the impression, ‘Oh wow, let’s ride this out and eventually she will get back with me.’ So I get why he may think that — so it is my job to set boundaries that my actions show otherwise. I keep it very short and sweet, and I make sure he knows it is all about the kids. I can’t let those old habits easily come into my life. It just isn’t what I want.”
