Though Us Weekly exclusively reported the news of Kris and Bruce Jenner‘s separation after 22 years of marriage back in its the Oct. 21 issue, the television cameras were on hand to document the difficult decision on the season 9 premiere of Keeping Up With the Kardashians on E! Sunday, Jan. 19.
Bruce, who had been living alone in a Malibu beach house while Kris remained in the family’s Calabasas homebase, revealed to his wife that he had renewed the house’s lease against her wishes. After talking it out, the two decided to officially separate.
“To be honest, I just don’t see myself going back,” Bruce admitted. “We both seem to be doing better with our space.”
All that’s left is to sit their children down and tell them. Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, and Rob Kardashian, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Scott Disick sit down for a family meeting and the kids can tell something’s up.
“Kris and I are deciding what we want to do in the future and where we want to go,” Bruce began. “And both Mom and I seem to be very happy with the arrangement we have now. So for the time being, we’re going to keep the beach house. Nobody’s getting a divorce, nobody’s doing anything right now.”
“But don’t you think that living apart too long will make you guys really enjoy that?” Kim asked.
“I said that way before they did this!” Khloe interrupted. “Too much time apart, that’s where you get comfortable.”
“I think we both decided that we want to be first and foremost family and friends,” Kris explained. “We’re better as friends than we are the other way.”
But it’s 18-year-old Kendall Jenner who takes the news the hardest.
“Why are you still married?” she tearfully asked. Big sister Khloe gave her a kiss on the head as Kris tears up and continues, “Our feelings are our feelings! We’re just doing it our way.”
After the immediate family comes to terms with it, the news breaks in the press, and they reach out to Brody and Brandon Jenner to update Bruce’s sons on the situation.
“Obviously we can’t control other people,” Kim says to the family. “All we can control is ourselves so don’t believe any of [the tabloids].”
Bruce sums it up, proclaiming, “Our family is strong. We will survive!”
