Tristan Told Khloé She Was “Never Leaving” Him And That They’re “Family For Life” Months Before His Paternity Scandal Was Exposed

It looks like we’re finally getting some raw insight into the situation between Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson in the months before news of his huge paternity scandal broke thanks to Hulu reality series, The Kardashians.

He initially denied that he was the father of the baby boy, who is named Theo, when Maralee sued him for child support and pregnancy-related expenses in December.

But after weeks of back-and-forth through various legal filings, it was ultimately revealed that Tristan had not only impregnated Maralee on the very night that Khloé had gone public with their rekindled relationship in March 2021, but that he’d also engaged in a months-long sexual affair with her, communicating via a secret Snapchat account.

And Tristan ended up conceding that he was the father in a couple of short Instagram stories. “Today, paternity test results reveal that I fathered a child with Maralee Nichols,” he wrote, before going on to apologize to Khloé. “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.”

The episodes that have been released so far, which were filmed October and November, revealed that Khloé and Tristan had actually gotten back together following their June 2021 split, which occurred after the NBA star was seen entering a hotel room with three women in Bel Air.

“When we broke up, I learned how well him and I got along and what good friends we are and what good partners we are. And I have a lot of hope and faith and optimism for our future together,” she added.

Well, in the series’ latest instalment, we learn that it wasn’t just Khloé who seemed set on their relationship lasting for good, with both her and Tristan commenting on their long-term ties to one another.

In the episode, we see Khloé and Tristan working out together in her sister Kim Kardashian’s home gym. Her ex-husband, Kanye West, is also around to take their kids to school despite having just clashed with Kim over her Saturday Night Live monologue, which prompts Khloé to ask Tristan about her and her sisters’ pattern of keeping their ex-partners and fathers of their kids close in their lives.

“Let me just really ask you something, Tristan, and be as honest as you want, okay?” she questions. “Is this not the most — either an individual would say: ‘What an amazing family, that you guys just keep everyone around at all times.’ Or, are you like: ‘How does this family still keep all these guys around?’ Like, once you’re in, it’s like the mob, you can’t get out.”

“That’s just how we are,” she tells Tristan. “That’s how we were raised. Like my mom and my dad were best friends, my dad and my stepdad played golf together twice a week.”

Tristan says, “Yeah, that doesn’t really happen anywhere else besides your guys’ family. Usually the dad and the stepdad are usually — somebody’s getting hit with a golf club.”

Khloé goes on to list which of her sisters’ exes she’s talking about, including not just Kanye, but Kourtney’s ex-boyfriend, Scott Disick.

“Scott is never leaving. Kanye is never leaving. Looks like you’re never leaving. We’re all here, forever!” she says.

In response, Tristan — who had not only slept with Maralee at this point, but knew about her pregnancy too — makes a snarky comment about his position in Khloé’s life.

“No, no. More like you’re never leaving me,” he says, to which Khloé scoffs.

“Oh, okay,” she laughs. “I think either way it goes, we’re family if you like it or not.”

“Blood in, blood out,” says Tristan. “We’re family for life.”

Of course, this is especially awkward to watch now given what we know about Tristan’s paternity scandal and months-long sexual affair, which obviously came to light just months later.

Tristan and Khloé — who began dating in 2016 — were first rocked by cheating allegations in April 2018, just days before the birth of their now-4-year-old daughter, True. While Khloé was preparing to welcome their child in Cleveland, video footage surfaced online of Tristan getting close with a mystery woman at a bar in New York, and he was later seen entering his hotel with her.

But the following year in February, Khloé and Tristan memorably split following rumors that he’d cheated on her with multiple women — including Kylie Jenner’s former best friend Jordyn Woods, who maintained that he’d been the one to kiss her.