Khloé Kardashian recalls the painful moment she realised she couldn’t save Lamar Odom from addiction

Khloé Kardashian has opened up about the painful moment she realised she could not save her ex-husband, Lamar Odom, from his battle with drug addiction. Speaking on her podcast Khloé in Wonderland, the reality star reflected on the turning point in her marriage when she finally accepted that no amount of love, effort, or pleading could change him.

“I remember, I was married, and my ex-husband had a drug addiction,” she said. “I knew it got worse during the NBA off-season because idle time is the devil’s playground.” Desperate to help, she urged Odom to accept an opportunity to play for Team USA, believing the structure and discipline would keep him on track.

But Odom’s response shattered her illusions. “He looked at me and said, ‘You can’t want it more than I do,’” Khloé recalled. That simple, cutting statement changed everything.

“It was so profound,” she admitted. “I knew that, deep down, but I wanted it so badly for him. I wanted to help him find motivation, to feel good about himself. But he wasn’t in that place.”

The reality star struggled with the weight of that realisation. She had fought to hold their marriage together, standing by him through scandals, addiction, and public breakdowns. But in that moment, she saw the truth: she couldn’t fight for someone who wasn’t ready to fight for himself.

“It took me a long time to come to terms with that. But eventually, I had to file for divorce,” she said.

Their marriage, once a whirlwind romance, came crashing down. Khloé filed for divorce in 2013, but complications—largely due to Odom’s ongoing struggles—delayed the finalisation until 2016. The breakup was painful but necessary.

Looking back, Khloé acknowledges how much that experience changed her. “That was a pivotal moment in my life,” she said. “It made me realise that no matter how much you love someone, you can’t save them. They have to want to save themselves.”

Now, years later, she shares her story with the hope that others in similar situations can find the strength to prioritise their own well-being. “You can’t want someone’s life more than they do,” she said. And with those words, she finally let go.