Kim Kardashian has been left feeling worried that she might have to fight for full custody of her four children with ex-husband Kanye West after a string of explosive claims about the rapper, a source tells Closer.

Kanye’s former assistant, Lauren Pisciotta, sued him in June for allegedly sexually harassing and stalking her while she worked for him in 2021 and 2022. Now, an updated lawsuit has made new disturbing allegations, including that Kanye, 47, drugged and raped her at a party he hosted alongside Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

Influencer and former OnlyFans star Lauren, 36, claimed that she began to ‘slip into an altered and highly impaired state’ after having a drink which was poured and served to her by Kanye, then woke up the following day feeling ‘physically ill and confused’.

She also alleged that Kanye messaged his then-girlfriend Bianca Censori – who he married in December 2022 – saying he wanted to have sex with her mother, Alexandra Censori. Other claims include that Kanye failed to pay Lauren a promised $4 million a year salary, then wrongfully fired her. He has previously denied her claims, calling them ‘baseless’.

Amid the shocking allegations, it’s also been reported that Kanye could be planning a permanent move to Tokyo after recently spending time in the Japanese capital, where he’s been working on his next album. According to music journalist Touré, he’s been living in a luxury hotel room and enjoys the private life of the city compared to Los Angeles. 

And now a source has revealed that ex-wife Kim, 43, who filed for divorce from Kanye in 2021 after six years of marriage, is doing everything she can to protect their children North, 11, Saint, eight, Chicago, six, and Psalm, five.

‘Rumours have been swirling for a while that Kanye intends to relocate to Tokyo and re-negotiate his custody terms with Kim, because he’ll want the kids to travel there frequently once he’s settled,’ our insider says. ‘That obviously poses all sorts of complications and challenges from a logistical point of view, and Kim’s very worried about what the future holds if he goes ahead. She’ll lawyer up and likely fight him every step if necessary but it’s obviously the last thing she wants or needs to be dealing with.’

They continue, ‘There’s this horrific case being brought against him that can’t be ignored. It makes sense that he’d want to run away from his many problems and try to reinvent himself in another country. But if he does get the opportunity to go ahead and live in Tokyo full time, which is still up for debate because he’d need to get approval from the Japanese government, it would be a nightmare for Kim. All the back and forth for the kids and the jet lag they’d have to suffer because of it, plus not knowing what they’re up to when they’re over there under his supervision.’ 

Kim is also said to be concerned about Kanye’s relationship with wife Bianca, 29. The couple have been dogged by divorce rumours after they reportedly hit a rough patch in their relationship. However, they confused fans when they were pictured packing on the PDA in Tokyo just days later.  

The source adds, ‘On top of everything else, there’s his ongoing marriage issues with Bianca. It’s got Kim’s head swirling, and she’s obligated to apprise herself of the situation. But to say she finds it sordid and stressful is an understatement.’

When Kim and Kanye finalised their divorce in 2022, they agreed to have joint physical and legal custody of their brood. According to divorce documents, Kanye was also required to pay Kim $200,000 a month in child support and the couple would split the cost of their children’s private security, private schooling and university.

Our source explains that Kim is in ‘a total panic’ over the idea of him leaving the US and is desperately trying to come up with a plan.

‘She’s already in talks with her lawyers to figure out a strategy to change their custody agreement,’ the insider continues. ‘She’s had to let the kids visit him in Asia multiple times since he’s been there, it hasn’t been easy. She’s been on edge with every visit and worried the entire time about how it will affect them.

‘At first, she didn’t take him too seriously and figured it would be a short-lived whim that would pass pretty quickly since he generally gets tired of a place within a few months. She was counting on him getting bored of Tokyo and coming back to the States before the end of the year, but with these new allegations coming out against him that’s all changed. It seems plausible that he’ll want to stay over there permanently, so she’s rightfully very concerned.’

While the Kardashians star is said to be devastated over the allegations against her ex, the source adds, ‘Of course, on the flipside, there’s the chance that these allegations could play in her favour and help her get their custody agreement thrown out.’

They continue, ‘It’s not something that can happen overnight, he’d likely need to be found guilty of these crimes, or at the very least charged, but it’s certainly something Kim’s consulting with her advisors about. If she is able to get full custody, it would be a victory but by no means would she be celebrating because it would be devastating for her kids. 

‘They love their dad and are always begging to see him so if she does get awarded full custody, she’ll end up being the bad guy in all of this in their eyes, even though all she’s trying to do is protect them. It’s incredibly sad and stressful for her but the way Kanye’s behaving and with what he’s being accused of, she really has no choice.’

Kim has previously spoken out about how she protects her children from controversy surrounding Kanye. In 2022, after he came under fire for racist and antisemitic behaviour, she said, ‘I definitely protected him, and I still will in the eyes of my kids – for my kids. In my home, my kids don’t know anything that goes on [in] the outside world. I’m holding on by a thread. I know I’m so close to that not happening, but while it’s still that way, I will protect that to the end of the Earth – as long as I can.’

She added, ‘Of course I want to disassociate [from Kanye ] in specific thoughts and things being said because that’s not me. But if we’re riding to school, and they want to listen to their dad’s music – no matter what we’re going through, no matter what is happening in the world – I have to have that smile on my face and blast his music and sing along with my kids and act like nothing’s wrong. As soon as I drop them off, I can have a good cry or text back and do what I gotta do.’