Over a decade on from when Kim Kardashian ‘broke the internet’ with a 2014 magazine cover picturing her holding a champagne coupe on her own lucrative asset, 2025 has been the year of the more ‘down-to-earth’ and rugged celebrity. 

Last month, ‘man of the moment’, Travis Kelce, AKA the future Mr Swift paved the way for other famous faces to embrace their wild side when his GQ spread saw him baring his hairy chest in all its tufted glory while swimming in a lake in just a cowboy hat and cosying up to a crocodile like a real-life Mick Dundee.

And this week, it was the turn of rapper/songwriter/everyone’s favourite collab, Post Malone, who teamed up with lingerie powerhouse Kim to model the new ‘camouflage’ range of her SKIMS line.

One fan remarked of the unexpected collab, ‘He’s a gentleman and she’s a queen.’ 

Showing off his 60 pound weight loss in a pair of boxers and a cowboy hat whilst chopping wood, Post, real name Austin, is then snapped riding a horse, driving a pick-up truck and fishing, all while displaying his full-body of tattoos which, in one photo, appear to completely blend in to his boxers, leaving fans with one rather large question mark. 

And with Hollywood appearing to have been lassoed into this emerging ‘wild west’ trend, a source tells us that one lady who may be looking for her own cowboy is Kim herself, who they say is crushing on the ‘bad boy of country’ in a big way. 

The insider says, ‘Kim personally selected Austin because she was super impressed by his journey as well as his overall energy and style. He’s a lot like Pete Davidson [Kim’s ex] in that he’s extremely down-to-earth and not at all consumed by fame and Hollywood. 

‘He’s a maverick who dances to the beat of his own drum, which Kim finds sexy. She’s crushing on him, big time, especially now he’s recently single. 

‘They’ve built up a good working relationship and had some great conversations about parenting, music, life in the South, the difficulties he dealt with during childhood and his hopes and dreams for the future.’ 

Their friendship comes two months after Post, 30, split with stylist Christy Lee, who he had been dating since the beginning of the year. 

Meanwhile KUWTK star Kim, 44, has officially been single since splitting with football player Odell Beckham Jr. in April last year and she recently dropped some unsubtle hints that she’s back on the dating scene, telling podcaster Angie Martinez last month, ‘I’m definitely in my fun zone right now.’ 

And now the source says Kim and Post are hoping to enjoy some time getting to know each other off-set. 

They tell us, ‘She’d love to host him in LA and see where it leads or even fly out for some hangouts in Nashville [where Post opened a music venue last month] which Austin’s happy to make happen.

‘He spends most of his time at his ranch in Utah and Kim has talked about flying out there to spend the day horseback riding with him, too.’

They add, ‘She’s been bragging to everyone about how authentic he is and how deep their conversations get, she loves that he isn’t afraid to be vulnerable with her. They can talk for hours and she says he never seems like he’s trying to impress her, he’s just totally himself, which makes her feel like she can let down her guard.’ 
The two have also both experienced tough times with their mutual exes of late, with Kim admitting she was ‘scared’ to invite a new man into her life amidst the chaos of co-parenting with Kanye West, while Post is currently embroiled in a custody battle with his ex-fiancé, Jamie Park – whom he split from late last year – over their three-year-old daughter. 

And the source says that their bonding over their difficult personal battles has led to the flirting ‘ramping up’. 

They tell us, ‘He’s going through a rough custody battle right now and he’s actually using the same lawyer [Laura Wasser] that Kim used for her divorce from Kanye, so that’s another thing they talk about a lot. 

‘Things are still completely undefined but the flirting is ramping up, which is exciting for Kim. Her sisters are all encouraging her, especially Kourtney who knows Austin really well because he’s friends with Travis Barker, and she has nothing but good things to say about him.’ 

Post’s old country charm certainly appears a far cry from her ex Kanye’s attitude towards women. When collaborating with Taylor Swift last year, the singer only referred to her as ‘mam’ during videos released of the behind-the-scenes footage.

Another famous collaborator, country Queen Dolly Parton also referred to him as ‘such a wholesome guy!’

And with Kanye and his new wife, Bianca Censori, dominating headlines with their outrageous stunts, the source says Kim knows that fans would go wild if her and Post were to embark on a romance.

‘Kim isn’t dumb, she knows dating him will get her tons of attention,’ the insider says.

‘People are not going to be expecting this, it will be just like when she started hanging out with Pete and everyone lost their minds. The guaranteed attention is definitely a part of the appeal for her.’

And Kim isn’t the only one rooting for this relationship, with the source telling us that her ‘momager’ Kris Jenner knows viewers of Keeping Up With the Kardashians would relish Kim having a new man on the show.

They tell us, ‘Of course her mum is salivating at the thought of all the great storylines they could get from this. Kris is already trying to convince Kim that they should film the first date.

‘Things aren’t quite at that stage yet, but if things progress the way they are now it won’t be long before they are dating and of course it will be a no-brainer storyline for the show, that’s how things work in the Kardashian universe.’

But the source says Kim isn’t quite ready to share Post with the eyes of the world yet (and who can blame her?), adding, ‘Kim swears this isn’t just about getting attention though, she’s genuinely into him. She thinks he’s hot and says they have a very special connection.’