If you ask the average person about the Kris Humphries relationship history, they usually start and end with a single number: 72. That’s the amount of days he was famously married to Kim Kardashian back in 2011 before the world watched the whole thing implode in a mess of legal filings and tabloid covers. It’s been 15 years since they first met, and yet, he’s still "that guy."
But honestly? There is so much more to the story than just a short-lived reality TV wedding.
People love to paint Kris as the villain or the "clueless athlete," but the reality of his dating life—and why he basically vanished from the spotlight—is a lot more human than the E! Network ever let on. He wasn't just a prop in a wedding special. He was a guy whose entire identity got swallowed by a brand he didn't understand.
The 72-Day Shadow and the "Fraud" Allegations
The biggest misconception about the Kris Humphries relationship with Kim is that it was a total scam from day one. You've probably heard the rumors that it was "scripted" or just for ratings. Kris himself has spent years pushing back against that. In a raw 2019 essay for The Players' Tribune, he admitted he was naive, sure, but insisted the feelings were 100% real on his end.
When the divorce hit, it wasn't just a breakup; it was a legal war.
Kris didn't just want a divorce. He wanted an annulment based on fraud. He truly believed, at least for a while, that he’d been recruited for a role rather than a marriage. It took nearly two years—way longer than the actual marriage lasted—for the paperwork to finally be settled in 2013. By the time he was legally single, Kim was already pregnant with her first child with Kanye West. Talk about a brutal timeline.
What the Cameras Didn't Show
- The Rebound Factor: Kim has since admitted she felt "pressure" to go through with the wedding because it was being filmed. She knew on the honeymoon it wasn't going to work.
- The Moving Struggle: A huge point of tension was where they would live. Kris wanted Minnesota (his home); Kim was never leaving L.A.
- The Personality Clash: Kris was a "gym rat" who valued privacy. The Kardashians? Well, you know the deal there.
Who Has Kris Dated Since the Kardashian Drama?
After the circus left town, Kris did something most people in his position wouldn't: he went quiet. Like, really quiet. While his ex-wife was breaking the internet, Kris was trying to save his NBA career and his sanity. He suffered from massive anxiety, often feeling like the "most hated man in basketball" because of his personal life.
His dating life post-2011 has been a series of low-key, mostly private connections. He was linked to Myla Sinanaj shortly after the split, which caused a massive headache for his legal team because she looked remarkably like Kim. Kris later claimed they weren't even in a serious relationship, but the tabloids had a field day anyway.
Then there was Natalie Pack, a former America’s Next Top Model contestant, back in 2013. They were spotted together a few times, but it fizzled out quickly. Since then? He’s been linked to influencers like Neyleen Ashley around 2021, but if you look at his life today in 2026, he’s essentially a ghost on the celebrity dating scene.
Why He Chose a Different Path
You’ve got to respect the pivot. Kris retired from the NBA in 2019 and headed straight back to Minnesota. He didn't try to get a podcast or a reality show of his own. Instead, he became a franchise king.
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He’s spent the last few years opening Five Guys and Crisp & Green locations across the Midwest. He even teamed up with his family to open nearly 20 Dave’s Hot Chicken spots. Basically, he traded red carpets for restaurant blueprints.
It’s a stark contrast to the typical "celebrity ex" trajectory. Most people in his shoes would be clinging to those 15 minutes of fame. Kris? He seems to actively avoid it. He spends his time on Lake Minnetonka, playing pickleball (he even competed in a celebrity showdown recently), and managing his businesses.
The Reality of the Kris Humphries Relationship Legacy
Most people get it wrong because they think he was just a footnote in someone else's story. But if you look at how he handled the aftermath, he actually "won" in a way that doesn't involve Instagram likes. He got his privacy back.
He’s admitted that the "dark place" he was in after the divorce was brutal. He would literally avoid going out in public because he didn't want to be booed. But by stepping away from the Hollywood machine, he managed to rebuild a life that actually belongs to him.
Actionable Takeaways from the Humphries Saga
If there's anything to learn from the Kris Humphries relationship history, it’s these three things:
- Don't ignore the "ick" during the engagement. Both Kim and Kris have hinted they saw the red flags but felt the momentum was too fast to stop. If you're "convinced" you're doing the right thing rather than knowing it, pause.
- Privacy is a choice. You don't have to stay in the spotlight just because you were once in it. Moving back to your roots and starting a "boring" business can be the ultimate power move for your mental health.
- The "fraud" of reality TV is real. Kris's biggest mistake was thinking a televised life could be a normal life.
For those looking to move past a high-profile mistake or a public embarrassment, Kris's blueprint is solid: stop talking to the press, move away from the noise, and invest your money in something tangible. He’s no longer the guy from the 72-day marriage; he’s a successful entrepreneur who just happens to have a very famous ex-wife.
If you want to keep tabs on his current ventures, his business portfolio in Minnesota is the place to look, as he's unlikely to pop up on a dating show anytime soon. He's busy with chicken franchises and lake life, and honestly, he looks a lot happier than he did in 2011.
To understand how other athletes have navigated similar transitions, you might look into the post-NBA careers of his peers who also chose the franchise route over the broadcast booth.