Inside Rob Kardashian’s reclusive life 3 years after he was last seen in public from weight struggles to phone ban
His family is one of the most famous households on the planet, but Rob Kardashian has shunned the glitzy showbiz world for a reclusive life.
Unlike his A-list sisters Kourtney, Kim and Khloe – and even their mom Kris – Rob has turned his back on celebrity life and actively hides away from public view.
Rob, who is the youngest of Kris’ four children with the now-late, high profile attorney Robert Kardashian, has not been photographed in public and outside the family’s homes, for three years.
The Sun can exclusively reveal that Rob, 37, and his eight-year-old daughter Dream now live with his sister Khloe and he spends most of his days “on the couch watching TV and playing games”.
Rob, who has battled with his weight and mental health over the years, has his own part of the house in Los Angeles and vanishes out of view if anyone other than family turns up to visit.
A source tells us: “Khloe’s hired physical therapists and trainers to come to the house, but most days he’s just on the couch watching TV and playing games.
“His weight is still a struggle. He gets involved with Dream, and joins for family meals – but only if it’s just family.
“If anyone else is around, even extended family, then Rob disappears back to his part of the house.”
The source adds: “Rob’s got a whole area of Khloe’s house which is ‘his’ and Dream’s area, and one at Kris’s house next door. He can even walk to her property without going outside.
“He spends his time just vegging, watching TV, playing video games and there’s a rehab physio trainer there everyday.”
A source close to Rob insisted he still has his own property.
EARLY DAYS
Rob was born in Los Angeles in 1987 and, from the moment he entered the world, he was instantly part of high society life.
His father Robert and mom Kim mixed in celeb circles, with one of their closest friend being football player O.J. Simpson.
O.J. was the couple’s best man at their wedding and Robert famously went on to act has the sports star’s defence attorney in his 1995 murder trial, of which he was acquitted.
Robert and Kris divorced four years earlier and she went on to marry retired Olympic champ Bruce Jenner – who has since transitioned to Caitlyn – just one month later.
Rob’s family expanded with the addition of new stepbrothers Burt, Brandon and Brody, stepsister Casey and, further down the line, half-sisters Kendall and Kylie.
Robert Snr tragically died from oesophageal cancer in 2003, and it hit Rob and his sisters hard.
FAME AND FORTUNE
In 2007, following the birth of reality television, Rob’s life changed forever.
The entire Kardashian-Jenner family suddenly came under the microscope after landing their own reality show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
Airing on E!, the cameras gave viewers a look inside the privileged lives of sisters Kourtney, Kim and Khloe, focusing on their business and relationship exploits.
Rob – then 20 – also featured in the show, alongside his mom Kris, step-dad Bruce, Kylie and Kendall, and their fame slowly but surely began to skyrocket on a global level.
But nothing was off limits, including Rob’s mental and physical difficulties.
In 2012, Rob broke down in tears during a family therapy session on KUWTK and admitted: “All I care about is saying ‘yes’ to my mom, making her happy.
“Doing whatever my sisters want to make them happy. When it comes to the easiest things they don’t….won’t help me.”
WEIGHT GAIN
Rob’s weight began creeping up as each season of KUWTK passed, although he managed to shed some pounds during his stint on Dancing With The Stars in 2011.
But his weight loss was short-lived and he ended up bailing on sister Kim Kardashian’s nuptials to Kanye West three years later due to his size.
He later told People: “I was doing my suit fittings in Paris right before the wedding and I just wasn’t comfortable.
“There were cameras at the airport on our trip there and I was very unhappy with the person I saw in all the pictures.”
HEALTH SCARE
Rob, who jumped on the family franchise by launching his own sock company, was hit with the news in 2015 that he had type 2 diabetes.
He was also said to be suffering again mentally as he publicly hit out at sister Kim on social media, comparing her to “the b***h from Gone Girl”.
At the time, a source close to the family told People he had been “depressed and just a bit off in general”, adding: “He just can’t lose the weight and doesn’t try – he just sits around.”
Khloe, meanwhile, said in an interview: “Rob has become very introverted and has a new kind of social anxiety.
“He’s definitely not at his happiest place and he once was, and I know he can get to that happy place and will.”
Later that year, Rob was rushed into hospital after he stopped taking his insulin that managed his diabetes.
He later described it as a “wake up call” and vowed to make changes.
NEW ERA
Rob had started dating reality star Blac Chyna around the time he was admitted to hospital.
According to him, she whipped him into shape with her nutritious cooking and even managed to “get rid” of his diabetes.
In November 2016, the couple welcomed their daughter Dream and landed their own reality show, Rob & Chyna.
But their happiness was short-lived and they split in 2017, with things quickly turning very bitter.
Rob disappeared off the radar before it emerged he was embroiled in a revenge porn case with Blac Chyna.
Rob was accused of sharing graphic images of Blac Chyna online and they eventually reached a settlement in June 2022.
Blac Chyna also sued the family for $100million, claiming that they ruined her reality TV career.
She sought more than $40million for loss of earning damages and more than $60million in loss of future earning capacity damages, according to court filings in the case against the Kardashians.
The family responded to the claims with their own lawsuit, alleging that Chyna had attacked Rob.
In May 2022, a jury voted in favour of the Kardashians and no damages were awarded to Chyna.
Rob revealed on social media that he was the primary caregiver of Dream after Chyna – who has another kid with her ex Tyga – complained of getting “no child support” from her baby daddies.
Rob fired back: “I pay 37k a year for my daughter’s school. Handle every single medical expense. I pay for all her extracurricular activities.
“I have my daughter from Tuesday-Saturday. Why would I pay child support lol.”
KEEPING LOW
Aside from his public dispute with his ex, Rob stepped right back from the spotlight and, to date, he has not been seen out and about for three years.
He was last pictured in February 2022 while dropping Dream at a rock climbing center for a play date.
He has only made two very fleeting appearances on heavily controlled social media posts, including in a video last summer to mark Khloe’s 40th birthday.
Rob could be seen in the background of the clip with the rest of the family as they all sung ‘Happy Birthday’ to her.
He had previously been spotted in the background of a TikTok video shared by Khloe on Dream’s seventh birthday.
Other than these two occasions, fans have only been able to listen to snippets of Rob’s voice.
Last year, on an episode of The Kardashians, Khloe phoned Rob during a discussion with her best friend Malika Haqq about babies.
Malika, who has split with rapper O.T. Genasis, who is the father of her son Ace, told Khloe she wanted to expand her family – and Khloe offered Rob up as a sperm donor.
The call, which was on speaker phone, was abruptly cut short after Rob told her: “I can’t c** anymore.”
This week, Khloe also called Rob during an episode of her podcast, Khloe In Wonder Land, to confront him about his 2011 fling with Malika.
Rob could be heard saying: “It was great sex. It was very passionate and very good.”
LIFE WITH KHLOE
Rob and Khloe never intended on becoming housemates in the long term.
But their living arrangements work for them and they don’t intend to change things any time soon.
Our source tells us: “It was never intended as a full time solution, just to give him the opportunity to sort his life out and have the therapy required to allow him to start rebuilding his life and get healthy.
“Rob has made no secret of his weight and mental health struggles over the years, he’s not a in good way mentally or physically. He has ok days, and bad days.”
The insider said Rob recently put his own house up for sale, as he is never there, and he doesn’t even get behind the wheel anymore.
He is also “encouraged” to stay away from social media and gossip blogs for his own mental wellbeing.
“Rob doesn’t really drive anymore, as Khloe drops Dream at her appointments and classes,” the source said.
“He’s also not really on his phone at all. He’s encouraged not to go on social media or read gossip blogs about himself or the family. Confidence-wise, that would be a disaster.”
FAMILY DIVIDE
Although Khloe is happy with hers and Rob’s set-up, him living with her is said to be a “divisive” topic among some of the family.
However, they are all said to be keen to keep Rob away from prying eyes.
During the January wildfires, they even held talks to discuss what to do when properties in the Hidden Hills were evacuated.
Our source says: “Khloe is really protective over Rob. She’s with him everyday and they are still really close.
“This is a huge part of the reason why Khloe spends so much time ‘hanging out at home’, as as she’s Rob’s lifeline.
“During the LA wildfires, there was a huge panic about Rob, as it would have been one of the first times he’s even been off the property in a few months. They were terrified that people were going to see him or he’d be photographed.”
The source adds: “But it’s a divisive subject in the family. Kris and Khloe are very protective, but Kim thinks Rob gets babied and he needs to put himself out there and sort his life out.”
The Sun has contacted Rob’s rep for comment.