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Khloe Kardashian has opened up about why she stepped in to care for her ex-boyfriend Tristan Thompson's younger brother, Amari. During a July 30 episode of her podcast Khloé in Wonder Land, she spoke candidly about her role as Amari's primary caretaker following the death of his mother, Andrea Thompson, in January 2023.
"For those who don't know, Tristan has a younger brother who is 18 years old, and he is severely disabled," Khloe explained. "Amari has LGS (Lennox-Gastaut syndrome), which is a form of epilepsy, and he is disabled. He can't walk or talk. He's never been able to talk."
Andrea was Amari's sole caregiver while they lived in Canada. After her sudden passing from a heart attack, the family brought Amari to Los Angeles. "We, me, Tristan, my whole family took Amari back with us to the States," Khloe shared.
While Tristan was awarded guardianship, his NBA career means he's often traveling. "Tristan is in the NBA, and he is in a different state literally every other day or every few days, and it's just not conducive for Amari to be on that many planes," she said. "Amari has a handful of seizures a day with the type of epilepsy that he has."
As a result, Amari now lives in Los Angeles with Khloe. "I have chosen to take care of him and be there for him, because it's not good that he travels," she explained. "California weather is so good for Amari, and I just love having Amari be a part of my family."
Khloe acknowledged the help of "two sensational caretakers for Amari," and said, "We just want to provide Amari with the best, most beautiful life that we know how. And he deserves that."
Despite no longer being romantically involved with Tristan, Khloe remains close to his family. "When I met them, Andrea, Tristan's mom and I, we became such good friends," she recalled. "I would help her with Amari medically. She would have questions. She would need connections to certain doctors, and I would help with that."
She added, "My relationship with Andrea has nothing to do with Tristan, and my commitment to her has nothing to do with Tristan. Amari deserves my love and care, regardless of where me and Tristan stand."
Khloe also noted the impact Amari has on her children and extended family. "It teaches everyone compassion, understanding," she said. "He's also just like us at the same time."
"And I love seeing how Amari lights up when he's around the kids. He can't verbally talk, but if you know him well enough, he can definitely express himself, and you see the glimmer in his eyes," she said. "He's just such an amazing, amazing young man. And I'm so proud and honoured that I have Amari in my life."