Khloé Kardashian’s ex, Tristan Thompson, has come clean about his philandering ways.
The Cleveland Cavaliers center, 32, had some “long overdue” conversations with Khloé’s family during the latest installment of “The Kardashians,” where he explained why he cheated multiple times throughout their six-year, on-and-off-again relationship.
Kourtney Kardashian, who is Khloé’s older sister, sat down with Thompson to “get an understanding” of why he did what he did because she “couldn’t fake” having a connection with him anymore.
“The next day after you do the deed, do you feel anything?” she asked.
“For me personally, when I cheat, I feel disgusted the next day with guilt,” Thompson said, which led Kourtney, 44, to ask why he kept cheating on her 39-year-old sister.
“I was just cheating for an action, just cheating for a feeling, but also it really came down to not knowing how to love, because that’s the way I grew up,” the NBA player said.
“What I saw from my dad, how he would treat my mom [the mother Andrea Thompson], as a kid when you see that, the trauma you have, because you can’t protect your mom because you’re so young and ’cause your mom tells you it’s going to be OK, you basically numb your emotions of being scared or feeling sad. It’s my form of a defense mechanism.”
Thompson added he’s been in therapy for the past two years.
He also explained that he has never seen an example of a faithful relationship or a good husband.
“I don’t think you deserve Khloé or the actions that you’ve done have been something that she’s deserved,” Kourtney said before the episode ended.
Thompson also had a separate conversation with Kylie Jenner, the youngest of the Kardashian-Jenner siblings, whom he believed was the most affected by his cheating.
The two discussed Thompson’s 2019 scandal, when he kissed Jenner’s live-in best friend, Jordyn Woods, while he was dating Khloé.
“You do some dumb-ass s–t,” Jenner said. “I think you have such a good heart and good energy and to know you is to love you, your spirit and everything, so it is confusing.
“Because some of the s–t you do is really f–king crazy.”
Thompson apologized and called himself a “f–king idiot” while questioning why he cheated.
“I think a lot of it was selfish and not understanding the value of good people,” he said.
Thompson went on an apology tour to “gain back the respect” of the Kardashian-Jenner family.
“That’s my motivation more than anything,” he explained. “I never want my daughter to go to school and talk so great about me and then some little kid comes and is like, ‘Well, your dad is this, this, this,’ and she’ll be embarrassed and that will break my heart.”
Thompson asked Jenner, 26, to apologize to Woods, also 26, on his behalf for coming in between their friendship.
“I appreciate that,” Jenner said. “… And I think she needed to grow without me. I needed to grow without her. But Jordyn and I are cool. We still talk and catch up.”
Thompson said he previously spoke with Khloé’s mother, Kris Jenner, and siblings Rob and Kim Kardashian.
Thompson and Khloé were first linked in 2016 when they took a trip to Mexico together.
They share two children: 5-year-old daughter True Thompson and son Tatum Thompson, who arrived via surrogate in July 2022.
The NBA champ is also a dad to sons Prince (born December 2016) and Theo (born December 2021) from previous relationships.
Thompson moved in with Khloé and their kids in Los Angeles after his mother died in January.
They previously said the living arrangement wasn’t indicative that they are back together.