Kanye West Spotted Out For 1st Time Since Divorce Filing Without Wearing His Ring

For the first time since Kim Kardashian filed for divorce on Feb. 19, Kanye West was photographed out in public — and his wedding ring was M.I.A.

Kanye West visited his Yeezy Academy in Los Angeles on Feb. 23, where he was photographed walking outside the center. This was the first time photographers caught ‘Ye out and about since his split from Kim Kardashian was made official with divorce documents on Feb. 19. In the pictures, WHICH YOU CAN SEE HERE, Kanye sported a full blue sweatsuit and Yeezy shoes. His left hand was visible, and it was clear that he was not wearing his wedding ring.

The rapper and mogul, 43, wasn’t alone on his outing. Along with a string of bodyguards, Kanye was also joined by his one-year-old son, Psalm West, who was photographed in the arms of one of Kanye’s bodyguards. Psalm is Kanye’s youngest child with Kim — the couple also shared North West, 7, Saint West, 5, and Chicago West, 3.

The photos come less than one week after Kim officially filed for divorce from her husband of more than six years. The couple’s split is reportedly “amicable” and neither of the parties involved are contesting the prenup that they signed years ago. Kim also requested joint physical and legal custody of the couple’s four children. Although the official divorce filing did come as a shock to fans, there were signs that the couple’s split was imminent.

Over the course of the last several weeks, Kim was spotted out and about without wearing her wedding ring, including the night before she filed for divorce. Kanye, meanwhile, had been spotted with his wedding band still on his left ring finger. Neither of the stars have addressed the split yet, but one of Kim’s recent additions to her Instagram Story led some to believe she was referencing the end of the couple’s marriage.

During a Feb. 22 drive to Palm Springs, Kim’s Instagram Story captured views from the car as Olivia Rodrigo‘s hit track “Driver’s License” played over the audio. Kim and Kanye have seemingly been living separate lives for some time and in early February, things started to look bad when Kanye removed 500 pairs of his shoes from the home he and Kim shared. But as fans learn more, it seems that the split was an incredibly difficult decision for the former love birds, who started dating in 2012, to come to.

“Kim felt she tried everything to make the marriage work and Kanye was refusing to get the help she requested which was the final straw,” a source close to the situation shared EXCLUSIVELY with HollywoodLife, referencing Kanye’s struggle with bipolar disorder. “They both knew this was coming. Nobody was blindsided. For her, it’s always been about working through the financials more than the kids,” they continued.

“[Kim] really loves [Kanye] and wants the best for him and doesn’t want to put the entire family through all of their issues and drama. She’s trying to omit any drama and keep the kids out of it and doesn’t want them intertwined in any drama or issues as they figure the financials out,” they went on. “She’s spending a lot of time with family, focusing on her little ones and spending time with their cousins and whatnot to alleviate any tension around the divorce.”