Khloé Kardashian is getting called out online after sharing what she described as a “funny” parenting moment involving her 3-year-old son, Tatum Thompson, during a recent episode of her podcast, “Khloé In Wonder Land.”
The reality star opened up about a chaotic incident that unfolded at a kindergarten graduation party hosted by her longtime best friend, Malika Haqq, for her son Ace. But while Khloé appeared amused while retelling the story, many listeners weren’t laughing.
© Khloe KardashianKhloé, who shares daughter True, 8, and son Tatum, 3, with ex-partner Tristan Thompson, explained that Tatum made it clear from the beginning that he didn’t want to attend the celebration. “Oh my gosh. Tatum is so funny. If he doesn’t wanna do something, he’s such a Leo. He’s like, ‘I’m not doing that,’” Khloé said on the podcast. “Earlier in the day, I was like, ‘We’re gonna go to Ace’s graduation lunch.’ He was like, ‘I don’t wanna go!’”
Khloé admitted she brushed off his reaction at first. “I was like, OK, he’s 3. He’s fine. He’s gonna go,” she explained. The event included several members of the Kardashian family, including Rob Kardashian’s daughter Dream and Kim Kardashian’s children Chicago and Psalm.
According to Khloé, things spiraled almost immediately after they arrived. “Tatum comes in, and he was like, ‘I don’t wanna be here,’” she recalled. “He’s looking down these stairs. He goes, ‘OK, I’m gonna make such a big mess.’”
© Khloé KardashianKhloé said she initially thought he was simply expressing “intrusive thoughts,” but the toddler quickly acted on them. “He is just deliberately making a big mess,” she said. “He’s now at this water fountain, splashing water everywhere. He took the coloring books. True, Dream, and Chi are like, ‘He’s grabbing the candy!’”
The Good American founder compared her son to a cartoon whirlwind. “I’ve never seen someone faster in my life. He would just see a section, demolish it, go to the next section,” she shared. “He was like the Tasmanian Devil tornado-ing through this party.”
Khloé added that Tatum nearly flipped over the buffet table before she stopped him. “I was like, ‘No you’re not, it’s hot! It’s, like, boiling water.’ So he didn’t do that, but it was so funny,” she said. Eventually, Khloé called the family nanny to remove Tatum from the party after realizing he wasn’t calming down. “I was like, ‘Are you nearby? ‘Cause you have to come and get him. He doesn’t wanna stay here, and I don’t know what to do,’” she recalled.
© Khloé Kardashian InstagramKhloé later defended her parenting and insisted she cleaned up the mess. She also emphasized that her children are typically “really well behaved” in public settings. “My kids don’t throw tantrums,” she said. “Tatum will throw a tantrum privately. He has big emotions. He’s so smart and I think he thinks so much more than he can articulate.”
Still, the internet had strong opinions about the story, particularly Khloé repeatedly calling the incident “funny.” One listener commented, “She said it was funny like 5 times and I couldn’t figure out what was so funny…”
Another wrote, “Trying to find the joke in this.”
Some critics questioned how Malika may have felt during the destruction at her son’s special event. “Did Malika think it was funny🤔,” one person asked.
© Khloé KardashianOthers took issue with Khloé attributing the behavior to astrology. “Stop blaming bad behavior on zodiac signs!” another commenter wrote.
The parenting debate escalated further as some social media users accused Khloé of leaning too heavily into “gentle parenting.” Saying: “This is the gentle parenting that I will NEVER agree with! But to each its own!” one critic posted.
Another viral reaction referenced Corey Gamble, Kris Jenner’s longtime partner, who previously sparked controversy for discussing discipline on Keeping Up With the Kardashians. “Where was Cory😭 y’all know he pops the kids 😭😭 Kourt was PISSED😭,” the commenter joked, referencing an old family argument involving Kourtney Kardashian and one of her kids.
© MARCO BERTORELLOThe moment has now sparked a broader online conversation around celebrity parenting, public tantrums, and whether destructive behavior should ever be laughed off, even when it involves a toddler.
