Lamar Odom has responded to recent comments from his ex-wife Khloe Kardashian regarding her role in his recovery from a near-fatal overdose in 2015, with a source close to the former NBA star calling her portrayal "deeply hurtful."
The dispute centers on Khloe's claim in the Netflix documentary Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom that Lamar's late father, Joe Odom, was prepared to remove him from life support before she intervened at the hospital. A source representing Lamar told E! News on April 15 that this suggestion "doesn't align with reality" and has personally affected Lamar.
"Regarding comments about his father, those were deeply hurtful to Lamar," the insider stated. "Suggesting that his late father would have made decisions based on money doesn't align with reality and understandably affected him on a personal level."
The public disagreement began when Lamar, 46, appeared on Today With Jenna & Sheinelle on April 6 and indicated that Khloe had exaggerated her involvement in his care following the overdose at a Nevada brothel. Khloe responded on her Khloe in Wonder Land podcast on April 15, criticizing him for "insinuating that I'm a liar."
However, Lamar's representative clarified that his expression of faith—saying "God saved me"—was not meant to dismiss the support he received.
"Lamar never called Khloé dishonest, nor did he deny her role," the source explained. "His expression of faith saying 'God saved me' is a reflection of his personal beliefs, not a dismissal of the medical care he received or the people who supported him. Doctors saved his life; Khloé was there for him, and he has acknowledged both."
The insider emphasized that Lamar has consistently acknowledged Khloe's support during his recovery, noting that he has "said repeatedly that she showed up for him, took care of him, and played a meaningful role in his recovery."
Khloe, meanwhile, expressed frustration at having to revisit the traumatic period, telling her friend Malika Haqq on the podcast, "What is so annoying to me... number one, do people think I just like talking about this all day long? No, it's traumatic. I have to relive things."
She added that while she doesn't require praise from Lamar, she didn't expect him to "discredit" her either.
"I don't even need you to sing my praises," Khloe continued. "But you're not now going to s--t on me or now play in my face because you don't like the reaction and the response from the 'public.'"
The former couple, who famously married just one month after meeting in 2009 and finalized their divorce in 2016, have both participated in the documentary that has reignited public discussion about their relationship and the events surrounding Lamar's health crisis.