The Kardashians are deliberately downplaying Lamar Odom’s recovery struggles in order to carry on business as usual, according to insiders.
Sources close to the family say they have been exaggerating the extent of the former NBA star’s recovery in order to maintain their public image.
While that sounds a bit nefarious and calculated, given that their issues are all out in the open, others say they’d rather talk about anything else.
The obvious reason for that? He’s not doing as well as originally thought, and a focus on his health would reveal how tragic the situation remains.
“He really only ever mumbles,” one source says, “and can barely string a few words together. It’s obvious Lamar has etensive brain damage.”
Lamar, insiders say, “is still having a lot of trouble speaking.”
Odom’s estranged wife, Khloe Kardashian, rushed to his side after he was discovered comatose by two hookers in a Nevada brothel back in October.
It briefly looked like that might be the end of Odom.
“All I knew was I had to get there … I had to get to him and make sure he was okay,” Kardashian said recently. “I hate that he was in that situation.”
Khloe adds that Odom had four hours to live, according to doctors, so his survival alone was noteworthy and unexpected, as is his progress to date.
He is not out of the woods, though, and may never be. Meanwhile, talk of Khloe and Lamar reconciling quickly cooled after his remarkable survival.
The combination of her romance with James Harden, and rumors of Odom’s refusal to go to rehab for drug addiction, may have sparked this 180.
In any case, Khloe is busy making the media rounds promoting Keeping Up with the Kardashians and her new book Strong Looks Better Naked.
While she has spoken candidly about Odom on several occasions, she’s been clear that being with him romantically is not on her mind these days.
