Kim Kardashian Restores Maiden Name On Instagram A Day After Being Declared Legally Single

Kim Kardashian has dropped the last name "West" from her Instagram account. She changed her name on the platform a day after the court approved her petition to be declared legally single amid her divorce proceedings with Kanye "Ye" West.

Before Wednesday's ruling, the beauty mogul gave a short testimony via Zoom as she continued to work out a divorce settlement with her estranged husband. Wearing light makeup, Kardashian faced the judge as he raised questions concerning her petition.

Judge Steve Cochran asked the reality star during the hearing how her children with West — North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm — were doing, and Kardashian said "everyone is doing OK." The judge also asked if she was raising them with affection, and she answered, "Absolutely."

Cochran also commended her camp as well as West's camp for being cooperative throughout the divorce proceeding, saying they have been sorting out all the paperwork and doing everything "like a European train."

He went on to ask Kardashian if she had disputes with West that had led to her decision to file for a divorce. In response, the 41-year-old celebrity said, "Yes." Kardashian also told the judge that no time and counseling would save their marriage.

Ultimately, the judge asked if she wanted the courts to declare her marital status as single, and Kardashian replied, "Yes." Following her response, the judge restored her maiden name without opposition.

Kardashian filed for divorce from West in February last year and made the request to become legally single in December. At that time, Kardashian said in court documents she "very much desired" the termination of her marriage. She also claimed the termination of their marital status would help her ex accept that their marriage is over.

While the ruling grants Kardashian a single marital status, it does not mean her divorce from West has been finalized. Their "bifurcated divorce" means their divorce proceedings are split into two parts — the first involving the settlement of Kardashian's marital status and the second involving custody and financial assets. In other words, though Wednesday's ruling resolved the first part of the divorce process, the former couple must still resolve the division of property and custody of their children.