5 Shocking Revelations From The Tristan Thompson Sex Tape Scandal Timeline

The Tristan Thompson sex tape controversy remains one of the most explosive and publicly documented infidelity scandals in celebrity and NBA history. While the initial footage and allegations surfaced in April 2018, the event set the stage for years of subsequent drama, impacting his professional career and defining his tumultuous on-again, off-again relationship with reality star Khloé Kardashian. As of December 15, 2025, the details of the initial leak are still a critical reference point for understanding the athlete's complex public relations crisis. The incident, which involved a video allegedly showing the basketball player with a woman who was not Khloé Kardashian, broke just days before the birth of their first child, True Thompson. This shocking timing amplified the media frenzy, turning a private matter into a global spectacle and cementing Tristan Thompson's reputation for infidelity. This deep dive explores the full timeline, the key entities involved, and the long-term consequences of the leaked footage.

Tristan Thompson: Complete Biography and Professional Profile

Tristan Thompson is a professional basketball player whose career has often been overshadowed by his high-profile personal life and repeated cheating allegations.

• Full Name: Tristan Trevor James Thompson
• Date of Birth: March 13, 1991
• Place of Birth: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Nationality: Canadian
• Height: 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
• Professional Career: Drafted 4th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
• NBA Teams (Notable): Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers.
• NBA Achievements: NBA Champion (2016) with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
• Children: Prince Oliver (with Jordan Craig), True Thompson (with Khloé Kardashian), Theo Thompson (with Maralee Nichols), and a second son with Khloé Kardashian (via surrogate).
• Most Notorious Incidents: The 2018 cheating video (the "sex tape" controversy), the 2019 Jordyn Woods scandal, and the 2021 paternity suit with Maralee Nichols.

The 2018 Scandal: Context of the Leaked Footage

The alleged Tristan Thompson sex tape, or more accurately, the cheating video, surfaced in April 2018, creating an immediate firestorm. The controversy was not a single event but a series of leaked videos and photos that provided irrefutable evidence of Thompson's infidelity. The initial footage, published by TMZ, showed Thompson in a New York City hookah lounge with a woman, later identified in multiple reports as Lani Blair. The video, dated April 7, 2018, showed the pair engaging in intimate contact. This was particularly devastating as Khloé Kardashian was nine months pregnant and just days away from giving birth to their daughter, True, in Cleveland, Ohio. A separate, more explicit video was also released, allegedly filmed months earlier in October 2017, showing Thompson with two other women. The cumulative effect of these releases painted a picture of serial infidelity that had been ongoing throughout Kardashian's pregnancy. The term "sex tape" became a media shorthand for the highly explicit nature of the alleged footage and the subsequent evidence posted by one of the women involved. One woman, claiming to be a side-chick, reportedly posted and then deleted an alleged sex tape with Thompson on her Instagram story. This specific incident is what fueled the most intense search interest in the "Tristan Thompson sex tape" keyword. The woman also allegedly shared extremely explicit direct messages (DMs) with the NBA player, further proving the allegations. The sheer volume of evidence—from club footage to alleged private tapes and DMs—made the scandal impossible to deny and created one of the biggest public relations crises for a professional athlete at the time.

The Long-Term Fallout and Public Relations Nightmare

The consequences of the 2018 cheating scandal were immediate and far-reaching, extending beyond the personal heartbreak of Khloé Kardashian. The event launched a protracted public relations nightmare that has plagued Tristan Thompson's career and personal life for years.

1. The Khloé Kardashian Relationship Timeline

The scandal became the first major, public crack in the Khloé and Tristan relationship. Despite the betrayal, Khloé allowed Thompson to be present for the birth of True. This decision, heavily documented on the reality show *Keeping Up with the Kardashians* and later on *The Kardashians* (Hulu), sparked massive public debate about forgiveness and co-parenting. The couple would attempt to reconcile multiple times, only for subsequent cheating allegations to resurface. The public’s fascination with this toxic cycle kept the initial "sex tape" event relevant as the foundational act of betrayal.

2. The Jordyn Woods and Maralee Nichols Incidents

The initial 2018 scandal proved to be a precursor for even more high-profile acts of infidelity. In 2019, Thompson was involved in a kissing scandal with Jordyn Woods, Kylie Jenner's best friend at the time, which led to a massive rift within the Kardashian-Jenner circle. The most damaging incident post-2018, however, was the 2021 paternity suit filed by fitness model Maralee Nichols. Thompson initially denied the child was his, but DNA testing confirmed he was the father of Nichols' son, Theo Thompson. This revelation, which occurred while he was still publicly attempting to reconcile with Khloé, was the final straw. Thompson publicly apologized to Khloé on social media for the pain and humiliation caused by his actions and the paternity scandal.

3. Impact on NBA Career and Public Perception

While Thompson is an NBA Champion and a respected rebounder, his off-court drama has consistently overshadowed his contributions to teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. The recurring cheating allegations and the initial sex tape controversy created a negative public perception that he has struggled to shake. The constant media scrutiny surrounding the Kardashian family's reality TV shows ensures that every new team he joins brings the baggage of his past scandals, which is a unique challenge for a professional athlete.

5 Shocking Revelations That Defined the Scandal

The Tristan Thompson sex tape and subsequent cheating allegations were defined by a few key, shocking elements that cemented the story's place in pop culture infamy.

1. The Timing: The most shocking element was the release of the video just two days before Khloé Kardashian gave birth to True. The emotional devastation of the event, broadcast globally, was unprecedented.
2. The Cumulative Evidence: It wasn't just one video; the simultaneous release of the New York footage (with Lani Blair) and the older October 2017 footage (with multiple women) revealed a pattern of behavior, not a single mistake.
3. The Explicit Leak: The alleged posting and quick deletion of an explicit "sex tape" by one of the women on social media, along with the release of private DMs, showed the extreme lengths the alleged mistresses went to in order to expose the NBA star.
4. The Family's Reaction: The entire fallout, including Khloé's labor and the family's immediate reaction to the betrayal, was filmed and aired on television, giving the public a raw, unfiltered look at the personal trauma caused by the infidelity.
5. The Paternity Aftermath: The subsequent Maralee Nichols paternity suit in 2021 proved the 2018 incident was not an isolated event but a pattern. This later event cemented the public's view of Thompson's character and finally ended the possibility of a romantic reconciliation with Khloé.

The legacy of the Tristan Thompson sex tape controversy is not just the footage itself, but the way it became the central, defining moment of his public persona, forever linking his name to infidelity, the Kardashian family, and a continuous cycle of public apologies and betrayals.