Here's How the Tristan Thompson Cheating Scandal Got Back to Khloe Kardashian — And What It Says About Millennials

First, let us detail how exactly Khloe Kardashian was hit with the devastating news that, while on the road for basketball games, Tristan Thompson had been cheating on her. She was about to give birth to True, so no one in the family was sure how to handle the story when it broke.

In an E! News sneak peek of Sunday’s Keeping Up With the Kardashians, we see four events happening at once — Kendall Jenner and Scott Disick learning of the scandal while driving, Kourtney at home reading it, Kim on set getting a barrage of texts about it, and Kylie in glam learning about what happened. Obviously everyone is upset and wants to reach out to Khloe, but they are unsure how.

They had all seen the video of Tristan making out with another girl and leaving with another just before the couple’s now-6-month-old daughter, True, was born.

“Stop! Bro, that’s pretty serious, isn’t it,” Scott tells Kendall in shock. “I don’t know, that’s what I’m trying to find out,” Kendall says. “The woman who filmed the clip said, ‘I was there and he was on the table right next to us with a group of friends. Everybody watched them make out several times.’ I’m, like, in shock right now. I don’t even know what to say. What a f--king idiot. It’s a sick joke… Oh my god, I’m going to cry for her.”

Over with Kim: “Yikes…There’s video of Tristan making out with a girl last night,” Kim tells a producer off-screen. “Khloe’s going to die…Like do I call Khloe? She’s literally going to go into labor over this.”

Then onto Kourtney's reaction : “I mean, I can’t even imagine being in Khloe’s shoes,” she says in a confessional. “Just how reckless it all seems. This is really shocking and obviously heartbreaking. The whole thing makes me disgusted.”

Finally, we move onto Kylie: She was the one who sent the article to Khloe. She reveals that she thought it was important to tell Khloe herself, so she wouldn’t find out online.

“No one had the courage to tell Khloe because we knew she was days away from giving birth, we didn’t want to stress her out, but we knew it was the right thing to do,” Kylie said. “So, I’m the one who told Khloe. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but I felt like she should hear from one of us versus on the Internet.”

So why was the family going round and round on text and social media without actually calling Khloe? (She was in Cleveland, OH, at the time, but maybe a FaceTime would have helped?)

Forbes brings up a good point on the topic of millennials lacking the skills to talk face-to-face. “There was once a time where the tough stuff in life was something we had to face in person. Whether it was a breakup, getting fired, or handling a problem, there wasn’t the opportunity to send it via text, email, or Facebook. Now, most millennials know it’s still a pretty rude move to handle these things anyplace but in person, the opportunity has always been there. The problem isn’t necessarily the availability, but rather a lack of consideration for the medium,” it reports.

The magazine explains that communicating online is replacing that “nerve-wracking feeling” of talking in person. “Instead, you’re connected with a face on a screen with some words that pop up…As the connections we build online are usually more good than bad, being able to see a person’s body language, facial expressions, and gestures makes a world of difference in building a relationship. That, and just saying what comes to mind."

“Perhaps one of the biggest differences in why millennials struggle with face-to-face communications is because they’ve always had the ability to edit a message. Even for the most mundane of conversations, younger generations have always had the time to think something over. This not only removes a sense of vulnerability but the raw emotion that could come with it…We’re supposed to make mistakes with what we sometimes say, as these errors contribute to us being stronger mentally. As much as we hate regrets, we do have a certain sense of pride in them. They’re a catalyst for growth, which is necessary to be successful.”

Many millennials may even go as far as to request digital conversations rather than face-to-face, says The Independent. Not a good thing, says the report, as communicating only online or by text can lead to social isolation.

“Forty-four percent of 18-24-year-olds said they felt more comfortable speaking to new people through social media, messaging apps and other online means, rather than in person. Only 37 percent of this age category said they felt more comfortable speaking to people they did not know face-to-face, compared to more than two-thirds of those aged 55 and over…While it is no surprise that young people are embracing new ways to chat, and there are supportive communities online, it is important they don’t lose the art of talking to the people around them.” 

In this case, it's not a bad thing, and it makes sense why Kylie was the quickest to share the news with her sister — as the youngest member of the family, her millennial inclination to text meant she was the one to reach out to Khloe first, while her older sisters were still trying to figure out the best way to communicate.