Kanye West's mother-in-law Kris Jenner has reportedly been "protecting" the rapper for years by keeping his mental health issues out of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

The long-running reality series follows the Kardashian and Jenner clans as they go about their daily lives, naturally leading to multiple appearances from Kanye as the husband of Kim Kardashian.

The 43-year-old suffers from bipolar disorder and is believed to be suffering a serious episode at the moment, last week embarking on multiple Twitter rants in which he claimed that he is trying to divorce his wife and accusing Kris of being a white supremacist.

According to The Sun, Kanye's outburst is "nothing new" and similar rants have been purposefully kept out of KUWTK by Kris, who is also an executive producer on the show.

"Kanye has been making these explosive and provocative comments for the past several years on camera and around production staff," a source told the newspaper.

"He has been vocal about disagreements with the family, rages over small problems and extremist political views. One interview was pulled altogether as the subject matter went in a different direction, with Kanye talking about religious beliefs, connections to higher powers and differences within the family.

"But Kris did not want any of this material becoming public through their shows and wanted to protect her family. Obviously she was concerned about the impact this would have on Kim's marriage and the family dynamics, because these comments would raise issues.

"Some feel she has saved Kanye from getting into huge problems for a long time. Kris has been a cheerleader for protecting her son-in-law and daughter, especially with Kanye's temperamental nature and bipolar issues."

Over the weekend Kanye posted a public apology to Kim asking for her forgiveness.