Kourtney Kardashian and Younes Bendjima sparked reconciliation rumors after they were photographed in her car together in Malibu on Sept. 3.
Now a new report from TMZ claims the photos were set up by Younes without Kourtney's knowledge in an effort to cling to the fame he enjoyed when he was dating the reality TV star.
Sources tell TMZ that the boxer-turned-model, 25 — who was dumped by Kourtney, 39, in July after nearly two years of on-off dating — tipped off paparazzi, telling them where they'd be during the evening meet-up.
TMZ further reports that Kourtney's sisters Kim Kardashian West and Khloe Kardashian "have solid reasons to believe" that Younes staged the pics "to squeeze out the last drops of his 15 minutes [of fame]… We're told the sisters think Younes knew his relationship with Kourtney was over… and this was his Hail Mary for the last bit of publicity."
Younes knew people would question if he and Kourtney were back on if they were photographed together, which would bring him the attention he craves, the report alleges. But TMZ reports that the truth is that Kourtney and Younes are not back together — they only met up in Malibu to get some closure since their breakup was a bad one.
Sources told TMZ that it was Younes' decision to go to a specific sushi joint they'd never visited before and to then park up in Kourtney's black Range Rover and talk — which is when they were snapped. "So it seems awfully suspicious to the sisters that a photog was on-scene," TMZ writes.
Sources further tell TMZ that Kourtney's family believe her former boyfriend also frequently alerted paparazzi to their whereabouts back when they were dating because photographers would often show up at random places she and Younes visited without any way of knowing their plans ahead of time.