If you watched the news during John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2008, you couldn’t avoid hearing the name Sarah Palin. The former Alaska Governor was snatched from obscurity to be McCain’s running mate, and despite losing to Barack Obama, Palin was dubbed a “force of nature” in Republican politics. Although Palin, 58, is still actively active in the Republican party, recent stories have focused more on her personal life.
Palin and her husband announced their divorce in 2020, three decades after their marriage began. The details of the breakup were stunning, but now the former Republican vice presidential contender has revealed more about her high-profile split.
Sarah Palin was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, in 1964, but relocated to Alaska with her family when she was just a few months old. She grew up in Wasilla, a small town roughly 40 miles north of Anchorage. Palin, a basketball player at Wasilla High School, was a natural leader who became a well-known figure in the hallways.”I realize this sounds corny, but basketball was a life-changing experience for me. “It’s all about setting a goal, discipline, teamwork, and then success,” she once explained.
Sarah would also meet her future husband, Todd Palin, during a high school basketball game. She eloped with her high school sweetheart in August 1988, slipping away to the local courtroom. Sarah and Todd realized, however, that they needed witnesses. After persuading two people from the pioneers’ home across the street, the young couple could finally marry.
Sarah claims they eloped since she and her fiance were both struggling financially at the time. In 2008, the former Alaska governor told the Anchorage Daily News that they did not want their parents to pay for their wedding. Palin has five children with Todd: Track Charles James (1989), Bristol Sheeran Marie (1990), Willow Bianca Faye (born 1994), Piper Indy Grace (2001), and Trig Paxson Van (2008), who has Down syndrome.
Palin’s love of sports is mirrored in her children’s names; her daughter Willow is named after the famed female sports journalist Willow Bay, who covered the NBA. Bristol, her eldest daughter, was named after the place where ESPN is headquartered.Palin, a registered Republican since 1982, previously worked as a journalist and managed Todd’s family’s commercial fishing business before entering politics in 1992.
With her friendly demeanor, she captivated many people and persuaded them to vote for her. She made history in 2006 by becoming Alaska’s first female and youngest governor. Sarah was always well-supported by her husband, who referred to himself as the “First Dude” while she was governor. According to family acquaintances, Todd was not interested in bragging about his wife or her administration.
“He was almost embarrassed about it, or shy, I guess,” Scott Davis, one of Todd’s closest friends, told The New York Times. He said, “It never changed him one iota. It took him a few moments to acclimate to the attention.”Tom, a Yup’ik Eskimo, has always had a lot on his plate. He worked in the oil industry and was a member of the Alaska Independence Party from 1995 to 2002. He is also a four-time winner of the world’s longest snowmobile event, the “Iron Dog.”
The Palins lived in a two-story, 3,450-square-foot mansion in Wasilla, facing Lake Lucille. Sarah and Todd’s marriage has long been seen as a model union. Todd became more public after John McCain chose Sarah as his running partner in 2008, but he also took on a larger role in caring for their children. The little-known Alaska governor described herself as “just your average hockey mom.” However, Palin, like any other mother, had concerns about her and Todd’s children.
Sarah announced three days into the Republican presidential campaign that her unmarried 17-year-old daughter, Bristol, was five months pregnant.It rocked the Palin family, a devout Christian home, to its core. “Trig was 16 weeks old at the time. Bristol is in high school, a teenager, and pregnant. We were simply a microcosm of America. As we stood on stage, I couldn’t help but think, “Who’d have thunk?”
According to the child’s father, Levi Johnston, Sarah was desperate to keep Bristol’s pregnancy hidden. She even intended to adopt the infant. “Sarah told me she had a great idea: we would keep it a secret – nobody would know that Bristol was pregnant,” he told Vanity Fair magazine in 2009. After the news surfaced, Sarah and Todd issued a statement saying they were “proud of Bristol’s decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents.”
Bristol is now 31, a mother of three, and the owner of a real estate company in Texas, indicating that she has achieved great success in life. Many people believe Sarah Palin and Todd coexisted well and had good Christian values. Sure, they had been through a lot, including media storms and family difficulties, but three decades of marriage demonstrates strength and love.
However, just a few days after their 31st wedding anniversary in 2019, Sarah claims to have received an email from her husband requesting a divorce. After all those years together, finding out through a third party devastated the mother of five and grandma of seven.Sarah stated that she felt like she “got shot.” “On June 19, I received an email from an attorney informing me that she had been hired. I’ll never forget it… Oh, yes. “It’s difficult to talk about,” she stated in an interview with Christian author James Dobson.
It was sad news for a woman who saw her marriage as one of the most essential aspects of her life. “I’m sure many of you have either been through it or have watched the horrors of it through individuals you care about. Except for the death of a kid, I cannot think of anything more… “Yeah, it hurts,” the former Alaska governor said.
Todd filed for divorce in September 2019, alleging “incompatibility of temperament between the parties such that they find it impossible to live together as husband and wife” as the grounds.
Despite this, Sarah remained unwilling to give up on her marriage. She wanted to fight and went to great lengths to patch the cracks. “We’re going through counseling right now, so it’s not over,” Sarah said James Dobson in November 2019.Sarah received assistance from her children throughout this tough period. “My kids are cool because they dislike it, which benefits me. It helps me. They don’t say, “Oh, it takes two to tango.” No, they’re upset because they were raised with the belief that you have made a promise with God,” she replied.
“My parents have been married for 58 years… “Everyone’s kind of traditional family sticks together through thick and thin because you made a vow to God to jump whatever hurdles are in front of you and you’re going to make it.” For years, Sarah and Todd had been the subject of divorce rumors and scandals, but this time it was true. The divorce was finalized on March 23, 2020.Sarah has kept a low profile since then and has not spoken publicly about her breakup. But in April 2022, she finally opened out about her new love and the pain of divorce.
Sarah told the New York Post that the shock and wounds from the breakup are still visible, as one might expect. “It was the most earth-shattering, bizarre thing I could have ever imagined and it kind of remains so,” she told me. Today, the former couples have little communication. They occasionally talk, but mainly because they share custody of their youngest son, Trig.Sarah claims her ex-husband has a new partner who lives in New York City.
“He spends his time with his girlfriend whom he’s had for some time now …,” she informed me. “She lives down in the lower 48, so he spends a lot of time down in the lower 48.” Sarah has also found love again; she is currently dating Ron Duguay, a former New York Rangers standout. The couple was spotted dining outside in January 2022, before revealing their affection a month later.
Duguay was Palin’s lifelong acquaintance, and they fell in love after Sarah requested him to tour her about New York City. In an interview with the New York Post, she described their connection as “safe and comfortable.” “Ron is the first person I’ve ever spoken to about a lot of these personal issues.
So it’s been great and refreshing to have Ron to talk to about anything, not just politics, since he’s got more common sense than the collective in DC,” Sarah added. Palin, who is now running for Alaska’s at-large congressional seat, has received strong backing from her new lover. Duguay assisted her in Alaska and worked beside his new love on her campaign.