Sarah Palin was a name you couldn’t avoid if you heard the news during John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign.
The former Alaska governor was plucked from obscurity to become McCain’s running mate, and despite losing to Barack Obama, Palin has been described as a “force of nature” in Republican politics.
Palin, 58, is politically involved in the Republican Party, but in recent years the headlines have focused more on her personal life.
In 2020, after 30 years of marriage, Palin announced that she was divorcing her husband. The details of the split were shocking, but now the former Republican vice presidential candidate has revealed more about her high-profile split.
Sarah Palin and Todd
Sarah Palin was born in Sandpoint, Idaho in 1964, but moved to Alaska with her family when she was a few months old. He grew up in Wasilla, a small town about 40 miles north of Anchorage.
Palin, a basketball star at Wasilla High School, was a natural leader and a popular figure in the hallways. “It may sound funny, but basketball was a life-changing experience. It’s about goal setting, discipline, teamwork and success,” he said.
Sarah meets her future husband, Todd Palin, at a high school basketball game. In August 1988, he sneaked into a local courthouse with his high school sweetheart. But from then on, Sarah and Todd knew they needed a witness.
After persuading two people from a pioneer house across the street, the young lovers were finally able to marry. According to Sarah, her then boyfriend also ran away because he was poor.
“They didn’t want their parents footing the bill for the wedding,” the former Alaska governor told the Anchorage Daily News in 2008. Palin has five children with Todd. Follow Charles James (1989), Bristol Sheeran Marie (1990), Willow Bianca Faye (born 1994), Piper Indy Grace (2001) and Trig Paxon Van (2008), who all have Down syndrome.
Palin’s passion for sports is also reflected in her children’s names. Willow’s daughter was named after Willow Bay, a legendary sportswriter who covered the NBA. His eldest daughter, Bristol, is named after the city where ESPN is headquartered.
Palin, a registered Republican since 1982, worked as a journalist and helped run the Todd family’s commercial fishing business before entering politics in 1992. He impressed many people with his popular personality and convinced many to vote for him.
In 2006, she made history as the first female and youngest governor of Alaska. Sarah’s husband, who likes to call himself “The First Guy,” was always very supportive of Sarah when she was governor.
But family friends say Todd has no interest in bragging about his wife and her advice. “I think he was embarrassed or ashamed of it,” Scott Davis, one of Todd’s closest friends, told The New York Times.
He added: “He never changed it. “It took me a while to get used to the attention,” he said.
Tom, a member of the Yupik Eskimo, always had a lot going for him. 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 Iron Dog champion, the longest snowmobile race in the world.
The Palins lived in a two-story, 3,450-square-foot home overlooking Lake Lucille in Wasilla. For many years, Sarah and Todd’s marriage was considered an exemplary union. When John McCain chose Sarah as his running mate in 2008, Todd was a prominent figure, but she also played a key role in taking care of his children.
Alaska’s little-known governor has described herself as “just a hockey mom.” But like any mother, Palin was worried about her and Todd’s children. Just three days into the Republican presidential campaign, Sarah revealed that her single daughter, Bristol, 17, is five months pregnant.
This shook the Palin family, a very Christian family. Trig was 16 weeks old at the time. Bristol is a high school student, a teenager, and pregnant. I was just a microcosm of America. We were sitting on stage and thought, “Oh…who would have thought of that?”
Sarah Palin for DailyMail, 2018
According to the baby’s father, Levi Johnston, Sara wanted to keep Bristol’s pregnancy a secret. She even wanted to adopt a child.
In 2009, he told Vanity Fair magazine: “Sarah told me she had a great idea. We’re going to keep it a secret. No one would know Bristol is pregnant.” After the news broke, Sarah and Todd released a statement saying they were “proud of Bristol’s decision to have a child and even more proud to become grandparents.”
Bristol is now a 31-year-old mother of three who runs a real estate company in Texas and leads a pretty successful life.
In public, Sarah Palin and Todd lived in harmony and shared good Christian values. Sure, they’ve experienced a media storm and family problems, but their 30-year marriage is a sign of strength and love.
But just days after their 31st wedding anniversary in 2019, Sarah said she received a divorce notice via email from her husband. The mother of five and grandmother of seven was heartbroken when she found out about their long time together through a third party.
Sarah said she felt like she had been shot.
“I heard by email from my lawyer that he was hired and that the date was June 19. I’ll never forget… Yes. It’s not an easy thing to talk about,” he said in an interview with Christian author James Dobson.
It was sad news for a woman who considered her marriage one of the most important things in her life. “I’m sure many of you have experienced this or had loved ones who saw how terrible it is.
But I’m thinking, ‘Wow, I don’t know what happened, other than the kid died… Yeah, it hurts,'” the former Alaska governor said. Todd filed for divorce in September 2019, saying, “We can’t live together as husband and wife because our temperaments don’t match.”
However, Sarah did not want to give up on her marriage. He wanted to fight and did his best to mend the rift.
Sarah told James Dobson in November 2019: “I’m in counseling now so it’s not over yet.” “Lawyers are getting richer than the rest of us and I don’t like that system. It doesn’t make sense to me.”
Sara also received support from her children during this difficult time. “My kids don’t like it and that’s okay because it helps me. He helps me. They’re not the ones who say, “Oh, it takes two people to tango.” No, they are angry because they were taught to believe that you made a deal with God,” he said.
“My parents have been married for 58 years. Everyone’s traditional family is there for you in hard times, because you promised God that you would choose between the rich and the poor, the good and the bad… Jump over the hurdles. It is in front of you and you will do it.”
Divorce rumors and scandals have swirled around Sarah and Todd for years, but this time, they’re real. Their divorce was finalized on March 23, 2020.
Sarah Palin’s boyfriend
Since then, Sarah has kept a low profile and has not spoken publicly about her divorce. However, in April 2022, she opened up about her new love and the pain of the breakup.
In an interview with the New York Post, Sarah said that the shock and pain of the divorce is still visible and we can all imagine. “It was and always will be the most amazing thing I could have imagined,” he said.
Today, the former couple has little contact. They do talk sometimes, but that’s because they share the same concern for their youngest son, Trig.
According to Sarah, her ex-husband now has a new partner who lives in New York City. “I’m spending time with my old girlfriend,” he said.
“He lives below the 48th floor, so he spends a lot of time below the 48th floor.”
Sarah has found love again. She is currently dating former New York Rangers star Ron Duguay. The two were spotted having dinner in January 2022 and acknowledged their relationship a month later.
Duguay was a longtime friend of Palin’s and they fell in love when Sarah asked him if she could show him around New York. In an interview with the New York Post, she described their relationship as “safe and comfortable”.
“Ron is the first person I talk to about these personal things. So talking to Ron was helpful and refreshing, not only because he has a more basic understanding of politics but life as a kid than the DC crowd,” Sarah explained.
Palin, who is currently running for the Alaska House of Representatives, is getting strong support from her new boyfriend. Duguay helped her in Alaska and joined her campaign with her new love. Getting a public divorce is not easy. This is especially true if you have children.
