Sarah Palin was crushed after her
Sarah Palin burst onto the national scene in 2008 as John McCain’s running mate, a
“force of nature” whose folksy confidence made her impossible to ignore.
Raised in Alaska, she called basketball “life-changing” and married high-school
sweetheart Todd Palin in 1988, eloping with two courthouse witnesses because they “couldn’t afford a wedding.”
They raised five children as Palin rose from local politics to become Alaska’s youngest and first female governor.
Behind the image of a strong marriage, strain grew.
In 2019, Palin learned by email that Todd was filing for divorce—news she said felt like being “shot.”
The split was finalized in 2020.
Since then, Palin has rebuilt her life, finding comfort in a relationship she
describes as “safe and comfortable,” while continuing to re-enter politics and press forward despite very public heartbreak.
