The Truth About Sarah Palin And Todd Palin's Divorce

Sarah Palin has had an impressive career. Biography notes that she was the first female governor of Alaska and was chosen to be John McCain's running mate during the 2008 presidential election. McCain lost the election, and Palin resigned as governor the following year due to the costs of battling a legal ethics complaint filed against her (per ABC News).

Before she was thrust into the national spotlight, the mother of five was a proud hockey mom who worked hard for her state. Politicos have come to know the brunette from Tina Fey's "Saturday Night Live" impersonation of her (via YouTube), as well as Palin's quirky comments during interviews. But before there was Sarah Palin, the politician, there was Sarah Heath, the 1984 third runner-up for Miss Alaska.

The future governor earned a degree in journalism in 1987, and she and her high school sweetheart, Todd Palin, eloped the following year. The couple worked on his family's commercial fishing business in their early years. The power duo had five children — Bristol, Willow, Piper, Track, and Trig. To many outsiders, it may have looked like Palin had it all, but she and her husband's relationship was imploding as their tiny Alaskan bubble was so rudely popped.

Todd Palin filed for divorce in 2019 after 31 years of marriage, according to People, citing "incompatibility of temperament." While they didn't publicly reveal the cause of their split, it's possible that the pressures of fame took their toll on the couple. Family friend John Coale told the outlet, "It's been a long road to this. The family just had to take so much and couldn't handle it, I don't know if anybody could. It's a tragedy. Sarah Palin is a great person, and now it seems the family is in tatters" (via People).

Court records showed that in the spring of 2020, the couple very quietly finalized their split. It's hard to keep a secret when you're living in the public eye, but the Palins managed to let the ink dry with no one being the wiser. The court documents showed that the divorce was granted on March 25, 2020. This news came almost 10 months after Todd had initially filed for divorce, which just so happened to have fallen on his 55th birthday, per ET Online.

Fans of the couple were stunned to read that "they find it impossible to live together as husband and wife." The legal jargon mimics other divorces that claim irreconcilable differences. While the documents have remained closed, we do know that both Palins asked for joint custody of their youngest son, Trig.

As for the reason Todd Palin decided to walk away from his marriage, no one really knows (via People). But compared to his famous wife, he often stayed out of the limelight. According to Cheat Sheet, Todd was cold and informed his ex-wife of his desire for divorce through an email. At the time, Sarah Palin told NBC News that the news of her marriage ending came as a shock saying, "I thought I got shot." She described the entire experience as "devastating," adding that, "Except for the death of a child, I don't know what could be more [painful]" (via CBS8).

There had been rumors of infidelity on both sides for 10 years, but each time the Palin camp wrote them off as lies (via the Daily Mail). According to Joe McGinniss' book, "The Rogue: Searching For The Real Sarah Palin," some pretty wild claims are made about the former governor, including unfounded rumors that she used drugs and even had a six-month-long affair with one of Todd's business partners. The book also includes allegations of Todd's questionable activities, such as an affair of his own and a penchant for drugs (via PRI). 

The Palins briefly reunited in November of 2019 for their daughter Willow, who gave birth to twins (per USA Today). While we may never know the real reason — or reasons — that the couple decided to call it quits, insiders will always speculate.

Since their divorce, Sarah Palin has kept quite the low profile, which is a far cry from her former tendencies to put herself in the public eye. In March 2021, she tested positive for COVID-19. While some might believe this experience with the deadly virus might have convinced her to get vaccinated, she actually claimed that it's the reason she won't be getting vaccinated. "I believe in science," Palin asserted, claiming that she's built up a "natural immunity" to the virus due to having had it (via The Independent). She has also teased that a 2022 Senate run isn't out of the question, telling New Apostolic Reformation leader Ché Ahn, "If God wants me to do it I will" (via The Sun).

The former governor took part in "The Masked Singer" competition TV show as a rapping pink bear in 2020, further cementing that 2020 was truly the most wild year (per the Los Angeles Times). Wondering why this happened at all? You're not alone. She told host Nick Cannon that the experience was "refreshing and so freeing" and served as a "walking middle finger" to her "haters" (via Entertainment Weekly).