The Real Reason Bristol Palin Is Getting Divorced
Bristol Palin first caught our attention during her mom's unsuccessful run for vice president in the 2008 United States election. Palin was just 17 at the time and pregnant with her first child, Tripp, who was conceived with her ex-fiancé, Levi Johnston. After two broken engagements with Johnston, Palin moved on to Dakota Meyer, a U.S. Marine veteran and Medal of Honor recipient. They embarked on a whirlwind romance, but their relationship would turn out to be anything but rosy.
A wedding in Kentucky was planned ... and then abruptly canceled. Palin would get pregnant soon thereafter, which sparked a messy custody battle.
After making the announcement in June 2016 that they had secretly gotten married, their wedded bliss was short-lived. Meyer filed for divorce in early 2018, though no one was the least bit surprised because the two appeared doomed long before they took their walk down the aisle.
From rumors that their marriage and divorce were ploys for Meyer to make some cash to allegations that a secret from his past destroyed their bond, here's the real reason Bristol Palin is getting divorced.
A heap of trouble from the start
Just two months after Meyer proposed to Palin at a Rascal Flatts concert, it was announced that their May 2015 wedding ceremony was canceled. Palin's mom shared the news in a since-deleted Facebook post (via People). "They have informed loved ones that unfortunately the announced celebration planned for May 23 will not be held," she wrote, before adding that the Palin and Meyer families would still gather for a barbecue in Kentucky, which just so happened to be the same place where the then-couple was set to marry.
In an unexpected twist, a little over a month after canceling their wedding ceremony, Palin, an abstinence advocate, announced she was expecting a baby. "I know this has been, and will be, a huge disappointment to my family, to my close friends, and to many of you," she wrote on her official blog, while also neglecting to confirm the paternity of her baby's father. "But please respect Tripp's and my privacy during this time. I do not want any lectures, and I do not want any sympathy."
Did he hide a huge secret?
We may never know the real reason Bristol Palin and Dakota Meyer decided to pump the brakes on their 2015 wedding, but that bump in the road could be attributed to a scandalous secret that leaked a little over a week before they were scheduled to tie the knot.
Radar Online revealed Meyer had previously married a woman named Cassandra Wain back in May 2008. The couple reportedly divorced in March of 2010, but Palin was allegedly clueless that her husband-to-be was a divorcé.
Wain's friend even took to Meyer's Facebook profile (via In Touch Weekly) to unleash her venom. "What I'm not understanding is why this marriage to my best friend is something you are trying to hide," the friend reportedly wrote, in part.
The friend also accused Meyer of contacting his ex-wife in October 2014, and she politely asked him to "leave her alone and let it go," before bidding him adieu. "We wish you all the best with your future Dakota. Just be honest," she wrote.
He skipped the birth of their daughter
Due to all of the drama surrounding their canceled wedding, Meyer wasn't even present in the delivery room when Palin gave birth to their first daughter, Sailor! Instead, Palin was joined by her sister, Piper, and a family friend in the delivery room, Radar Online revealed.
And, get this, Meyer didn't officially confirm he was actually Sailor's dad until after she was born, calling his daughter the "best Christmas present ever" in a Facebook post. A months-long custody battle soon followed, and Meyer was eventually granted joint legal and physical custody of their daughter, according to People magazine. But there was another issue brewing...
When their daughter was born, the baby was given Palin's last name up until she was four months old. "Bristol consented to the change of name some time ago," Palin's lawyer told People, before adding that both Palin and Meyer were "talking directly and just being parents without involving the lawyers."
After getting married, Palin got pregnant with their second child and announced the news to the world in December 2016. Thankfully, Meyer showed up and was present for the birth of their daughter Atlee (pictured). It's just too bad the happy moments between them wouldn't last for long.
Was it all a money ploy?
Meyer has long been praised for his bravery and heroism while fighting alongside his fellow Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was even invited to the White House to receive the Medal of Honor and enjoyed a cold brew with then-President Barack Obama on an outdoor patio back in 2011. But his heroism wasn't doing him any favors when it came to winning over Palin's close-knit family.
After filing for divorce in February 2018, Meyer wanted Palin to cover his "attorney fees, expenses and costs through the trial," Radar Online reported. A source told the website that Palin's mom was said to be "furious" over his demands.
Was the marriage and the divorce all just a money grab for Meyer? Who knows, but an insider close to the situation told the website, "What's really beyond any reasonable expectation is Dakota's belief that Bristol would EVER give him any money for this divorce!"
They had a 'conflict of personalities'
After less than two years of marriage, Meyer pulled the plug on their relationship. According to People magazine, he filed for divorce using his and Palin's initials instead of their full names, and he noted that they were in the process of separating, citing "discord or conflict of personalities" as the reason that their marriage had gone down the drain.
So what exactly was this "discord?" According to divorce documents retrieved by People, he said that the issues they were facing "destroys the legitimate ends of the marriage relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation."
There must have been some major problems going down in their Austin, Texas home for the chance of reconciliation to be squashed without any chance of rekindling their romance. So, at this point, we're not too surprised they stuck a fork in their marriage. Divorce sucks, but, in this case, it's probably for the best.
A failed reconciliation
Fans were a little puzzled following the news that Meyer had filed for divorce because the then-couple still carried on as if they were married and head-over-heels in love with one another. A report published by People magazine stated the duo celebrated Easter together as a family, and, by May 2018, they had reportedly rekindled their relationship.
The mutual gushing was beyond sweet, with Meyer giving Palin props for passing her real estate exam and Palin sharing photos on her Instagram Story of gorgeous flowers her estranged husband had sent her.
On Mother's Day of that same year, the military veteran wrote a loving tribute to Palin, which read, "Happy Mother's Day @bsmp2 Thank you for being a great mother and for providing me with a purpose in life that I could have never fathomed before our beautiful healthy children."
Their reconciliation was just as strange as the rest of the happenings surrounding their short-lived marriage, though, especially since Meyer had reportedly moved out of their family home in December 2017 and had even blocked Palin on social media.
Grandma and grandpa had nothing nice to say about her
Following the cancelation of Palin and Meyer's first wedding and the news that Palin was pregnant with their first daughter, Sailor, the Daily Mail made the trek to Meyer's grandparents' home to get their take on things. When they asked his grandparents about Palin, they gave a surprising response. "We don't ever talk about Bristol Palin," Meyer's grandfather Dwight said. "We don't ever discuss her in this family." Ouch!
If you thought that was harsh, Meyer's grandmother Jean threw even more shade when asked if she was looking forward to welcoming a great-grandchild into their family. "It will not be the first. I have other great-grandchildren," she said. Wow. What a savage!
If this was how his grandparents felt at that time, we can't even imagine what the rest of his family thought about Palin. Without the initial support of his loved ones, it's no wonder their relationship went up in flames so soon after they finally said, "I do."
Did PTSD play a role?
A friend of the military veteran's first wife, Cassandra Wain, spoke to the Daily Mail about how much of a nightmare their marriage was.
Meyer and Wain reportedly met when she vacationed in Hawaii where he was based for the Marines. After their wedding, in which none of their family members were invited because they had no clue the then-couple were even getting hitched, Wain reportedly had second thoughts and believed she had made a terrible mistake.
Meyer was reportedly showing signs of PTSD that were troubling to Wain, and, after he was deployed to Iraq immediately following their nuptials, she asked her father for money so she could leave Hawaii and fly back to her hometown in Michigan.
Less than two years after getting married, Meyer and his first wife were divorced, and the demise of his first marriage really makes us wonder if PTSD played a role in his failed marriage with Palin, too.
What's up next for her?
Bristol Palin didn't officially acknowledge her divorce until more than five months after Meyer filed the legal documents. When one of her Instagram followers asked if she were dating anyone, Palin replied (via People), "Freshly divorced & single forever lezzbereal (I am not ready to date)."
When asked if she'd ever get married again, she answered, "Honestly (right this SECOND) no... my focus is on God & my kids... a relationship/guy isn't even close on my radar."
Another area she plans to focus on is her reality TV career after being tapped to join the cast of MTV's Teen Mom OG. In July 2018, she posted a photo of herself and her three kiddos with a camera crew standing behind them. The caption on her Instagram post read, in part, "I look forward to sharing my experiences and hope that I can help others on their journey."
Being that she was a teen mom herself when she gave birth to her eldest son, Tripp, Palin fits right in with the rest of the cast.
Divorce is the pits and being a single parent is tough, but, with her supportive family and devoted fans in her corner, we have no doubt Palin will bounce back in no time.