Weirds Things About Rand Paul And Wife Kelley's Marriage We Can't Ignore

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As the old antiquated saying goes, the man may be the head of the household, but it's the woman who turns the neck. Perhaps there's no one who understands that saying better than Republican Kentucky senator and one-time presidential hopeful Rand Paul. Rand and his wife, Kelley Ashby Paul, have been married for more than 35 years, and by all accounts, have a happy, successful marriage complete with three grown sons. No uncomfortable age gaps or political cheating scandals to speak of. 

Alas, even their picturesque union contains a few weird things we simply cannot ignore. From their meet-cute that involved a collapsing deck, to Kelley's no-nonsense ultimatum during their courtship, a late-in-life name change, and even the way in which Kelley played an integral role in Rand's short and sweet 2016 presidential bid, ultimately earning her a nickname in the media as her husband's "secret weapon," the Pauls' marriage at times reads more like a bizarre soap opera as opposed to a fairytale romance. 

The story goes that Rand Paul and Kelley Ashby Paul first met at a backyard oyster roast hosted by a mutual friend in 1989, after Kelley's date for the evening left her high and dry. Initially, however, Kelley wasn't exactly charmed. "I kind of blew him off a little bit because I thought he was about eighteen," she told Vogue in 2013 about their chance encounter. Imagine her surprise when she learned that he was actually a medical school graduate, completing an ophthalmology internship at Georgia Baptist Medical Center. As fate would have it, Rand got the opportunity to flex his medical skills when part of the decking at the oyster roast suddenly collapsed, injuring many of the party guests. According to the Daily Mail, Rand immediately got to work, tending to the wounded and simultaneously impressing Kelley. And the rest is simply history — well, sort of.

As reported by Vogue, during the beginning stage of their courtship, Rand entertained not only Kelley but a few other women as well. As one might imagine, Kelley grew tired of the crowded dynamic and put her high-heeled foot down, issuing a no-nonsense ultimatum in the cafeteria of the hospital where Rand was working. "It was a really killer outfit," Kelley recalled about the look she chose for the occasion.

Next order of business: changing her new beau's name. According to Kelley, it wasn't long before she decided that Randy, born Randal Howard Paul, should start going by Rand instead. "I remember thinking, your name just does not fit you. You don't seem like a Randy. And I started calling him Rand and he liked it," she told CNN's Dana Bash during an interview in April 2015. (File that one under the untold truth of Rand Paul.)

Rand Paul and Kelley Paul's marriage was practically thrust into the spotlight overnight following Rand's official announcement on April 7, 2015, that he was throwing his hat into ring for the 2016 presidential election. It became immediately apparent to many that Kelly's unofficial job as his wife was to run interference on her husband's rather blunt personality, often tasked with smoothing things over. "Rand's personality is kind of 'Cut to the point,'" Kelley told the The New York Times during an interview wherein she also peddled her book "True and Constant Friends."  She added, "I think in some ways people respond better to that, but we'll see. We'll see what the country wants."

Right out of the gate, Kelley's presidential hopeful hubby participated in two particularly contentious interviews that immediately garnered him a reputation as being sexist and chauvinistic, first for shushing CNBC anchor Kelly Evans, and then later for losing his cool with "Today" host Savannah Guthrie. Like clockwork, shortly after the disastrous interviews, Mrs. Paul began making the rounds on various news shows, all in the name of damage control. During an interview with Hoda Kotb on "Today," Kelley was adamant those interviews did not serve as an accurate depiction of who Rand was "in terms of his relationships with women," citing his 10-year-long partnership with a female surgeon at his medical practice. "When I read criticisms like that, I want him to obviously come off the best that he can," she admitted.