Tragic Details About Sarah Palin And Her Family

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In 2008, much to the surprise of the political world, Sarah Palin was plucked from the relative obscurity of Alaskan government to serve as John McCain's running mate for the U.S. presidential election. Over the next decade or so, she and the rest of her family appeared to make it their duty to create drama, whether political, personal, or somewhere in-between. While most of their shenanigans fell in the categories of controversial, shady, or just downright messy, they did occasionally make the headlines for tragic reasons that were often beyond their control.

From funeral snubbings and facial paralysis to snow machine crashes and stress disorders, not to mention multiple family feuds, the likes of Bristol, Trick, and Toby Palin (along with their infamous mom, of course) have suffered their fair share of hardships since being propelled into the limelight. Here's a look at 13 of the most notable examples.

The oft-shady Palin family once again found themselves in the headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2017 when Track Palin was charged with assault. But the aspect of the story that made this particularly tragic was that the victim was his own father.

Yes, the troubled Track, who'd been drinking while on pain medication on the night in question, broke into the family home in Alaska which forced his dad, Todd Palin, to pick up his gun in self-defense. The father was subsequently subdued in an attack which left him covered in blood.

Sarah Palin made a tearful call to emergency services, leading to a standoff between the cops and Track who at one point made his way onto the roof of the property, insisted that all weapons should be dropped, and allegedly called them 'peasants.' The assailant, who claimed he was at the residence to pick up a vehicle, was charged with assault, criminal mischief, and first-degree burglary. Thanks to a plea deal which saw him escape jail time and seek help at a therapeutic program, he was later convicted of criminal trespass only.

In 2008, after sparking a national conversation about the issue of teen pregnancy, an 18-year-old Bristol Palin welcomed her son Tripp into the world, but the headlines didn't stop there. Indeed, after splitting up with baby daddy Levi Johnston a year later, the future reality TV star found herself embroiled in a tabloid-baiting custody battle which lasted a remarkable six years.

The drama started after Johnston claimed the Palins were restricting access to his child and subsequently confirmed his intention to file a joint custody lawsuit. Cue a whole lot of mudslinging, including Bristol's claim that her ex was a bad dad whose sole motivation in the case was financial. After several legal back-and-forths, a court ruled in 2015 that the warring pair should share equal custody of Tripp.

Bristol, who by this point also had a daughter, Sailor Grace, with future husband Dakota Meyer, tried to put a brave face on things following the verdict by writing on Instagram (via People), "Every child deserves two loving parents, so I will continue to encourage that no matter what. I have never, and will never, keep them from having a positive relationship with their fathers. I did not 'lose' any custody case — my son has always spent most of his time with me and he will continue to do so, he is happy, healthy, and knows both of his parents love him."

Bristol Palin's often tragic personal life became public knowledge in 2018 thanks to her acrimonious split with Dakota Meyer. The reality TV star had been looking to put her previous relationship woes behind her when she walked down the aisle with the military veteran in 2016, but the honeymoon phase didn't last long and they soon called it quits.

In court documents obtained by the press, it was revealed (via USA Today) that Meyer had filed for divorce due to "Discord or conflict of personalities ... that destroys the legitimate ends of the marriage relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation." Things between the couple, who by this point also had two kids together, only got more discordant from there.

During one particularly memorable episode of "Teen Mom," Palin accused Meyer of stealing money from her account, a claim he adamantly denied. Bristol Palin also allegedly described the latter as a coward entirely undeserving of his Medal of Honor in a text message sent to Nitro Circus' motocross rider Sam Boyd. Meyer later wrote on Instagram, "She wasn't happy with me so it's for the best ... You can try everything and give the person all you have and if they don't choose to see good in you it's out of your control. Know when enough is enough."

In January 2025, Bristol Palin took to Instagram to reveal she'd been diagnosed with Bell's palsy. "I woke up nine days ago with a little weird sensation in my face," the reality TV star recalled (via USA Today) about the first time she realized her face had become partially paralyzed. "My mouth was pulling this way, and it just felt a little off. So I went, looked in the mirror. I'm like, 'Wow. This is looking a little weird.'"

Bell's palsy, a condition which typically affects one half of the face, often disappears six months after the the first symptoms. However, another Instagram post uploaded almost a year later proved that Palin's battle was lasting far longer.

"Not a whole lot of movement," Palin said (via People) while removing her sunglasses in response to a follower's question about her progress. The mom-of-three admitted that she'd resorted to Botox around her left eye, remarking, "It just gets so small when I smile or when I'm expressive at all." However, she wasn't completely despondent about the situation. "Could be worse, could be better," she concluded. "At least I've got cute sunglasses."

The Palins continued to establish themselves as the messiest family in American politics in 2014 when three members got caught up in a 20-strong drunken brawl at an Anchorage party. According to various reports, Track and Todd Palin got involved in a physical altercation with several men on the street while Bristol allegedly punched the host six times!

As you'd expect, there were conflicting versions of events. Bristol was accused of storming into the house with the intention of a fight and was apparently given permission to hit the homeowner by the man himself, Korey Klingenmeyer, if it made her feel better. However, she claimed things only got physical after being pushed to the ground by the Klingenmeyer. Track, meanwhile, reported things turned nasty after he heard several men being rude to his sisters. A witness named Matthew McKenna, on the other hand, lay the blame at the drunken state of Willow Palin, Bristol, and their respective boyfriends.

Whatever happened during the eventful night, cops decided against making any arrests. And with no one involved wanting to press any charges, the fracas was written off.

In 2016, Track Palin once again found himself in trouble with the law over a domestic violence incident in which the victim, his then-girlfriend, said she feared he was going to shoot himself. A week later, Sarah Palin was speaking at a Donald Trump rally (via The Guardian) where she was accusing then-President Barack Obama of not adequately supporting war veterans. "My own family, my son, a combat vet having served in a Stryker Brigade ... my son, like so many others, they come back a bit different, they come back hardened."

Sarah went on to say that she could relate to other families who are suffering from the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder: "They come back wondering if there is that respect for what it is that their fellow soldiers and airmen and every other member of the military so sacrificially have given to this country. And that starts from the top." The politician's words, however, weren't appreciated by everyone, with many of those afflicted by PTSD arguing that Palin was inappropriately linking the condition with acts of violence.

The tabloids had a field day in 2019 when it was revealed that Todd Palin had filed for divorce from Sarah Palin (who recently had quite the transformation) after more than 30 years of marriage. The latter gave them plenty of further ammunition later that same year when she revealed how she found out about the life-changing news.

Instead of discovering Todd's intentions from the man himself, Sarah was informed out of the blue via an email from his lawyers. "It was devastating," she told People about the filing after it was made official three months later. "I thought I got shot." The politician still held out some hope that her marriage could be saved, revealing that she and Todd were in counseling.

"God doesn't want families to split up," she reasoned. "I know that. To me, in a general sense, marriage is so extremely important as foundation of our nation. It helps make America that much greater, is that security of family. I'm not to the point of wanting mine to be split." Unfortunately, Sarah's optimism proved to be unfounded. In March 2020, she and Todd were legally divorced.

As you'd expect from a staunch Republican, Sarah Palin has been firmly on the side of the pro-life movement. She inevitably created headlines in 2009 when she admitted to briefly considering an abortion after learning that her fifth child, Trig, had the chromosome abnormality which leads to Down's Syndrome.

"There, just for a fleeting moment, I thought, I knew, nobody knows me here," she remarked (via ABC News) at an Indiana pro-life dinner without explicitly mentioning the word 'abortion.' "Nobody would ever know. I thought, wow, it is easy. It could be easy to think maybe of trying to change the circumstances. No one would know. No one would ever know."

Palin, who'd given birth to Trig the year previously, was both commended and castigated for her confession. NARAL Pro-Choice America's political director Elizabeth Shipp told the Washington Post (via The Guardian) that the politician's remarks sounded "remarkably pro-choice." The National Right to Life's executive director David O'Steen, however, sympathized, adding, "I think every one of us, every human being, has had it go through their mind, the possibility of an act they know is wrong – and then rejected."

Before the divorce, the Palin family suffered a major scare in 2016 when Todd Palin was rushed to intensive care following a horrific snow machine crash which left him with multiple serious injuries. The accident happened while the businessman was out on a family ride in their Alaska hometown, although he was discovered by a member of the general public.

In a post on Facebook about the incident, Sarah Palin revealed that Todd had broken and fractured several ribs, broken his clavicle and shoulder, and suffered a collapsed lung. At a Donald Trump campaign rally soon after, the politician expressed (via New York Post) her gratitude to all well-wishers: "Thank you guys for your prayers for my husband who is recovering after a little wreck on a snow machine."

Ever the Republican, Sarah still managed to tie in the tragedy with her White House guest. "You know when real life happens, someone is sick in your family or there is an accident that happens, all these challenges ... it really puts things in perspective. It makes me appreciate the time we have to spend doing something so worthy — and that's to get Donald J. Trump elected president." Luckily for the former running mate, she got her wish. Oh, and her husband made a full recovery, too.

As well as surviving near-death experiences, the Palin family — namely the member who once ran as John McCain's presidential running mate — has also had to deal with death threats. Things got particularly precarious following her 'crosshairs' map ahead of the mid-term elections of 2010 which pinpointed 20 congressional Democrats she deemed there for the taking.

Indeed, many critics believed Sarah Palin should be held culpable after one Democrat highlighted on the map, Arizona's Gabrielle Gifford, was shot in the head at a Tucson event. Miraculously, Gifford survived, and despite being left partially paralyzed went on to win the election against a Tea Party candidate. In the wake of the shooting, which killed 6 and injured 13, Sarah Palin posted on Facebook (via ABC News), "Journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence they purport to condemn."

Unfortunately for Palin, her rebuttal only landed her in more trouble, since "blood libel" is an antisemitic term which refers to a myth about child sacrifice. "Unless someone has been accusing Ms. Palin of killing Christian babies and making matzoh from their blood, her use of the term is totally out-of-line," the Jewish Funds for Justice's president Simon Greer declared (via NPR) in a statement.

Sarah Palin shot to international fame — some would say international infamy — when she was selected as John McCain's running mate for the 2008 presidential election, but the unlikely partnership didn't pay off. Not only did they end the campaign as a distant second to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, they appeared to end it as enemies.

Shortly before his death in 2018, McCain revealed in his memoir "The Restless Wave" that he regretted ever picking the Alaska governor for the role, believing he should've instead opted for Joe Lieberman. Palin was understandably hurt by this admission. However, worse was to come when she was barred from her former boss' funeral.

Palin had insisted that she and McCain were friends while paying tribute on X, describing him (via BBC News) as "a maverick and a fighter, never afraid to stand for his beliefs." But the late senator's family, — and according to insiders, specifically widower Cindy McCain — did not reciprocate the sentiment. Discussing the snubbing with Piers Morgan on "Good Morning Britain," Palin said (via Fox News), "I was kinda surprised to be publicly disinvited to the funeral. I think that was an unnecessary step. They didn't have to embarrass me and embarrass others. That was all weird. I hope that doesn't happen to other people. It's kind of a gut punch." The truth about McCain and Palin's relationship is certainly complicated.

In 2016, the same year her husband was injured in the snow mobile accident, Sarah Palin suffered a nasty-looking injury to her forehead when she fell while enjoying something she called rock-running. Ever the politician even when bloodied and bandaged, the former Governor of Alaska couldn't resist the opportunity to stick the boot into a politician at the opposite end of the spectrum.

"I tripped over my own two feet and crashed and burned face-first," Palin explained in a Facebook post accompanied by several photos of her receiving medical treatment. "I recovered with the doc's SuperGlue, and now any man who asks 'what happened?' I'll refer to as just a mean ol' SEXIST bully."

Palin's last reference was in response to the sexism commentators believed Hillary Clinton was subjected to while running for presidency. Her rather bizarre rant continued, "Glad for Hillary's protective media's precedence. The next woman running for POTUS has no need to answer to much of anything, for we've got weddings to plan, and Down Dogs to do, and cookies in the oven! So just leave us alone, boys." The mind boggles.

The Palins suffered a major loss in 2021 when matriarch Sally Sheeran Heath, the woman once described as "the rock of the family," died aged 80. The most famous member of her clan soon took to Instagram to pay her respects.

"We kissed mom goodbye," Sarah Palin captioned a carousel of heartwarming photos and videos featuring Heath, who had three other kids with her surviving husband Chuck (as well as no fewer than two dozen grand- and great-grandkids). "For our family, she's always been the best part of our world. Mom lived with such purpose and intention to do good — always — for others. We'll miss her more than anything."

"I wish everyone could know how unconditional love, for which Mom is known, equips and empowers the recipient of that love," Palin continued about her mother, who'd worked as a school secretary. "It births fearlessness. We knew she was our forever advocate on earth, and will now intercede directly to the Throne." She concluded the emotional post with a Walt Whitman quote, "We were together, I forget the rest."