The Tragedy Of Pam Bondi Just Gets Sadder & Sadder

Pam Bondi may have said in the past that she's felt "bullied" by her detractors, but there certainly is a difference between being called out for things said and done and facing genuinely unfair treatment. Nevertheless, there is also a lot to be said for some of the sad things she's gone through over the years in a very public way — and Bondi certainly has faced a lot of those. 

We'll start with her circle of friends. As some may know, Bondi lost a number of her friends as she climbed the GOP's ladder. In fact, several of them spoke to The Atlantic in early 2026 and shared that her total personality overhaul had left them unable to recognize her. One of Bondi's former friends said of the switch-up, "I keep asking myself, 'What the f*** happened to Pam?'" Yikes. Outside of those who spoke to The Atlantic, some may also recall another former friend, "The View" star Ana Navarro, echoing the same sentiment in an appearance on CNN. ICYMI, Navarro had quipped that it was as though Bondi had undergone a lobotomy since aligning herself with Donald Trump, noting, "I have known Pam Bondi for a very long time. I knew her when she was attorney general of Florida, and she was a nice Southern girl. ... I don't know which Pam Bondi is the real Pam Bondi, I don't know which Pam Bondi is auditioning for an Oscar, you know, for Best Supporting Dramatic Actor."

It's worth noting that some of those ex-pals shared that at times, the switcheroo seemed to be upsetting to Bondi herself, and that when she was asked about her stance on certain matters no longer adding up, she would burst into tears.

Anyone would be sad to lose friends, but there's a very good chance it's been especially hurtful for Pam Bondi. After all, long before members of her inner circle (or former circle, anyway) spoke to The Atlantic, the then-attorney general of Florida told Elysian that sustaining her long-term friendships was one of her top priorities in life. 

"Lifelong friends are everything to me. That's everything to me. When you take this job, you get a lot of new friends. Many will remain my friends for the rest of my life. But without a doubt my anchor is my lifelong friends," she told the outlet. Bondi would go on to say of her friendships, "Other than my family, that's truly my saving point in life. It's my safety. It's my safe place." Bondi also noted that even though she'd met new people as the attorney general, she remained "cautious who I let into my life." She explained why this was the case, saying, "When you take on this job, you learn who your friends are and who your friends aren't. ... Everybody's there for you when everything's going great, but in the everyday life, it's the people who stay the course, who are there for you during the good and bad."

Of course, there is a chance the friends who spoke with The Atlantic weren't among Bondi's "lifers." There's also a chance that The Atlantic's sources were exactly who she'd been "cautious" with. Then again, we can't help but think that Bondi's new circle of MAGA insiders — like Tulsi Gabbard, Lara Trump, and others — might just be exactly what she was once concerned about. 

Sticking with Pam Bondi's friend drama, some may be aware that she counts Susie Wiles as one of her closest buddies. In fact, per The Atlantic, she even referred to Wiles as her "best friend" in a Signal message she sent to Mark Meadows' former aide Cassidy Hutchinson. The same message also saw Bondi call the so-called "Ice Maiden" (ICYMI, that's one of Wiles' many nicknames), "super sweet."

Unfortunately, Wiles' infamous interview with Vanity Fair hinted at there being some tension between the friends, with Donald Trump's chief of staff calling Bondi out for the way she'd handled the Epstein files in the early days of her tenure as U.S. attorney general. Of Bondi summoning MAGA influencers to the White House to hand them binders of already-seen information from the files, Wiles said, "I think she completely whiffed on appreciating that that was the very targeted group that cared about this. ... First she gave them binders full of nothingness. And then she said that the witness list, or the client list, was on her desk. There is no client list, and it sure as hell wasn't on her desk."

It is worth noting that Wiles clapped back at Vanity Fair for the article in no uncertain terms, and even hinted at there being inaccuracies in it. "Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out of the story. I assume, after reading it, that this was done to paint an overwhelmingly chaotic and negative narrative about the President and our team," she wrote in an X post. Still, given Bondi's aversion to criticism (which we'll get to in a moment), there is a good chance Wiles' comments stung.

Another sad detail people who knew Pam Bondi personally shared with The Atlantic was that she seemed to struggle with criticism — to the point of tears. 

La Gaceta publisher Patrick Manteiga told the outlet that once, after Bondi had learned his publication was planning on publishing a critique of her, "She gets on the phone with me, and she's crying — 'Don't print this article' ... Crying, crying." When he spoke about it with other journalists, he said they'd had the same experience with Bondi. "I said she was crying, and he said, 'Yeah, she does that to us too.' I called another reporter, and he said, 'Yeah, she's done that to me.'"

Of course, as a member of public service, one is often expected to roll with the punches and even maintain a stiff upper lip, so it's both surprising and a little sad to know that Bondi took things so personally. However, those who have followed her for a while might not be that shocked. After all, she did admit in her interview with Elysian that she wasn't as thick-skinned as people might think. Quite the contrary, she got super candid, telling the outlet, "I have a very thin skin." We're not sure if that's still the case, and these days it seems her solution to feeling cornered is to insult her detractors. In fact, there have even been a number of times Bondi's unfiltered thoughts have chipped away at her reputation. Talk about a turnaround ... though we'd argue that snapping may just be her way of hiding her hurt.

Back to Pam Bondi's personal life, those aware of her relationship history may know that the attorney general has had a series of long-term relationships, including two marriages that ended in divorce. Sadly, Bondi also had a third wedding planned, which was called off at the last minute.

In spring 2012, Senator Paula Dockery shared a picture on Facebook of the Florida attorney general handing out drinks to her wedding party on a plane bound for the Cayman Islands. That prompted a blogger to call the island's Ritz Carlton hotel, which confirmed that the wedding was set for that Saturday. Unfortunately, a follow-up call revealed that there had been a change in plans, and on the day it was supposed to happen, the hotel said there would be no wedding. According to one guest, some of the attendees only found out that the plans had changed once they'd arrived. The same guest, three-time Tampa mayor Dick Greco, also told the outlet it was possible religion had played a part in the decision, and that Henderson may have decided he'd rather tie the knot in a traditional church ceremony. However, another rumor was that the backlash Bondi received for hosting the nuptials abroad while Florida was predicted to be hit by Tropical Storm Beryl played a part.

Bondi herself ultimately spoke with the Tampa Bay Times about the matter, acknowledging the wedding was postponed, but gushing, "We are enjoying a happy and blessed trip and are deeply in love with each other" (via Miami Herald). That may have been the case, but Bondi and Henderson ultimately parted ways before ever marrying. That would be heartbreaking for anyone — but we have no doubts all the press that the situation got made things even harder. 

Another massive heartbreak Pam Bondi has experienced — and which she's spoken about on a few occasions — is that she was unable to have children.

Bondi notably spoke about wanting to have kids in her interview with Elysian, telling the outlet, "I'm not blessed to have children yet. So hopefully, that will be part of my life down the road." Sadly, that proved not to be in the cards for her, and she spoke about that during her interview on "The Katie Miller Pod." "Life throws you curveballs. You never know where you'll wind up or how. I've always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom with five kids and have a basketball team of my own, but you know, life doesn't work out that way," she shared. 

One silver lining, Bondi told Miller, is that despite not having biological children, she is a stepmom. In fact, she shouted out her stepchildren, telling Miller, "I have three amazing stepdaughters, and it's just, it's great." Bondi also shared that her third husband, John Wakefield, was incredibly supportive. It's worth noting that many were not aware that Bondi and Wakefield were married, and that it was Donald Trump who first hinted at that being the case. Perhaps past experience taught the attorney general to keep details of her marriage close to her chest, and we don't blame her for it.