Tragic Details About Lauren Boebert

This article includes descriptions of sexual harassment and domestic violence.

There's no doubt about it: Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has enjoyed her fair share of success. Seemingly overnight, Boebert went from a small business owner, wife, and mother of four to a fierce political opponent, ultimately defeating five-term Congressman Scott Tipton in the 2020 primary election. And true to form, she did it in her own unmistakable rabble rousing way. "I'm living the American dream. I came up from welfare, standing in line waiting for government cheese to now running for Congress," she famously tweeted ahead of the political upset. (File that one under Boebert's most controversial moments.)

Alas, it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows for Boebert. As it turns out, Boebert's life has also been plagued with tragedy — and we're not just talking about all of the inappropriate outfits she's been caught wearing. From growing up as a self-professed "welfare child" in a single parent home, later becoming a single parent herself, the truth about her former husband, and even enduring a serious health issue all while in the public eye, Boebert's life is chock-full of tragic details. 

Lauren Boebert (née Lauren Opal Roberts) was born in December 1986 to a woman named Shawn Roberts Bentz. Bentz was only 18 at the time of Boebert's birth. Sadly, Boebert's father was MIA from the very beginning. While Bentz claims that professional wrestler "Sweet" Stan Lane (born Wallace Stanfield Lane) is Boebert's biological father, Lane vehemently denies that he fathered Boebert. According to Salon, while Lane did submit to and fail a paternity test for Boebert, it was later uncovered that the phlebotomist administering the paternity tests had been found guilty of being paid to switch samples in another paternity case involving a former professional football player that took place only two months after Lane's paternity test. 

As one can imagine, following the failed paternity test, Boebert's mother was unable to collect child support for Boebert. Subsequently, Boebert and Bentz lived on a very meager income and Bentz often relied on welfare to make ends meet. Later, however, Boebert railed against the government program. "My mom was a true blue Democrat and she believed all of the lies that she was told — that she could not support me and my brothers on her own. She was told that if she went out to try to support us without the help of Democrat politicians, she would fail, and because of that, we grew up poor," Boebert shared in a video on Facebook Live in 2020 (via Mother Jones.) 

Although Lauren Boebert has been very forthcoming about how hard it was being raised by a young single mother, she has also praised her mother for the example she set. In fact, in March 2023, after announcing to a room full of people at the Conservative Political Action Conference that her 17-year-old son was expecting a child of his own, she credited her mother for spurring her to have a child young as well. "My mom was 18 when she had me, which inspired me to be a mother when I was 18 years old," she told The Denver Post. 

Yep, that's right. Boebert also became pregnant at 18 after a whirlwind romance with Jayson Boebert. The story goes that the pair met in 2003 while Lauren was a 16-year-old in high school and working a shift at a popular fast food chain. He was 22. In the confines of her memoir, "My American Life," Boebert recalled that the couple ran off to Las Vegas to get married only four months into their courtship but were ultimately being turned away due to her age. By 2004, however, they "decided to start a family" (via People) anyway. Boebert is adamant that the choice to get pregnant was completely intentional. Still, Boebert had to make some pretty hard decisions. "I left high school to help feed my family & I'm proud of that," she tweeted in September 2020.

The following includes descriptions of sexual harassment and domestic violence.

Unfortunately, Lauren Boebert's fast and furious courtship and subsequent marriage to Jayson Boebert came with its own challenges. In fact, there were some serious red flags in Lauren's marriage to her now ex-husband Jayson right from the start. Even prior to getting pregnant and tying the knot, the couple seemingly went through a rough patch after Jayson was arrested and charged with public indecency stemming from an incident that occurred at the bowling alley in January 2004. According to the arrest report obtained by Western Colorado blogger Anne Landman, Jayson exposed his genitals to two women while standing at the snack bar area of the bowling alley. In the end, he spent four days in jail and was required to complete two years of probation. 

Then, only one month later, Jayson also pleaded guilty to a domestic violence charge following an incident involving Lauren and was required to spend seven days in jail. "[He] did unlawfully strike, shove or kick ... and subjected her to physical contact," a spokesperson for the Garfield associate county court clerk confirmed to the New York Post.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

All of the red flags regarding Lauren Boebert's marriage finally came to a head in 2023. As evidenced by court documents obtained by The Colorado Sun, Lauren and Jayson Boebert offically separated on April 25, 2023. In May 2023, Lauren confirmed that she had indeed filed for divorce. "I believe strongly in marriage, which makes this announcement that much more difficult," she lamented in a statement. By October 2023, the couple were officially divorced, though not without a few hiccups along the way. As reported by The Colorado Sun, at the time of their divorce proceedings both Lauren and Jayson could be heard shouting at each other from outside the courtroom, along with the cries of the couple's infant grandchild who was also present. 

Alas, things went from bad to worse in January 2024. Jayson was arrested not once but twice following two domestic incidents. According to an arrest report obtained by CBS News, Lauren and Jayson were together at a local restaurant in Silt, Colorado on January 6 when things turned physical. In the end, Jayson was arrested and charged with "disorderly conduct, third-degree trespassing, and obstruction of a peace officer." Then, on January 9, the former couple's eldest son called 911 alleging that Jayson had assaulted him. Per an arrest report obtained by The Colorado Sun, Jayson was charged with "prohibited use of a weapon, harassment, and third-degree assault."

Sadly for Lauren Boebert, the hits kept coming. In April, the congresswoman revealed in a statement that upon "experiencing severe swelling in her upper left leg," she had been hospitalized and subsequently diagnosed with May-Thurner Syndrome, "a rare condition that disrupts blood flow." Boebert noted, however, that she was able to undergo surgery and the surgery proved to be successful. "I want to thank Dr. Rebecca Bade and the entire team at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies for their great care and providing helpful insight on my recent diagnosis," Boebert said. "I'm looking forward to making a full recovery and getting back to Congress to continue fighting for Colorado," she vowed.

While Boebert has since remained pretty quiet about the condition, she did open up about it during a candid conversation with a New York Times journalist in June. "I need to be careful, but I want to be me. I am radically Lauren Boebert. I don't know how to slow down," she confessed after taking the stage at a rally. "I am basically taking rat poison," she added, referencing the blood thinners she is on in the aftermath of the surgery.