Whatever Happened To Bristol Palin?

Sarah Palin’s daughter, Bristol Palin, spent much of the 2010s preaching abstinence after getting pregnant as a teenager in 2008 and evoking the wrath of both her mother’s fellow Republicans and her adversaries. During the height of her infamy,  Bristol snagged a spot on “Teen Mom OG,” and you can probably guess how that went. “Teen mom OG wasn’t a fit for me, it took away my peace … and honestly — my peace has a price tag that no one but God can afford,” admitted Bristol in a 2019 Instagram post following her single-season run. She continued, “[Money] doesn’t impress me, I don’t entertain bs, and walking away from this show allows God to rebuild me (and my little fam) in the right direction.”

Eventually, the judgmental spotlight on her life showed her a little grace and shifted to other public figures, allowing Bristol to enjoy a less public existence. Fortunately, it seems that the lack of attention has done her a ton of good after a rough start to adulthood. These days, Bristol, who added two more children to her family during her marriage to Dakota Meyer (also featured on “Teen Mom” before their divorce), seems to have settled into her life as a single mother of three. With that said, the MTV alum has definitely found ways to keep her followers interested in her journey throughout the years, even if it hasn’t been nearly as headline-inducing or as politically motivated. Here’s what Bristol is up to today.

Bristol Palin, who’s since delved into the world of real estate, may have had terrible romantic run-ins in the past, especially concerning her oldest son’s father, Levi Johnston, but now she’s moved on to another special someone. In January 2024, Palin’s new unidentified suitor utilized his Instagram stories to celebrate their day out in the brisk Alaskan climate. “No better way to end the year than with this girl in Alaska,” he wrote (via The Sun). “Had so much fun seeing your world and meeting ALL of your family. All amazing people. Definitely lifelong memories.” That said, Palin’s new love interest never made it to her Instagram grid, so it’s unclear whether they’ll be ending 2024 the way they started.

Either way, it’s not like Palin, who’s based in Texas, doesn’t have three children to fill her time and house with love. Well, actually, she’ll only have two to watch on a daily basis, as her oldest son, Tripp, has requested to live with her ex, Levi Johnston, who lives in Alaska. “It was like — it still is gut-wrenching to me because it’s been just Tripp and I. And then I’ve had my girls, but it’s always been Tripp and I,” Palin revealed during the “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans” podcast. “But it’s one of those things where he’s almost 16. He does need his dad. And he needs that relationship,” she added. “He thinks that this is best right now, and all I can do is just hope and pray that it is what’s best.”

While we’re sure Bristol Palin probably has a ton of thoughts about how her teenage indiscretions were used to further Sarah Palin’s political career, we’re much more interested in finding out what went down when she appeared on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2010. Fortunately, Bristol, who was paired with pro dancer Mark Ballas, decided to make the mid-year slump more exciting by revealing that Maks Chmerkovskiy, another pro dancer, didn’t like her. “Oh, Maks, he hated me so much,” she revealed on the “Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans” podcast. “Probably just because we kept going through.” Bristol also claimed that Chmerkovskiy was much nicer before realizing she was making positive progress. 

Despite Bristol claiming that she and Chmerkovskiy feuded during “Dancing with the Stars,” the pro dancer remembered things differently. “Maks doesn’t hate anybody and he’s never hated Bristol,” his team  shared with People. “His bad boy reputation was overblown by the media at the time.” They continued, “He was really good at dancing and he was really competitive, which are two important qualities you need to be on Dancing with the Stars.” As for the reason for his solemn energy? Well, Chmerkovskiy was reportedly upset that he and singer Brandy, his partner that year, didn’t make it to the finals. “He and everyone else in America were taken by surprise.” And to that, we have to say, touché!