Tragic details about Lauren Boebert

This article contains descriptions of sexual harassment and domestic violence.

There's no doubt about it: Colorado Congresswoman Lauren Boebert has had her fair share of success. Seemingly overnight, Boebert went from being 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. And true to form, she did it in her own distinctive, incendiary way. “I'm living the American dream. I've been on welfare, stood in line waiting for government cheese, and now I'm running for Congress,” she tweeted before the political shock. (You can file this post under Boebert's most controversial moments.)

Unfortunately, it hasn't always 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 the inappropriate outfits she's been caught in. From her childhood as a self-described “welfare kid” in a single-parent household to her later independence to the truth about her former husband and even a serious health scare while in the public eye, Boebert's life is full of tragic details.

Lauren Boebert (born Lauren Opal Roberts) was born in December 1986 to a woman named Shawn Roberts Bentz. Bentz was only 18 years old at the time of Boebert's birth. Unfortunately, Boebert's father was missing from the start. While Bentz claims that professional wrestler “Sweet” Stan Lane (born Wallace Stanfield Lane) is Boebert's biological father, Lane vehemently denies that he is Boebert's father. According to Salon, Lane did undergo a paternity test for Boebert and failed, but it was later revealed that the phlebotomist who performed the paternity tests had been found guilty of being paid to switch samples in another paternity case involving a former professional football player that occurred just two months after Lane's paternity test.

As one might imagine, after the failed paternity test, Boebert's mother was unable to obtain child support for Boebert. In the aftermath, Boebert and Bentz lived on very low incomes and Bentz often relied on welfare to make ends meet. However, Boebert later railed against the government program. “My mother was a true Democrat and she believed all the lies that were told to her – that she couldn't support me and my brothers on her own. She was told that if she tried to support us without the help of Democratic politicians, she would fail and that's why we grew up in poverty,” Boebert shared in a video on Facebook Live in 2020 (via Mother Jones).

Although Lauren Boebert has been very open about how difficult it was to be raised by a young single mother, she also praised her mother for setting an example. When she announced to a room full of people at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March 2023 that her 17-year-old son was expecting a child of his own, she thanked her mother for also encouraging her to have a child so early. “My mother was 18 when she had me, which inspired me to be a mother at 18,” she told the Denver Post.

Yes, that's right. Boebert also got pregnant at 18, after a whirlwind romance with Jayson Boebert. The story goes that the couple met in 2003, when Lauren was 16 and working a shift at a popular fast-food chain in high school. He was 22. In her memoir, “My American Life,” Boebert recalled that just four months into their relationship, the couple eloped to Las Vegas to get married, but were ultimately turned away due to their age. By 2004, however, they decided to “start a family” (via People). Boebert is adamant that the decision to get pregnant was entirely intentional. Still, Boebert had to make some pretty tough decisions. “I dropped out of high school to support my family, and I'm proud of that,” she tweeted in September 2020.

Below you will find descriptions of sexual harassment and domestic violence.

Unfortunately, Lauren Boebert's fast and furious courtship and subsequent marriage to Jayson Boebert came with its share of challenges. In fact, there were some serious warning signs in Lauren's marriage to her now ex-husband Jayson from the very beginning. Even before the pregnancy and marriage, the couple apparently went through a rough patch after Jayson was arrested and charged with public indecency for an incident that occurred at a 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 bowling alley's snack bar. He ended up spending four days in jail and two years on probation.

Then, just a month later, Jayson pleaded guilty to domestic violence following an incident with Lauren and spent seven days in jail.[He] “She unlawfully hit, shoved or kicked her … and subjected her to physical contact,” a Garfield Deputy District Court spokesman confirmed to the New York Post.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Website of the National Rape, Abuse and Incest Network or call RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

If you or someone you know is facing domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233. For more information, resources, and support, visit Your website.

All the warning signs regarding Lauren Boebert's marriage finally came to a head in 2023. According to court documents obtained by The Colorado Sun, Lauren and Jayson Boebert officially separated on April 25, 2023. In May 2023, Lauren confirmed that she had indeed filed for divorce. “I am a firm believer in marriage, which makes this announcement all the more difficult,” she lamented in a statement. By October 2023, the couple was officially divorced, though not without some bumps along the way. As The Colorado Sun reported, at the time of the divorce proceedings, Lauren and Jayson could be heard from outside the courtroom yelling at each other, along with the screams of the couple's young grandchild who was also present.

Unfortunately, things got even 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 restaurant in Silt, Colorado on January 6 when things got physical. Jayson ended up being arrested and charged with “riot, third-degree trespassing, and obstructing a peace officer.” Then, on January 9, the former couple's eldest son called 911 and claimed Jayson had attacked him. According to an arrest report obtained by The Colorado Sun, Jayson was charged with “prohibited use of a weapon, harassment, and third-degree assault.”

Unfortunately, Lauren Boebert's criticisms didn't stop there. In April, the congresswoman announced in a statement that she was hospitalized after experiencing “severe swelling in her left thigh” and that she had been diagnosed with May-Thurner syndrome, “a rare condition that disrupts blood flow.” However, Boebert noted that she was able to undergo surgery and the operation was successful. “I want to thank Dr. Rebecca Bade and the entire team at UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies for their amazing care and helpful insights into my recent diagnosis,” Boebert said. “I look forward to making a full recovery and returning to Congress to continue fighting for Colorado,” she vowed.

Boebert has been fairly tight-lipped about her illness since then, but in June she spoke about it in a candid conversation with a New York Times reporter. “I have to be careful, but I want to be myself. I'm Lauren Boebert through and through. I don't know how to slow down,” she confessed after taking the stage at a rally. “I'm basically taking rat poison,” she added, referring to the blood thinners she's taking after the surgery.