Texas politicians Ken and Angela Paxton are getting divorced, and they’d like some privacy please. That’s cute and all, but the women of Texas are raising some eyebrows at the request, and they have some questions for the unhappy couple. This is more than just your typical sticky break-up. This is sealed-by-the-court, alleged-adultery, Senate-primary-season extra special episode of Texas Politics Goes Wild.
If you’re wondering who even are the Paxtons, allow me to fill in the background deets. Ken Paxton is the Texas Attorney General who managed to politically survive being impeached while still holding his current office. Currently, he’s gunning for a U.S. Senate seat, just in time for a messy divorce to hit the news. Angela Paxton is a Texas State Senator and sometimes defender, but now she’s a plaintiff in the divorce proceedings heard ‘round the world. In the world of Texas politics, they’ve been a major power couple, aided by their die-hard Christian conservative values that they’ve worked together to incorporate into Texas laws.
There are many questions worth asking about this particular parting of the ways, but let’s start with: why are Texans being shut out from the divorce details? The Paxtons’ divorce petition was filed and sealed so quickly that they were still typing out their announcement tweets. Texas divorce records are almost always public, but the judge closed this case at the freaking speed of light. When regular Texans file for divorce, they get blackout curtains, but apparently Ken and Angela Paxton have those and sound-proof windows. If you’re a public figure who is on the taxpayer’s payroll, transparency isn’t just a nice suggestion; it’s the bare minimum.
Another question everyone is dying to have an answer to is… what’d he do this time? Angela’s the one who filed, so what made her decide she’d finally had enough? Well, she says they’ve been separated since June of 2024, and has accused ol’ Kenny of adultery. Angela’s circled back to her conservative roots and claims to be divorcing him on “biblical grounds” due to “recent discoveries.” Given that she sat in court when he was impeached and listened to the details of his affair in 2023, that’s not exactly new news to her. So what made Angela finally decide she’s had enough? Idk yet, so I’ll be keeping an eye on this one.
The last question I want to know the answer to… is Ken Paxton a cat, and if so, how many political lives does he have left? The man survived being impeached despite there being very little doubt that it was warranted. Can he recover from this? He’s challenging Senator John Cornyn for his seat in 2026, and a messy divorce has taken down more than one aspiring senator. Sealing the divorce in court could protect him from the opposition research gold miners, but tongues are already wagging about events that are public knowledge; the man’s had at least one extramarital affair. If this were any other family in Texas, they’d be dealing with a boatload of public scrutiny and messy disclosures—so why should the Paxtons get special treatment?
Women across the Lone Star State have also been irked (putting it mildly) with Paxton due to his relentless pursuit of people who have allegedly crossed state lines in pursuit of reproductive healthcare options that are no longer available thanks to laws he fought to put in place. His requests for privacy at a vulnerable time in his life come across as more than a little tone-deaf to women who have been denied the very same courtesy.
Do the Paxtons have a right to privacy? Well, yes. But invisibility? Nope. If the Paxtons want to request privacy at this time, that’s fine. But Texans are going to keep pushing for the details of this tea, and it better be served the way God intended: cold and sweet.
