Kansas governor acknowledged her divorce. Is it any of our business? | Opinion
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and her husband, retired physician Ted Daughety, divorced last fall. She spoke publicly about it for the first time last week.
I’ve taken some time to consider whether this is news, even though Kansas media outlets have covered the story and her official statement. I understand why it’s important, yet question how Kansans should consider this information.
In fact, I wondered whether I should weigh in on this incredibly personal event in a married couple’s life. I decided that I should because while it is extremely personal, the governor is a public figure who has appeared with and talked about her husband publicly.
And also, to say that it’s nunya business.
True, sometimes the fact of divorce itself can be public information if, through legal means, it’s necessary to announce the divorce because it’s impossible to serve one individual, or in case of a lawsuit.
That’s not the case here. This is an example of a longtime married couple who decided to part ways amicably.
It doesn’t affect the ability of Kelly, 75, to govern the state of Kansas any more than any other personal developments in a leader’s life, like tragedy or the death of a family member.
If you are the praying type, send your thoughts and prayers. But now is not the time for even so-called Christians to poke fun, like the person on X who commented that the first couple didn’t have Jesus at the root of their marriage. That’s not Christlike.
Divorce is a hard decision and can take a heavy toll on those in the middle of it. As a leader of a community group called DivorceCare, and a podcaster on the subject, I’ve talked to many individuals who have walked down this path and no one would say it’s frivolous or easy. How long it takes to make the ultimate decision is completely up to the individual.
DivorceCare is a faith-based program for people healing from the pain of separation or divorce. The program tries to help people manage the emotional turmoil of divorce and give practical tools for decision-making.
As someone who is divorced and remarried, I think it’s a helpful program. But again, it’s up to the individual how to seek help or even whether to announce the relationship status.
Divorce while still in office is an unusual event in a governing leader’s life — making Kelly’s announcement compelling — but not in the lives of many Americans. In 2023, the National Center for Health Statistics reported 672,502 divorces and annulments in the United States. And in 2022, a study found that the divorce rate for people 50 and over has doubled since the 1990s and tripled among those over 65. It’s a trend called “graying of divorce.”
But again, it’s personal. Nunya business, folks. Move along.
In a statement released by the governor’s office and picked up by several news outlets, Kelly said she decided to speak about the divorce, calling it “amicable,” because others had begun to ask questions about the status of her relationship with Daughety.
Kelly said the divorce was finalized in October.
“Throughout my time in public office, I’ve always guarded my family’s privacy. It’s been my policy to keep my personal life separate from my public one to the extent possible,” Kelly said in the statement.
She said it had “come to my attention that my marital status has become a topic of some speculation, so I will share that Ted and I divorced in October of 2024.”
“It was amicable and mutual, and we both continue to share in the lives of our family.”
Of course, I wish the Kelly and Daughety families well. Divorce happens, so let’s leave the families alone.
