Over the years, Bristol Palin has assumed various aliases, including those of political offspring, tabloid fodder, “Teen Mom” celebrity, and licensed realtor. However, she seems to cherish her role as a mother more than any other title she has held.
Thus, when she disclosed that her fifteen-year-old son, Tripp, chose to return to Alaska to live with his father, Levi Johnston, and move out of her $773,000, four-bedroom Spicewood, Texas, home, the story made headlines all over the world.
Palin, 33, the daughter of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, gave an explanation of the teen’s decision to transfer before the start of the school year in a post that was posted on her Instagram Stories. She also expressed her sadness over the teen’s departure.
With a picture of her two kids, Atlee, 7, and Sailor, 8, in the background, she wrote, “This has been the hardest ‘first day of school’ yet with one of the biggest pieces of my heart missing.” “In order to be nearer to his father and our entire family, Tipp has chosen to complete his high school education in Alaska.”
Palin continued, saying, “If you know Tripp, you know he lives for hunting/fishing and I honestly can’t blame him for wanting to be back home. Palin moved to Texas from her home state of Alaska in 2017.”
”As hard as it has been to come to grips with his decision—it’s truly not about what I want. He’s almost 16 years old and that relationship with his dad is a lot more important than my own selfish desires of having him with his mama forever!”
Still, Palin admitted she is incredibly emotional about her son’s move.
“I can’t talk about it yet without crying, but selfishly praying for a quick year and easy transition for us all.”
Family ties
Palin moved her family, with then-husband Dakota Meyer, to Texas in March 2017, shortly after the birth of her youngest child.
Although she and Meyer divorced a year later, she has remained in the state—moving into a stunning new home that she then gutted and renovated.
Turning a house into a home
The property was built in 2019 and features four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and more than 3,300 square feet, according to its listing. Perched atop a hill, it offers stunning views of the local area, which Palin regularly shares on her social media accounts.
As well as working as a realtor in the Austin, TX, area, the former reality star has also proven herself to be an expert in DIY renovations.
Since moving into her home, she has shared numerous home improvement updates, posting videos of herself installing new tiles, switching out cabinet hardware, and admiring her new flooring.
In a nod to her love of hunting, Palin also installed antler-shaped chandeliers in many of the main living spaces, including the kitchen and several of the bedrooms.
She also added a deerskin-print carpet to the main staircase that leads to the home’s second floor.
Palin first rose to public prominence during the 2008 presidential election, when her mom was chosen as then-Sen. John McCain’s running mate.
At the time, Palin and her mother were staunch advocates for premarital abstinence—so when the news broke that the Alaska governor’s unmarried daughter was pregnant at the age of 17, it caused quite the stir.
Gov. Palin and her now-ex-husband, Todd, issued a public statement about their daughter’s pregnancy, insisting that she and the child’s father, Johnston, would marry.
“Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family,” they wrote.
Palin and Johnston welcomed Tripp in December 2008 and ended their relationship in 2010.