Sarah Palin.

Sarah Louise Heath

Born 11 Feb 1964 Sandpoint, United States

Citizenship United States

Age 62 yr Today

12 min read

Reading time

2,336

Words

Sep 24, 2026

Published

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TL;DR

Sarah Palin became the first female governor of Alaska in 2006 and was selected as John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential election. She resigned in 2009 and wrote the memoir Going Rogue. She is a political commentator and television personality.

Identity & family.

KIN · 8

Names, aliases, and relatives of Sarah Palin — birth name, kin, and personal ties.

Birth Name Sarah Louise Heath

Nicknames Caribou Barbie, Sarah Barracuda, Alaskan Evita, Seer Of Russia

Aliases Gov. Sarah Palin, former Governor Sarah Palin

Parents: Sarah Sheeran Chuck Heath
Spouses: Todd Palin
Children: Bristol Palin Piper Palin Track Palin Willow Palin Trig Palin

At a glance.

STATS

Sarah Palin by the numbers — life, work, and family.

62 Age

1 Award

1 Marriage

5 Children

Who is Sarah Palin?

BIOGRAPHY

Sarah Palin — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.

Early life

Sarah Louise Heath was born on February 11, 1964 in Sandpoint, Idaho, but her family moved to Alaska when she was young. Her father, Chuck Heath, was a teacher and her mother, Sally Heath, was a school secretary. She grew up in Wasilla, where she excelled in sports and graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982. She attended the University of Hawaii at Hilo, North Idaho College, and eventually earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987. After college, she worked as a sportscaster for KTUU-TV and KTVA-TV in Anchorage.

Career

Palin’s political career began in 1992 when she was elected to the Wasilla City Council. In 1996, she became mayor of Wasilla, serving two three-year terms. She then served on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission before winning the governorship in 2006, becoming the first woman to hold that office. In August 2008, Republican presidential nominee John McCain chose her as his vice presidential running mate. After the McCain-Palin ticket lost to Barack Obama and Joe Biden, Palin resigned as governor effective July 26, 2009. She subsequently authored the memoir Going Rogue: An American Life and hosted the reality series Sarah Palin’s Alaska 2010 on TLC and Amazing America with Sarah Palin 2014 on Sportsman Channel. In 2022, she ran for Alaska’s at-large congressional seat but lost to Mary Peltola.

Personal life

Palin married Todd Palin on August 29, 1988; they divorced in 2020. The couple had five children: Track Palin born 1989, Bristol Palin 1990, Willow Palin 1995, Piper Palin 2001, and Trig Palin 2008, who was prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome. Palin’s decision to keep Trig despite the diagnosis became a notable personal and political moment. Her parents are Chuck Heath and Sally Sheeran; she has three siblings. In 2019, Todd Palin filed for divorce.

Legacy

Sarah Palin’s political career, though brief at the national level, reshaped the Republican Party’s populist wing. She was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in April 2010. Her nickname Sarah Barracuda reflected her combative style. She was inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame. Palin is also credited with inspiring later conservative figures such as Marjorie Taylor Greene. The term death panels, popularized during the 2009 healthcare debate, is frequently attributed to Palin. She was famously parodied by Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live. Palin is a polarizing figure who changed the trajectory of Republican vice presidential selections and the role of female candidates.

Awards & honors.

AWARDS · 1

Every award, honor, and recognition received by Sarah Palin — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.

Alaska Women's Hall of Fame

Notable quotes.

QUOTES · 15

A wall of memorable lines from Sarah Palin — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.

Piper Was Named After Todd’s Airplane, the Piper Cub, Which Gets Us to the Hunting Grounds. Bristol, Bristol Bay Fishing Grounds. Willow, a Local Sport-fishing Stream. Trig, I Pull the TRIG-ger. Track … I Remember When We Told My Dad That His Grandson Was Named Track, He Said, ‘Like TRACKing an Elephant?’
I Love Those Hockey Moms. You Know, They Say the Difference Between a Hockey Mom and a Pit Bull? Lipstick.
A Ship in a Harbor Is Safe, but That Is Not What a Ship Is Built For.
A Changing Environment Will Affect Alaska More Than Any Other State, Because of Our Location. I’m Not One Though Who Would Attribute It to Being Man-made.
Tax Dollars Go to Projects That Have Little or Nothing to Do with the Public Good – Things Like Fruit Fly Research in Paris, France. I Kid You Not.
Simply Waiting for Low-carbon-emitting Renewable Capacity to Be Large Enough Will Mean That It Will Be Too Late to Meet the Mitigation Goals for Reducing Carbon Dioxide That Will Be Required Under Most Credible Climate-change Models.
While We Recognize the Occurrence of These Natural, Cyclical Environmental Trends, We Can’t Say with Assurance That Man’s Activities Cause Weather Changes. We Can Say, However, That Any Potential Benefits of Proposed Emissions Reduction Policies Are Far Outweighed by Their Economic Costs.
How’s That Hopey-changey Stuff Workin’ Out for Ya?
Lest Anyone Try to Convince You That God Should Be Separated from the State, Our Founding Fathers, They Were Believers. and George Washington, He Saw Faith in God as Basic to Life.
I Think We Should Just Kind of Keep This Clean, Keep It Simple, Go Back to What Our Founders and Our Founding Documents Meant – They’re Quite Clear – That We Would Create Law Based on the God of the Bible and the Ten Commandments.
Let Me Ask You, Do You Love Your Freedom That You Have Here in America? Well, so Do I.
There Is No Way I’m Not Going to Love a State When You Enter Your Borders and You Look up at Your State Flag and You See Emblazoned on That a Mama Grizzly.
I Guess a Small-town Mayor Is Sort of Like a Community Organizer, Except That You Have Actual Responsibilities.
While I Was at It, I Got Rid of a Few Things in the Governor’s Office That I Didn’t Believe Our Citizens Should Have to Pay For. That Luxury Jet Was Over-the-top. I Put It on EBay.
All of ‘Em, Any of ‘Em That Have Been in Front of Me Over All These Years. – When Being Unable to Name a Newspaper That She Reads.

Did you know?

FACTS · 33

Little-known facts about Sarah Palin — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.

She is descended from 10 Mayflower passengers.
Of English, German, Irish and Dutch descent.
Governor of Alaska from December 4, 2006 until her resignation on July 26, 2009.
Second woman, after Geraldine A. Ferraro in 1984, to run on a major party presidential ticket.
Elected mayor of Wasilla, Alaska in 1996, and the state’s first female governor in 2006. She resigned on July 3, 2009, mainly to care for Trig Palin’s early life, with Down Syndrome.
Crank-called by a Canadian radio station, CKOI, in Montreal, Quebec, just days before Election Week. During a four- to five-minute conversation, she was deceived into thinking she was speaking with French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
Daughter of Charles Richard Chuck Heath born Los Angeles County, California, 24 Mar 1938 and wife Sarah Sally Sheeran born Richland, Washington, 26 Oct 1940.
First job was as a janitor at an engineering firm on weekends.
Youngest child, Trig Palin, has Down Syndrome.
Mother, with ex-husband Todd Palin, of five children: son Track Palin Track Charles James Palin; born April 20, 1989, daughter Bristol Palin Bristol Sheeran Marie Palin; born October 18, 1990, daughter Willow Palin Willow Bianca Faye Palin; born July 7, 1995, daughter Piper Palin Piper Indy Grace Palin; born March 19, 2001 and son Trig Palin Trig Paxson Van Palin; April 18, 2008.
Announced by John McCain as his vice-presidential running mate, the first female vice-presidential candidate in the history of the Republican party. The announcement fell on McCain’s 72nd birthday and Palin’s 20th wedding anniversary 29 August 2008.
Attended Wasilla High School, the same alma mater as her husband, Todd Palin. Their oldest two children, son Track Palin and daughter Bristol Palin, would also graduate from the school in 2007 and 2009.
Worked as a sportscaster for KTUU-TV and KTVA-TV in Anchorage after graduating college.
Unsuccessfully ran for Lieutenant Governor of Alaska in 2003.
Ex-mother-in-law of Dakota Meyer.
Her and her parents’ homes suffered destruction from a 7.0 earthquake in Alaska on December 1, 2018.
Her husband of 31 years Todd Palin filed for divorce from her on September 6, 2019.
Has five grandchildren: three by daughter Bristol Palin and two by son Track Palin.
Youngest son, Trig Palin, was prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome.
Grandmother of Tripp Johnston Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, born on December 27, 2008 via Bristol Palin.
Third of four children. Her siblings are Chuck Heath Jr., Heather Heath and Molly Heath.
Played on Saturday Night Live 1975 by Tina Fey.
Suing The New York Times for defamation over an editorial that linked one of her political action committee ads to the mass shooting that severely wounded Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords June 2017.
Selected as one of the world’s 100 most influential people by TIME Magazine April 2010.
Cousin of Jason Morgan.
Grandmother of Tripp Johnson, Sailor Grace Meyer, Atlee Bay Meyer, Banks Bailey, and Blaise Bailey.
Became a Fox News analyst in January 2010.
Mentioned by Eminem in the song We Made You.
Visited the White House with Ted Nugent and Kid Rock April 2017.
Wears a size 7 1/2 shoe.
Far right conspiracy theorist.
Inspired Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Made the notion of the false death panels famous.

You wanted to know.

FAQ · 50

Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Sarah Palin.

When was Sarah Palin born?

Sarah Palin was born on February 11, 1964 in Sandpoint, Idaho.
Where was Sarah Palin born?

She was born in Sandpoint, Idaho, USA.
How old is Sarah Palin?

As of 2025, Sarah Palin is 62 years old.
What is Sarah Palin's real name?

Her birth name is Sarah Louise Heath.
What does Sarah Palin do for a living?

She is a producer, actor, and writer who also works as a political commentator.
What nationality is Sarah Palin?

She is American.
What language does Sarah Palin speak?

Her native language is English.
Who are Sarah Palin's parents?

Her parents are Chuck Heath and Sally Sheeran.
Who is Sarah Palin married to?

She was married to Todd Palin from August 29, 1988 to March 23, 2020.
Does Sarah Palin have children?

Yes, she has five children: Track Palin born 1989, Bristol Palin 1990, Willow Palin 1995, Piper Palin 2001, and Trig Palin 2008.
Where did Sarah Palin go to school?

She attended Wasilla High School, then studied at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, North Idaho College, Hawaii Pacific University, Matanuska-Susitna College, and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Idaho.
What awards has Sarah Palin won?

She was inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame.
How many awards has Sarah Palin won?

She has received at least one major award: the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame induction.
What is Sarah Palin best known for?

She is best known for being the first female governor of Alaska and the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008 alongside John McCain.
What is Sarah Palin's Instagram?

Her Instagram handle is @sarahpalin97.
How tall is Sarah Palin?

She is 5 feet 5 inches 1.65 meters tall.
What nicknames does Sarah Palin have?

Her nicknames include Caribou Barbie, Sarah Barracuda, Alaskan Evita, and Seer of Russia.
Why is Sarah Palin called Sarah Barracuda?

The nickname Sarah Barracuda originated from her aggressive style on the basketball court in high school, where she earned a reputation for fierce competitiveness.
What aliases does Sarah Palin use?

She is often referred to as Gov. Sarah Palin or former Governor Sarah Palin in political contexts.
Is Sarah Palin married?

She was married to Todd Palin from 1988 until their divorce in March 2020.
Does Sarah Palin have grandchildren?

Yes, she has five grandchildren: Tripp Johnston, Sailor Grace Meyer, Atlee Bay Meyer, Banks Bailey, and Blaise Bailey.
What are Sarah Palin's siblings' names?

She has three siblings: Chuck Heath Jr., Heather Heath, and Molly Heath.
What is Sarah Palin's educational background?

She graduated from Wasilla High School in 1982 and later earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987.
What was Sarah Palin's first job?

Her first job was as a janitor at an engineering firm on weekends.
Did Sarah Palin work as a sportscaster?

Yes, after college she worked as a sportscaster for KTUU-TV and KTVA-TV in Anchorage, Alaska.
When did Sarah Palin become mayor of Wasilla?

She was elected mayor of Wasilla in 1996 and served two three-year terms.
When did Sarah Palin become governor of Alaska?

She was elected in 2006 and took office on December 4, 2006, becoming the first female governor of Alaska.
Why did Sarah Palin resign as governor?

She resigned effective July 26, 2009, citing the need to care for her son Trig, who has Down syndrome, and to avoid the cost of defending ethics complaints.
What books has Sarah Palin written?

She wrote the memoir Going Rogue: An American Life 2009, and later America by Heart 2010.
What TV shows has Sarah Palin hosted?

She hosted Sarah Palin’s Alaska on TLC 2010 and Amazing America with Sarah Palin on Sportsman Channel 2014.
Did Sarah Palin run for Congress in 2022?

Yes, she ran for Alaska’s at-large congressional seat but lost to Mary Peltola in both the special and general elections.
What is Sarah Palin's connection to the term death panels?

She popularized the false claim that the Affordable Care Act would create death panels to ration end-of-life care.
How is Sarah Palin related to Marjorie Taylor Greene?

She is said to have inspired Marjorie Taylor Greene and other far-right politicians.
Has Sarah Palin been parodied on Saturday Night Live?

Yes, she was famously parodied by Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live during the 2008 campaign.
Is Sarah Palin a grandmother?

Yes, she has five grandchildren, including Tripp Johnston born December 27, 2008 via Bristol Palin.
What was the cause of Sarah Palin's divorce?

Todd Palin filed for divorce on September 6, 2019, citing irreconcilable differences; the divorce was finalized in March 2020.
Does Sarah Palin have a son with Down syndrome?

Yes, her youngest son Trig Palin born April 18, 2008 has Down syndrome.
What political party does Sarah Palin belong to?

She is a member of the Republican Party.
What is Sarah Palin's height?

She is 5 feet 5 inches 1.65 m tall.
What is Sarah Palin's Facebook page?

Her official Facebook page is facebook.com/sarahpalin.
How many children does Sarah Palin have?

She has five children: Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig.
What is Sarah Palin's ancestry?

She is of English, German, Irish, and Dutch descent and is descended from 10 Mayflower passengers.
Has Sarah Palin ever run for vice president?

Yes, she was the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008 alongside John McCain.
What is Sarah Palin's shoe size?

She wears a size 7 1/2 shoe.
Did Sarah Palin visit the White House with Ted Nugent?

Yes, she visited the White House with Ted Nugent and Kid Rock in April 2017.
Is Sarah Palin suing The New York Times?

Yes, she filed a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times in June 2017 over an editorial linking her PAC ad to the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords.
What is Sarah Palin's role on Fox News?

She became a Fox News analyst in January 2010.
Did Sarah Palin appear on The Masked Singer?

Yes, she performed as the Bear on The Masked Singer in 2019.
What is the name of Sarah Palin's memoir?

Her memoir is titled Going Rogue: An American Life, published in 2009.
How tall is Sarah Palin in meters?

She is 1.65 meters tall.

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Audited & updated by

If something's wrong in a profile, Daniel will find it. With 7 years of research experience, he's developed an almost unreasonable eye for inaccurate career timelines, misattributed credits, and dates that don't quite add up. He doesn't publish anything he can't verify. The profiles on Famousy are as accurate as they are largely because of work you'll never see his name on.

Published on September 24, 2026

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