Are Elizabeth Smart's Parents Ed and Lois Still Married? Here's What We Know

People want to know if the kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart's parents, Ed and Lois, are still married. Elizabeth was kidnapped when she was just 14. She was snatched from her bedroom in the middle of the night as her 9-year-old sister witnessed the horrific abduction on June 5, 2002.

The teen was taken from her room in Salt Lake City, Utah, by Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee. She was kept in a dark hole for nine months and was raped daily by Mitchell as his wife watched. She was rescued after Mitchell was identified by Elizabeth's little sister, Mary Katherine, when she recognized Mitchell's voice. Mitchell had previously worked on the family's roof. So, are Lois and Ed still married?

No, Lois and Ed are no longer married. Ed came out as homosexual after 34 years of marriage and having six children with Lois — four sons and two daughters. The couple were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but Ed left the church in 2019 after he came out. Lois filed for divorce that same year, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Elizabeth released a statement about her parents' divorce that said she loved them and would not pass judgment.

"My parents taught me as a young child that they would love me unconditionally no matter what happened," she said. "While I am deeply saddened by their separation, nothing could change my love and admiration for them both. Their decisions are very personal. As such, I will not pass judgment and rather am focusing on loving and supporting them and the other members of my family.”

Ed talked about coming out during an interview with Inside Edition in 2019, and at the time, he was 64 and finally living his truth.

"Elizabeth said to me, 'Dad, you knowwhether you're gay or not, I, you know, I want you in my life," he said. "As a young man — 12, we were moving here to Utah, I noticed that I was more attracted to guys than two girls. ... In the culture that I grew up in, it wasn't something that was acceptable."

Elizabeth told Tudum that several family members prefer to leave the past in the past. A documentary about Elizabeth's story, Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart, premiered on Jan 21, 2026, on Netflix, and Lois Smart declined to be included. Ed is interviewed in the documentary, as well as Elizabeth's sister. Mary Katherine.

"Some members of my family want to leave things in the past," said Elizabeth. "And personally, that’s OK with me. I want to respect their wishes."

According to People, Ed is now working as a real estate and mortgage broker. His ex-wife, Lois, is a public speaker, and the two co-authored the 2003 book about their daughter's abduction, Bringing Elizabeth Home: A Journey of Faith and Hope.