Ken Paxton's Wife Is Divorcing Him on 'Biblical Grounds,' but What Does That Mean?

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is one of the most Conservative politicians in America, and he's currently challenging Senator John Cornyn for a seat in the United States Senate. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), though, his wife, Texas State Senator Angela Paxton, said that she would be filing for divorce from her husband on "biblical grounds."

The news of the divorce was surprising in and of itself, and doubly so because Angela seemed to suggest that her husband had done something truly unforgivable. Here's what we know about the divorce and about what it means to get divorced on biblical grounds.

As you may know, the Bible is thousands of years old, and as a result, there are a variety of ways to interpret basically every passage in the book. For decades, divorce was seen as unacceptable under basically all circumstances because it was a violation of the oath you made to one another before God. More recently, though, some interpretations have suggested that you can get divorced on biblical grounds for one of two reasons.

The first is sexual immorality, although again definitions vary widely on what exactly that means. It could be as simple as adultery, or something more nefarious or illegal. The second grounds for biblical divorce is abandonment by an unbeliever. Essentially, if your spouse just leaves you, and leaves the church as well, you can apparently get divorced without committing a sin.

That may address the general question about biblical grounds for divorce, but it doesn't come close to explaining why Ken Paxton is getting divorced.

“Today, after 38 years of marriage, I filed for divorce on biblical grounds,” Angela Paxton wrote on X. She added that she made her decision “in light of recent discoveries.”

What remains unclear is what those "recent discoveries" might have been, and she didn't provide any clarity about what she was referring to.

In a statement of his own on X, Ken wrote that he and his wife were splitting up.

"After facing the pressures of countless political attacks and public scrutiny, Angela and I have decided to start a new chapter in our lives," he wrote. "I could not be any more proud or grateful for the incredible family that God has blessed us with, and I remain committed to supporting our amazing children and grandchildren. I ask for your prayers and privacy at this time."

Given how religious both Ken and Angela at least appear to be, there's been plenty of speculation that whatever Ken did must have been rather serious. For now, though, we don't know for sure exactly what's going on in their relationship.

Ken was almost impeached by the Texas Senate in 2023 on charges of corruption, but the investigation also suggested that he might have been unfaithful to his wife. Now, as Ken tries to prove that he should be the next senator from Texas, he's dealing with what could be a major scandal.