Bristol Palin Said Her Son Told Her via Text About His Decision to Live With His Dad

When she was only a 17, Bristol Palin was thrust into the national spotlight as the pregnant teen daughter of Alaska governor and VP hopeful Sarah Palin. Amid the intense scrutiny, Bristol went on to give birth to a son named Tripp with her then-fiancé Levi Johnston. Bristol and Levi's relationship was on and off, and eventually Bristol was given primary custody of their son.

Bristol raised her son as a single mom, until years later when she met a Marine named Dakota Meyer. They got married in 2016 and moved to Texas, and they welcomed two daughters together over the course of their relationship. But the couple split in 2018, and after that, Bristol — who got 50/50 custody of the girls — continued to raise her kids in Texas.

However, in August 2024, Bristol said that Tripp had moved back to Alaska to be with his dad — and that she found out about it over text.

Bristol opened up about her son's move during an Aug. 26 interview on Cheryl Burke's Sex, Lies, and Spray Tans podcast.

"I know recently [Tripp] chose to move back with his father," Cheryl said. "How has that taken a toll on you emotionally? Has it been so hard?"

"It still is gut-wrenching to me," Bristol responded, going on to explain that it's always "been just Tripp and I."

"And then I had my girls," she went on, "but it's always been Tripp and I. And then he'd spend a couple weeks in Alaska and he'd come back. And the girls — I share 50/50 [custody] with my girls, so it's changed the dynamic so much."

"But it's one of those things where he's almost 16, he does need his dad," Bristol continued. "He needs that relationship, and he thinks this is best right now. And all I can do is just hope and pray that it is what's best."

Bristol said that Tripp was having a good time so far in Alaska and that he'd recently started school and was playing sports, and was busying himself with hunting and fishing. She said that as hard as it's been for her and the girls, she knows that "boys need their dad. And I can't hinder that for myself."

"How did it get brought up? Did [Tripp] bring it up?" Cheryl asked.

"Oh, he just texts me and was like, 'Hey, Mom, I'm not coming back.' I'm like, oh, I couldn't even believe it. At first, I'm like, 'I'm coming up to Alaska, we're not doing this.' I was so mad, so mad," Bristol recalled.

"He must have been so nervous," Cheryl said.

"I know. ... I'm sure that was a very monumental decision for him and I'm sure it was so hard for him to bring it up to me, but I respect that he thinks that this is what's best," Bristol replied, going on to explain that even though she wants "him with me forever" and he's her "best friend," she "can't be selfish in that." She added, "He needs to strengthen that relationship and I just need to support it."

Luckily, it sounds like Bristol visits Alaska a lot and that she even has plans to get a place there in the future.

"Maybe one day I'll have a secondary home there," she said. "But my whole family still lives there. ... I'm there like every other month to see my family. I'll be up there plenty to watch [Tripp] play football and whatnot. So hopefully one day I'll have a secondary house up there."