Pete Buttigieg's Husband, Chasten, Has Played an Integral Role in His Life Since They Met

Over the last few years of his involvement in politics, Pete Buttigieg has effectively become a household name in the U.S. This is due to his multi-year mayoral tenure in South Bend, Ind., his candidacy in the 2020 presidential primaries, and his most recent role as the first openly gay presidential cabinet member serving as Secretary of Transportation since February 2021.

With Pete Buttigieg speaking at the DNC 2024, attention has intensified on him and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg. But who exactly is Chasten, and what role has he played in Pete’s political ambitions over the years and currently? Here’s what we know about the historic Secretary’s significant other.

During a highly revealing interview with The Washington Post right after Pete announced his 2020 presidential primary candidacy, Chasten explained the details of not only how the duo met, but how he came into his own as a gay man after quite a precarious experience as a child and young adult.

"I would be inside reading Harry Potter or singing Celine Dion at the top of my lungs while my mom and I were dusting the cabinets," he recalled of his childhood, differing from his brothers who were highly involved in sports. 

While speaking to The New York Times, Chasten recalled how difficult coming out to his family was at the time. "I don’t recall my parents specifically saying I couldn’t live at home anymore, but I was made to believe I needed to leave," he said, before explaining how his life transitioned to couch-hopping and homelessness until his family finally accepted him some time down the road.

Like many modern love stories, Pete and Chasten's began on the internet. Specifically, both swiped right on the dating app Hinge and arranged to meet up. Despite living in different states at the time, they met up, went to a baseball game together, and instantly became hooked on one another. 

After only a few years of dating, Pete decided to make the leap and propose to Chasten in the exact same place where he first saw his Hinge profile, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

The duo was eventually wed at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. James in South Bend in June 2018, where they opted to have some of the most eclectic catering of any high-profile wedding in recent history. Their spread was full of local business' offerings with tacos, sliders, beer, cheese, coffee, chocolate, ice cream, and other foods all made nearby their area in Indiana, a major supporting move for the city's economy.

Aside from taking a central role in his husband's attempt to secure the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, Chasten has been beside Pete for all of his political undertakings since they met.

The couple was spotted at Joe Biden's inauguration, only two weeks ahead of Pete being confirmed as the next Secretary of Transportation, a historic appointment given that he is the first Senate-confirmed openly gay man to be granted a seat on a president's cabinet.

According to Chasten's Instagram bio, he "is a teacher, speaker, advocate, and bestselling author." Chasten wrote Papa's Coming Home, which celebrates familial bonds and dads. The book is set to be released on May 13, 2025. Clearly, both Pete and Chasten are busy, but they spend much of their time with their two adopted twins, Penelope Rose and Joseph August, whom they adopted in August 2021.