Inside Kellyanne and George Conway's Marriage, From Love to Divorce

May 2024 · 9 minute read

Kellyanne Conway was one of former President Donald Trump's fiercest and most vocal supporters. While George Conway supported Trump at first, he now publicly trolls him.

Then-White House counselor Kellyanne Conway listens to President Donald Trump speak to the media during a Cabinet meeting on November 19, 2019. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Their love story began after George spotted DC pollster Kellyanne Fitzpatrick on the cover of a magazine in the late 1990s and called his friend Ann Coulter to introduce them.

Ann Coulter. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Source: Washington Post

After Coulter made the introduction, Kellyanne and George began spending time together in the Hamptons and at baseball games. Kellyanne once said, "I find that his near-constant presence doesn't annoy me."

Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, center, and her husband George Conway, right, greet guests on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington during a Halloween event welcoming children from the Washington area and children of military families to trick-or-treat, Monday, Oct. 30, 2017. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP

Source: Washington Post

The two were married in 2001 at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia. It was reportedly a "decadent affair" — the cake was so big it had to be cut into pieces so it could fit in the door.

The procession enters the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul for the installation ceremony of Archbishop of Philadelphia Justin Rigali on October 7, 2003 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Getty Images

Source: Washington Post

"It was the biggest, fanciest wedding I've ever been to in my entire life," a guest recalled to The Post. "All seven of the members of the right-wing conspiracy were there. The rest were just Republicans."

Conway at the Generation Next forum at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington. Leah Millis/AP

Source: Washington Post

That guest was referring to George's rumored role in fanning the flames of former President Bill Clinton's impeachment, which former first lady Hillary Clinton once called a "vast right-wing conspiracy."

First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton watches President Clinton pause as he thanks those Democratic members of the House of Representatives who voted against impeachment in this Dec. 19, 1998 file photo. AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File

Source: Washington Post

The newlyweds moved into an apartment at Trump World Tower in Manhattan. It was here where Kellyanne and George met Trump.

Trump World Tower. AP

Source: Washington Post

George argued against taking Trump's name off the building, and the then-real estate developer called to thank George for what he did, offering him a spot on the condo board.

Mark Lennihan/AP Photos

Source: Washington Post

George declined the offer, but Kellyanne volunteered for the position. "My laziness led her to meet Donald Trump," George told the Post.

Pool/Getty Images

Source: Washington Post

But George later said he regrets introducing Kellyanne to Trump. "Knowing what I know now, I would have said no, and never mentioned it when I got home," George told the Post in August 2018.

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Sources: Washington PostBusiness Insider

The years that followed living in Alpine, New Jersey, were quieter. Kellyanne and George raised their four children: a set of twins named George IV and Claudia, Charlotte, and Vanessa.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Source: Washington Post

While Kellyanne's polling work had her in both New York and Washington, DC, George worked in New York as a litigation partner at the firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen, and Katz.

Kellyanne worked with Newt Gingrich early in her career. John Moore/Getty Images

Source: Washington PostStar LedgerWachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz

Between their two jobs, the Conways have done well financially. When she joined the Trump administration, they disclosed assets worth up to $39.3 million.

Kellyanne Conway is seen in New York City outside Trump Towers. Dennis Van Tine/STAR MAX/IPx 12/2/16

Source: Business Insider

Kellyanne joined Trump's team in July 2016. She would later become the first woman to run a successful presidential campaign.

Former Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway with reporters at Trump Tower. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Kellyanne made occasional TV appearances through her polling work, but it was nothing like when she began working for Trump. George even hired security to keep the family safe.

Screenshot via NBC.com

Source: Washington Post

"I remember going on Google after she was announced as campaign manager and seeing her name was the most-searched term in the country," George told the Post. "I knew right then our lives would never be quite the same."

Screenshot via ABC

Source: Washington Post

Kellyanne and George said they watched the "Saturday Night Live" impressions and thought they were funny until they started to seem mean.

Kate McKinnon as Kellyanne Conway on SNL. Screenshot/NBC

Source: Washington Post

When the networks called the election for Trump, George reportedly began to cry and say to everyone at the Midtown Manhattan Hilton about Kellyanne: "She did it! She did it! She made history."

President-elect Donald Trump Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Source: Washington Post

"I couldn't have done this without him," Kellyanne said of George taking care of the kids while she was on the road campaigning.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway speaks at the Values Voter Summit of the Family Research Council in Washington. Thomson Reuters

Source: Washington Post

Trump was reportedly considering George to either run the Justice Department's civil division or serve as US Solicitor General. But George withdrew his name from consideration to stay in the private sector.

George T. Conway III, husband of White House Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, attends the 139th Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House April 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. The White House said 21,000 people are expected to attend the annual tradition of rolling colored eggs down the White House lawn that was started by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Source: Washington PostCosmopolitan

George reportedly turned down the offer after Trump fired FBI director James Comey and the special counsel's investigation of Russia's interference in US elections gained traction.

James Comey testifies in Washington DC in 2016. Win McNamee/Getty

Sources: Washington PostBusiness Insider

According to his friends, George did not want to be a part of a Justice Department that found itself targeted by the president.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Sources: Washington PostBusiness Insider

In a now-deleted tweet from March 2018, George described Trump's string of hirings and firings at the White House as "absurd," and in another tweet, described Trump's statements as "false and misleading."

US President Donald speaks as Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue looks on. Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

When Trump said in April 2018 that attorney-client privilege was dead, Conway responded on Twitter with a section of a Justice Department manual listing guidelines for executing proper searches of potentially privileged material.

George Conway Twitter Twitter

Source: Business InsiderTwitter

Kellyanne told the Post she thought George's tweets were "disrespectful." She elaborated, saying, "It's a violation of basic decency, certainly, if not marital vows."

Trump with Kellyanne Conway and Hope Hicks at a campaign event Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Sources: Washington PostBusiness Insider

Kellyanne tried to be quoted about her husband as "a person familiar with their relationship," but the reporter refused because she was already on the record for the interview.

Kellyanne Conway. Thomson Reuters

Source: Business Insider

In June 2018, George wrote a column for Lawfare defending the special counsel Robert Mueller and his authority in the Russia investigation.

Robert Mueller. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Sources: Lawfare, CNN

In another interview with the Post, George said he gave Kellyanne a harder time about working for Trump than anyone else. He also said that "it's just endless selfies" when people approach them out in public.

Kellyanne Conway poses for a selfie with supporters after Melania Trump, wife to the Republican Presidential nominee, delivered a speech at Main Line Sports in Berwyn, Pennsylvania November 3, 2016 Thomson Reuters

Source: Washington Post

Kellyanne embraces her popularity. "Nobody knows who I am because of my husband," she told the Post. "People know of my husband because of me."

Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway speaks on television in the Briefing Room at the White House in Washington. Andrew Harnik/AP

Source: Washington Post

But the two were increasingly at odds over Kellyanne's boss. "If there's an issue, it's because she's in that job, for that man," George told the Post in August 2018, later adding: "I'm just saddened by how things turned out."

President-elect Donald Trump, right, kisses the hand of Kellyanne Conway, his campaign manager, during a VIP reception and dinner with donors, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, in Washington. AP/Evan Vucci

Source: Washington Post

Kellyanne suggested to the Post that she felt torn between the two of them. "I feel there's a part of him that thinks I chose Donald Trump over him. Which is ridiculous. One is my work and one is my marriage."

Kellyanne Conway and President Donald Trump Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Source: Washington Post

Trump's tense relationship with George reached a fever pitch in March 2019 after Trump spent St. Patrick's Day weekend on a Twitter tear against "Saturday Night Live," Fox News, and the late Sen. John McCain.

President Donald Trump speaks following a meeting on infrastructure at Trump Tower, August 15, 2017 in New York City. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Source: Business Insider

George posted the cover of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders hours after the first leg of Trump's tweets, followed by the book's pages that describe narcissistic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder.

Twitter

Source: Twitter

When asked about the tweet, Kellyanne said she didn't "share those concerns" about Trump's psychological state.

Counselor to US President Donald Trump, Kellyanne Conway speaks to the press outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 9, 2018. JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

Source: Politico

Trump himself capped off the drama when he called George "A total loser!"

@RealDonaldTrump on Twitter

Source: Twitter

George responded with several tweets of his own, starting with, "Congratulations! You just guaranteed that millions of more people are going to learn about narcissistic personality disorder and malignant narcissism! Great job!"

George Conway speaks at Georgetown Law School on March 8, 2019. Georgetown Law/Handout via REUTERS

Source: Twitter

In a March 2019 interview with Politico, Kellyanne said she had discussed George's criticisms with Trump "in passing," and that the president "left it alone for months out of respect for me." She added that the rift hadn't affected her job in any way.

White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway speaks to the media at the White House on February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Source: Politico

"But you think he shouldn't respond when somebody, a non-medical professional accuses him of having a mental disorder? You think he should just take that sitting down?" she told Politico's Daniel Lippman, adding that Trump was a "counterpuncher."

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway speaks to members of the news media after giving an interview to Fox News at the White House on February 4, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis

Source: Politico

The couple announced in March 2023 that they were getting an "amicable" divorce and "remain united as parents."

Kellyanne Conway was one of former President Donald Trump's longest-serving aides, working as counselor to the president. Alex Wong/Getty Images
—George Conway🌻 (@gtconway3d) March 4, 2023

Source: Insider

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyssculsJqmnpp6qLHOq56eZZOku7it2Gakmqqinq6osYylpq%2BdXajBsL7YZmlpaWhihQ%3D%3D