Many people noticed that Elizabeth Smart’s father Ed was a driving force in the Netflix documentary about her case, but her mother Lois did not feature.
Ed and Lois Smart married in 1986. They share six children together in total – four sons and two daughters. Elizabeth, their second-oldest child, was born in 1987. Ed and Lois are now grandparents to Elizabeth’s three children. She has two daughters called Chloé and Olivia, and a son called James.
Elizabeth was 14 when Brian David Mitchell threatened her at knifepoint and then abducted her from her bedroom. She was then held captive for nine months, before being rescued. The Netflix documentary told the story of her kidnap and rescue, but missed a huge update in what has happened to Elizabeth Smart’s parents since.
via Netflix
Lois and Ed Smart ended their marriage in 2019
After 34 years of marriage, Elizabeth Smart’s parents Lois and Ed divorced in 2019. It was Lois who filed for divorce, and their marriage was terminated with Salt Lake County Court in Salt Lake City, Utah, according to legal documents obtained by Us Weekly.
In a statement, Elizabeth said she supported her parents’ decision. “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.”
via Netflix
Ed Smart came out as gay
Lois and Ed Smart got a divorce after Ed came out as gay and left the church. Amid the divorce, Ed revealed in a letter that he “recently acknowledged to myself and my family that I am gay.”
He wrote: “This is one of the hardest letters I have ever written. Hard because I am finally acknowledging a part of me that I have struggled with most of my life and never wanted to accept, but I must be true and honest with myself.”
He later said he had a “change in my beliefs”, and explained: “My faith is strong, and unwavering, however, after considerable study, prayer and pondering I have come to a change in my beliefs. It is because of this change, that I can finally acknowledge and accept my orientation. Had I not had a change in my beliefs, I would have likely remained closeted the rest of my life.
“As an openly gay man, the Church is not a place where I find solace any longer. It is not my responsibility to tell the Church, its members or its leadership what to believe about the rightness or wrongness of being LGBTQ.”
Ed acknowledged his wife Lois, and the “pain” this had put her through. “I love my family and always will. Lois has been a loyal wife, and extraordinary mother, who has had to endure an impossible part of this journey,” he said.
“I deeply regret the excruciating pain this has caused her. Hurting her was never my intent. While our marriage will end, my love for Lois and everyone in my family is eternal. I believe that love is what binds us together. While there are wounds right now, I also know our Saviour can help heal the damage which this revelation has brought. Through Christ love will outlast the grief.”
via Netflix
In a further interview, Ed explained he had felt “different” since age 13, and “found myself more interested in boys”. But, he was “taught that having an attraction towards another male was not right.” He said he searched for acceptance in the church, so wasn’t true to himself.
Despite this, he said his 34 years of marriage with Lois were “happy”. But, Lois did confront him prior to their divorce and ask if he was gay. “I feel horrible that our marriage has ended,” he said, and began to cry. “Lois is a wonderful woman and I wish, somehow, she understood. I think she believes it was my choice [to be gay]. It was not my choice to be gay, until I left her I was always faithful.”
Ed explained that he called each of his children at five o’clock in the morning, and told them very simply: “Your mother and I are getting a divorce and I am gay.”
Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.
