# What is the state of Bill/Hillary Clinton's marriage? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 29, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409 "2011-11-29T02:37:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/1 "2011-11-29T02:37:08Z")
Are the Clintons living together? Anybody seen them smooch since her appointment as SecState? etc…??? Thanks, hh ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/2 "2011-11-29T03:49:06Z")
Last thing I heard was an interview with Bill where he said he spends most of his time in New York, while Hillary spends most of her time in Washington or traveling, but they text, email and talk multiple times per day. He did not volunteer (nor was he asked) how often they actually slept under the same roof. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/3 "2011-11-30T03:42:22Z")
Without involving politics too much: [ul] [li]Bill’s dalliance with whats-her-name kind of shows that theirs was a marriage of inconvenience at that point.[/li][li]The fact that Hillary stayed with him, well, it could show that she wanted to work things out & did, but whether that was out of love, or simply because she had political aspirations after his were done and didn’t want to spoil them with a divorce, seems pretty obvious to me.[/li][/ul] I would guess this is the current state of things, they can put up with each other enough to serve each others needs… ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/4 "2011-11-30T17:09:07Z")
There seems to be no end of conjecture when it comes to dissecting the Clintons’ marriage. Since this is GQ, here are links to two articles which address the question in a factual way. [From the Guardian](http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/apr/28/bill-hillary-clinton-love-story): > [@](#): > > Recently, the US secretary of state and the former president have been seen holding hands at the Cafe Carlyle in New York, only to be spotted a few days later walking together, again hand in hand, down a street in Washington. [From CBS News](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-4816635-503544.html): > [@](#): > > “I am very lucky because my husband is my best friend and he and I have been together for a very long time,” she continued. “Longer than most of you have been alive. And we have an an endless conversation. We never get bored. We get deeply involved in all of the work that we do and talk about it constantly and I just feel very fortunate that I have a relationship that has been so meaningful to me over my adult life.” ---
**Author:** ![sco3tt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@sco3tt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sco3tt)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/5 "2011-12-01T00:22:26Z")
Reminds me of the riddle that was circulating 15+ years ago: What does Bill Clinton say to Hillary after sex? (Holding phone to ear) “Hey, Hill, how are things back in D.C.?” ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/6 "2011-12-03T04:13:29Z")
Thanks for all the input, guys! hh ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/7 "2011-12-03T04:31:31Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > Thanks for all the input, guys! > > hh Christ, for a second I thought the signature was hc. Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/8 "2011-12-03T05:32:15Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Christ, for a second I thought the signature was hc. > > Jesus. This made me snort my beer. Makes you wonder just WHO (As in celebrities, politicians, etc) might just be lurking here! 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/9 "2011-12-03T06:19:24Z")
Stay out of other people’s marriages. Managing one’s own is difficult enough. Bill and Hillary are both very ambitious people and that has worked out for both of them. It seems that the marriage contract that they have between each other (whatever that is) has served to benefit both of them. They probably have a great deal of admiration for each other have worked it out between them. That’s their business and none of ours. The Gore’s looked like the ideal couple while the Clinton’s looked like a divorce in the waiting. Which marriage has survived? It seems to tell me that on some level the Clinton’s have a basic mutual respect for each other and want to stay together for whatever their reasons are. I would think that if they were going to divorce it would have happened by now. It’s really none of our business. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/10 "2011-12-03T06:57:15Z")
> [@R.P.McMurphy](#): > > Stay out of other people’s marriages. > > Managing one’s own is difficult enough. Bill and Hillary are both very ambitious people and that has worked out for both of them. It seems that the marriage contract that they have between each other (whatever that is) has served to benefit both of them. They probably have a great deal of admiration for each other have worked it out between them. That’s their business and none of ours. > > The Gore’s looked like the ideal couple while the Clinton’s looked like a divorce in the waiting. Which marriage has survived? It seems to tell me that on some level the Clinton’s have a basic mutual respect for each other and want to stay together for whatever their reasons are. I would think that if they were going to divorce it would have happened by now. > > It’s really none of our business. Not only threadshitting, but poor use of apostrophes. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/11 "2011-12-03T11:49:08Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Without involving politics too much: > [ul] > [li]Bill’s dalliance with whats-her-name kind of shows that theirs was a marriage of inconvenience at that point.[/li][li]The fact that Hillary stayed with him, well, it could show that she wanted to work things out & did, but whether that was out of love, or simply because she had political aspirations after his were done and didn’t want to spoil them with a divorce, seems pretty obvious to me.[/li][/ul] > > I would guess this is the current state of things, they can put up with each other enough to serve each others needs… That’s some incredible insight you have into the state of their marriage: it’s a marriage of convenience and (newsflash!) they have stayed together. :rolleyes: I saw Bill recently in an interview where he said that they communicate many times a day and try hard to arrange to be together every weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/12 "2011-12-03T12:47:00Z")
If there was anything I took out of my years covering the Clinton White House (roughly 97-00) it was that there was never any doubt as to Bill’s love for Hillary. He has his flaws, true, and they’ve worked out a modus viviendi, but he was still in love with her. I’d be surprised if that didn’t continue to this day. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/13 "2011-12-03T16:26:08Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Not only threadshitting, but poor use of apostrophes. Perhaps, but good points. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/14 "2011-12-03T17:23:32Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > Bill’s dalliance with whats-her-name kind of shows that theirs was a marriage of inconvenience at that point. While that’s a valuable data point, I disagree with your conclusion. Plenty of men dally without having their marriage be merely an arrangement of (in)convenience. Everyone has faults. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/15 "2011-12-03T17:37:22Z")
As someone pointed out during the Monica business - Hillary was an up and coming brilliant lawyer with a bright career ahead of her. She married a brilliant guy, a Rhodes scholar. When he said he was going back to hicksville, Arkansas, to work in politics, she dropped everything to follow him despite the limited prospects - who believes a guy in his late 20’s has a shot at being governor or anything important? Apparently, she did. She gave up a promising career and stood by the guy no matter how big a jerk he was, often, and took all the “who’s a frigid dyke” whispers with grace. It seems that married or not, in love or not, Bill always had to prove his pecker still worked. That does not mean he did not love her. The fact that he worked his butt off to help her try to get elected once he was done, sure shows he’s still devoted, no matter what recreational activities he might get up to. So, in the end, only they know what’s really going on. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/16 "2011-12-03T20:36:09Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Perhaps, but good points. 🙂 Not really. He made their marriage part of the political discourse when he apparently rode everything he could. I’m sure they respect each other etc. But it’s a political marriage. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2011, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/17 "2011-12-03T20:53:42Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Perhaps, but good points. 🙂 I thought he was ranking on the apostrophes. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/18 "2011-12-04T06:29:21Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Not only threadshitting, but poor use of apostrophes. I guess I would differentiate between threadshitting (“You have a LOTR question? Well, Hobbits are tiny and yours is too!”) and calling into question a topic’s appropriateness. I was getting caught up in the discussion, and it was good to hear “Hey, is this any of our business?” It was a welcome glass of cold water thrown in my face. So I’m compromising: I’m reading the replies, but keeping in mind that it’s really none of my business… yeah, I’m too prone to gossip. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/19 "2011-12-04T06:51:33Z")
> [@Hail Ants](#): > > I would guess this is the current state of things, they can put up with each other enough to serve each others needs… Neither of them really have any reason to fake it anymore. Its pretty clear SoS is going to be the apex of Hillarys political career, and Bill seems happy in his role as international do-gooder. Neithers career would really suffer if they decided to split-up, they’re not going to be running for another political office. And I’ve heard several places that they do really spend weekends in the same general location, despite the fact that both their jobs involve a lot of travel, which seems like more effort then would be necessary just to keep up appearances. So to the extent that its knowable, I’d guess they really have worked things out regarding Bill’s previous capers. Who would’ve thought they’d outlast Al and Tipper? ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2011, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409/20 "2011-12-04T11:20:10Z")
When Hillary Clinton’s mother was on her deathbed about a month ago, Bill Clinton cancelled a planned trip to be with his wife and mother-in-law. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-state-of-bill-hillary-clintons-marriage/604409.md?page=2)