Tulsi Gabbard’s life has never followed a conventional path. Born in American Samoa and raised in Hawaii, she’s served in war zones, launched a presidential campaign, and now holds one of the most powerful intelligence positions in the U.S. government. Her rise from state legislator to Director of National Intelligence has been anything but typical.
While most headlines focus on her political shifts and military service, Gabbard’s personal life has also seen its share of significant chapters. Away from the spotlight, she’s been through two marriages—each tied to very different phases of her journey. Though she rarely speaks publicly about her relationships, they’ve quietly marked turning points in her life.
Let’s have a closer look at her love life.
Tulsi Gabbard’s Current Husband, Abraham Williams
Abraham Williams has been a steady force in Tulsi Gabbard’s life, both behind the camera and at her side. The two met in 2012, when Williams, then an emerging cinematographer, volunteered to help film Gabbard’s first congressional campaign ads.
At the time, it was a professional collaboration. But about a year and a half later, they reconnected at a friend’s birthday party, where a relaxed conversation turned into something more. That easy connection soon blossomed into a relationship.
In April 2015, they tied the knot on the island of Oahu in a ceremony that perfectly reflected their shared values and cultural roots. Held at sunset with nearly 300 guests, their Vedic Hindu wedding featured traditional Sanskrit prayers, sacred fire rituals, and a joyful kirtan celebration.
Tulsi wore a gold and royal blue Lacha-style dress that arrived just two days before the wedding, and guests were treated to vegetarian dishes, Indian cuisine, and a rose cardamom cheesecake.
Williams, now based in both Hawaii and Washington, D.C., continues to work as a cinematographer and steadicam operator. He still films Gabbard’s political ads and has worked on short films like Last Taxi Dance, Knight Watch, and The Candle & the Curse.
Their family ties run even deeper—Abraham’s mother, Anya Anthony, manages Gabbard’s Honolulu district office. Gabbard once joked that firing her mother-in-law would’ve been a rough way to start the marriage, but in truth, she’s praised Anthony for her tireless dedication, calling her the one who “keeps all the trains running on time.”
Gabbard’s Struggle with Infertility
Behind Gabbard’s composed public image lies a deeply personal chapter that she only recently chose to share—her long and emotional struggle with infertility. In a candid appearance on Meghan McCain’s Citizen McCain podcast, Gabbard revealed that she and her husband, Williams, had spent years trying to conceive, undergoing multiple rounds of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) without success.
She described the experience as “very difficult,” both physically and emotionally. Each cycle began with hopeful anticipation—daily hormone injections, embryo transfers, and the long wait for pregnancy test results.
But each time, the answer was the same: Negative. The repeated heartbreak took its toll. Gabbard broke down in tears, recalling the gut feeling that she’d soon be a mom, only to be met with disappointment again and again. Eventually, doctors diagnosed her with “unexplained infertility,” which she said was especially hard to accept because there was no clear cause to treat or target.
The couple paused their IVF journey during her 2020 presidential campaign and couldn’t resume immediately due to the pandemic and her military deployment to East Africa. By the time she returned in late 2021, they had gone through a few more rounds, right up to their final embryo transfer. After the last attempt failed, they made a joint decision to stop trying. “That was it,” she recalled. “There were no more frozen embryos.”
As painful as it was, Gabbard shared that she and Abraham have found peace in their decision. They’ve shifted their energy toward helping other women and families, with Tulsi saying that being in a position to make a difference in others’ lives has brought a new sense of fulfillment.
Her First Marriage to Eduardo Tamayo
At just 21 years old, Tulsi married her childhood friend Eduardo Tamayo in 2002. The two had known each other for years and kept a relatively low profile during her early political rise. Their relationship, however, would soon be tested in ways neither could have predicted.
In 2004, Gabbard was deployed to Iraq with the Hawaii Army National Guard. She served for 18 months during a volatile period, an experience that not only shaped her worldview but also put immense strain on her marriage.
When she returned home in 2006, Tulsi and Eduardo quietly divorced. She later shared that the separation stemmed from the emotional toll of war, calling their split another “sad story” of how deployments can deeply affect military families.
Though the marriage ended, Tulsi spoke respectfully of her ex-husband in a public post years later. She admitted she had kept his last name for some time, hoping reconciliation might be possible.
When she eventually returned to using her maiden name, she explained it was a final step in accepting that the relationship had run its course, while still remaining on good terms with both Eduardo and his family.
