Elizabeth Smart’s dad, Ed Smart, publicly came out as gay in 2019 and that revelation is trending again now because of renewed interest from a recent Netflix project and follow‑up coverage in 2026.

Quick Scoop: What Happened?

  • Ed Smart, father of kidnapping survivor Elizabeth Smart, announced in 2019 that he is gay and that he was divorcing his wife, Lois.
  • He also distanced himself from the LDS (Mormon) Church, saying he no longer identified with some of its teachings.
  • The story has resurfaced in early 2026 because new articles and a Netflix documentary about Elizabeth Smart’s case spotlight Ed and raise questions about where he is now.

Ed Smart Coming Out: The Core Details

  • In 2019, Ed Smart wrote a letter stating that he had finally acknowledged to himself and to his family that he is gay, calling it one of the hardest messages he had ever written.
  • He explained he had struggled with his sexual orientation for most of his life and felt he had to be honest to live authentically.
  • Ed also described the act of coming out as both painful and a “huge relief,” because hiding that part of himself had weighed on him for years.

Impact on His Marriage and Family

  • Ed and Lois Smart married in 1986 and had six children together; they were seen as a model Mormon family during the time of Elizabeth’s kidnapping.
  • After decades of marriage, Lois filed for divorce, with Ed saying that he felt terrible the marriage ended and emphasizing that he considered their 34 years together “happy.”
  • He has said he was always faithful in the marriage and that being gay was not a “choice,” even though Lois reportedly believed it was.

Elizabeth Smart has spoken publicly about how her father’s coming out affected her:

  1. She recounted that he called her early one morning and told her in one breath that he was leaving the church, divorcing her mother, and that he was gay.
  1. Her response was to affirm that he was still her dad and that she still loved him, stressing that his orientation did not change that.
  1. She later reflected that the situation pushed her to build her own individual relationship with her father, instead of only relating to him through the family unit.

Why It’s Trending Again Now

  • A new Netflix documentary about Elizabeth Smart’s kidnapping has made many viewers curious about what happened to her parents in the years since, especially because Ed appears prominently while Lois is less visible.
  • Recent coverage in January 2026 has highlighted that Ed came out as gay, left the church, and that the Smarts’ marriage ended in divorce—details some viewers felt were missing from the documentary itself.
  • True‑crime and survivor‑story communities online are now revisiting older interviews where Ed talks about the difficulty of coming out and how his children responded.

Different Angles People Are Discussing

  • LGBTQ+ angle: Some see Ed’s story as a late‑in‑life coming‑out narrative shaped by religious expectations and fear of rejection.
  • Religious tension: Others focus on the conflict between LDS cultural norms and LGBTQ identities, noting his decision to leave the church.
  • Family and trauma context: Given Elizabeth’s highly publicized kidnapping and recovery, many are struck by how the family has weathered multiple, very different traumas in the public eye.

A common thread across interviews is Ed’s emphasis that acknowledging his sexuality does not erase the good he has tried to do in his life, and that living truthfully has changed his outlook.

TL;DR: Ed Smart, Elizabeth Smart’s dad, came out as gay in 2019, divorced his wife, and left the Mormon church; the story is back in the spotlight in 2026 because of a new Netflix documentary and renewed media coverage.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.