Stephanie Grisham

**Stephanie Ann Grisham** (née **Sommerville**; born July 23, 1976) is an American former White House official. She was the 32nd White House Press Secretary from 2019 until 2020 during the first Trump administration. At the same time, she was the White House Communications Director. She was also the Chief of Staff to First Lady Melania Trump. Grisham resigned from her role at the White House after Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

## Early life

Stephanie Ann Sommerville was born in Colorado to a farming family. She moved with her mother after her parents divorced to East Wenatchee, Washington. She dropped out from Colorado Mesa University. Grisham began voting in Arizona as a registered Democrat in 1997. She became a Republican after 2007.

## Early career

Grisham was the spokeswoman for AAA Arizona in 2007. From about 2011 to 2014, Grisham was spokeswoman for Tom Horne after he was elected Arizona attorney general. After Horne lost his re-election to Mark Brnovich, Grisham worked as a spokesperson for the Arizona House of Representatives Republican caucus.

In 2012, Grisham also worked for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign. In September 2015, Grisham worked as a press coordinator for Pope Francis's 2015 visit to Philadelphia.

In August 2015, Grisham started working as a press aide to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. After Trump won the 2016 election, Grisham was named a special adviser for operations and worked on Trump's transition team. Arizona House speaker David Gowan paid her $19,000 in state salary over an 8-week period while she was a member of the Trump transition team.

## White House career

Grisham began her role as White House Press Secretary on July 1, 2019, working for President Donald Trump, and left on April 7, 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. During her tenure as Press Secretary she did not hold a briefing. Before that job she was the press secretary of First Lady Melania Trump from March 27, 2017 through July 1, 2019.

She was a member of Donald Trump's presidential transition team.

Grisham resigned on April 7, 2020 and became Chief of Staff to the First Lady Melania Trump.

On January 6, 2021, Grisham resigned from her position as First Lady Trump's Chief of Staff following the January 6, 2021 attack at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. by Trump supporters.

## Post-government career

After leaving the White House, Grisham became a critic of Trump.

In September 2021, she announced the publication of her book about her time working in the Trump administration, _I'll Take Your Questions Now_.

On January 5, 2022, Grisham testified to the January 6 Committee. In August 2024, Grisham spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention and criticized Trump and his suppoters.

## Personal life

Grisham married Danny Don Marries in Nevada on April 7, 1997. They met in college in Grand Junction, Colorado. Her husband was a news anchor in Tucson, Arizona. They had one son, Kurtis. They divorced in 2004. Later in 2004, she married Todd Grisham, a sportscaster. They divorced in 2006. In 2007, Grisham had a second son, Jake.

From 2019 until 2020, Grisham dated then-Trump White House aide Max Miller. _Politico_ reported that the relationship ended in 2020 after an argument in which Miller allegedly pushed Grisham up against a wall and slapped her in the face after she accused him of cheating.

### Legal problems

On January 9, 2013, Grisham was pulled over for speeding in Gilbert, Arizona. It was later discovered she was drunk driving and was sentenced with two years probation. On December 5, 2015, Grisham was arrested again in Phoenix, Arizona, for driving without her headlights on and for driving drunk again, violating her probation. Grisham failed to appear at her court hearing on January 19, 2016, and was arrested. Afterwards, Grisham pleaded guilty. In July 2016, she was ordered into a treatment program and to pay nearly $1,600 in court costs and fines.

## Other websites

- Stephanie Grisham at _TucsonSentinel.com_
- Stephanie Grisham at the _Arizona Capitol Times_
- Stephanie Grisham at _The Washington Post_

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: Stephanie Grisham
- **image**: Stephanie Grisham (54104975267) (cropped).jpg
- **caption**: Grisham in 2024
- **office**: Chief of Staff to the First Lady of the United States
- **president**: Donald Trump
- **1blankname**: First Lady
- **1namedata**: Melania Trump
- **term start**: April 7, 2020
- **term end**: January 6, 2021
- **predecessor**: Lindsay Reynolds
- **successor**: Julissa Reynoso Pantaleón
- **office1**: Office of the First Lady of the United States, Press Secretary for the First Lady
- **president1**: Donald Trump
- **1namedata1**: Melania Trump
- **term start1**: April 7, 2020
- **predecessor1**: _Herself_ (2019)
- **successor1**: Michael LaRosa
- **term end1**: January 6, 2021
- **president2**: Donald Trump
- **1namedata2**: Melania Trump
- **term start2**: March 27, 2017
- **term end2**: July 1, 2019
- **predecessor2**: Joanna Rosholm
- **successor2**: _Herself_ (2020)
- **office3**: 32nd White House Press Secretary
- **president3**: Donald Trump
- **deputy3**: Hogan Gidley
- **term start3**: July 1, 2019
- **term end3**: April 7, 2020
- **predecessor3**: Sarah Huckabee Sanders
- **successor3**: Kayleigh McEnany
- **office4**: White House Communications Director
- **president4**: Donald Trump
- **term start4**: July 1, 2019
- **term end4**: April 7, 2020
- **predecessor4**: Bill Shine
- **successor4**: Kate Bedingfield
- **birth name**: Stephanie Ann Sommerville
- **birth place**: Colorado, U.S.
- **party**: Republican Party (United States), Republican
- **spouse**:

- **children**: 2
- **education**: Colorado Mesa University (no degree)