Was Ken Paxton caught on video traveling to Iceland with alleged ‘mistress’? What we know

In late June 2026, social media users claimed Texas Attorney General and Senate Republican candidate Ken Paxton was “caught on video” traveling to Iceland with an alleged “mistress.” 

The rumor circulated on X (archived), Facebook and TikTok. Some of the posts — including one from the official Texas Democrats Instagram account — also include the footage in question, which appears to show Paxton rubbing the shoulder of his alleged lover, Christian influencer Tracy Duhon. 

“At a time when many Texans can barely afford the basics, Paxton’s jetting off to Iceland ahead of the 4th of July for a luxury vacation with his mistress,” the Texas Democrats’ Instagram caption reads. 

There is not enough evidence to rate the authenticity of the clip or the allegations circulating alongside it. Snopes relies on primary evidence to come to all of our conclusions. However, nothing indicates that the video is fake — nor is there evidence disproving that Paxton was in Iceland with Duhon when the footage was posted online. 

Paxton has previously weathered credible affair allegations related to a different woman, which resulted in the Texas House impeaching him and the Republican-controlled state Senate subsequently acquitting him. Per court documents, his wife, Republican state Sen. Angela Paxton, filed for divorce in 2025, citing adultery, and the couple has been separated since June 2024. (The Paxtons are still technically married because the divorce is not yet finalized, as of this writing.) 

Angela Paxton announced her divorce “on biblical grounds” in a July 10, 2025, X post that reads, “in light of recent discoveries, I do not believe that it honors God or is loving to myself, my children, or Ken to remain in the marriage.” 

Ken Paxton — who did not immediately return a Snopes request for more information about his whereabouts and alleged romantic relationship — denied his wife’s accusations in the divorce filings, per the Houston Chronicle newspaper. 

In September 2025, British tabloid the Daily Mail published an exclusive report (archived) alleging that Ken Paxton and Duhon began an affair in May 2024, before the Paxtons separated. The report relied on anonymous sources; therefore, it was not possible to independently verify the supposed romantic entanglement. Wikipedia has banned the Daily Mail from being used as a reference on its site, describing it as an unreliable source. A Google search determined that reputable news media outlets have not independently verified any relationship between Paxton and Duhon.

Ken Paxton also reportedly dismissed the Daily Mail’s report of an affair with Duhon but “didn’t specifically dispute the allegations,” according to a September 2025 article on The Christian Post. Per the Christian news website’s report, a Paxton spokesperson called the tabloid a “British trash blog” that was “coming after Ken Paxton.” 

Duhon did not immediately return Snopes’ request for comment. 

Here’s what we know about the footage and the rumor. 

Origin of claim 

The Lincoln Project, a group that moderate conservatives founded to oppose President Donald Trump and his allies, first shared the video in question in a June 28 X post (archived). 

“Hey @KenPaxtonTX that’s not your wife,” the caption reads. Later posts from The Lincoln Project called the woman in the video Paxton’s “mistress” and “some lady who’s not his wife,” suggesting that The Lincoln Project did not know or want to share the woman’s name. The Lincoln Project did not immediately return a request for more information to verify the clip’s authenticity. 

A day after The Lincoln Project’s post, the Daily Mail published an article (archived) titled, “Married Texas Republican caught on video with mistress on secret romantic getaway: See his telling reaction when he spots camera amid crucial election clash.” The Daily Mail did not cite any named sources, but the report includes photographs and videos allegedly showing Paxton and Duhon on their way to Iceland. 

According to the Daily Mail’s June 29 story, several passengers recognized Paxton on a June 27 late-night United Airlines flight. The publication also claims that Paxton and Duhon flew economy, with Paxton sitting in an aisle seat and Duhon in the middle seat. 

The Daily Mail’s story includes The Lincoln Project’s clip and an additional video of Paxton and Duhon from behind that apparently shows them dragging their luggage through an airport. 

Examining the evidence 

The Daily Mail did not return a request for additional information, making it impossible — given the tabloid’s use of anonymous sources — to independently verify any of the publication’s claims about Paxton and Duhon. According to flight tracking service FlightAware, there was, however, a June 27 red-eye United flight from Washington, D.C., to Reykjavík, Iceland (archived). 

The photos and videos the Daily Mail shared do not feature any obvious indicators of generation or manipulation using artificial intelligence software. AI tools would find it difficult to accurately replicate certain details in the photos, including text on advertisements in the airports and consistent lighting. 

The Daily Mail also claims one of the pictures shows Paxton and Duhon walking through Keflavík International Airport in Reykjavik. That photo features a sign that reads, “ELKO,” an electronics company that operates multiple stores in the airport. A reverse image search also found a picture posted on Reddit in spring 2026 showing the same surroundings depicted in the Daily Mail’s picture but with different lighting. 

The face of the woman in the video circulating online is not clearly shown at any point in time. She is also wearing sunglasses, making it difficult to definitively determine whether she is Duhon. However, it is clear that the woman is not Paxton’s wife, whose facial features do not match the woman in the footage. 

A search through Paxton’s campaign website, C-SPAN senatorial campaign page, attorney general news releases and social media found no evidence that he was in the United States or scheduled for events on the campaign trail at the time of his alleged trip to Iceland. Similarly, Duhon’s social media shows no scheduled speaking engagements or other events for the last week of June. 

As of this writing, the most recent public event Paxton reportedly showed up to was the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference in Washington, D.C. Paxton spoke during a conference session that ran from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. EDT on June 27, which would have given him enough time to make a late-night flight on the same day. 

In sum … 

Until Paxton explains where he was in the last days of June 2026 or more evidence definitively shows that he and Duhon flew to Iceland, there is not enough information to rate this claim. It is also unclear whether Duhon and Paxton are even in a romantic relationship. However, based on the evidence at hand, it is entirely possible that Paxton and Duhon were spotted flying to Iceland together on June 27.