‘Leave the drama to them:’ Mother of Lauren Boebert’s grandson speaks out

RIFLE, Colo. — In March of last year, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) announced to the nation she would become a 36-year-old grandmother and her 17-year-old son, Tyler Boebert, would become a father.

In October, Boebert paraded around the U.S. Capitol with her new grandson.

Both times, it received national attention, like much of what Boebert seeks out with her performative, flame-throwing MAGA politics.

The baby’s mother, however, hasn’t been heard from publicly — until now.

Naomi Rocha acknowledged to Raw Story that she’s raising her son — Boebert’s grandson, Josiah Boebert — in the midst of a political maelstrom.

Rocha said her son is doing well, “definitely starting to grow a lot and getting a lot smarter, which is scary” and that she’s “managing pretty good.”

“My son never leaves my side unless I’m at work or he’s with Tyler,” Rocha said.

That is, except for what Rocha said was “a few times (Lauren Boebert) took him to D.C.”

Seeing her son at the U.S. Capitol, Rocha said, “was shocking because I didn’t know he was going to be on the House floor.”

Asked if she has any political leanings, Rocha said, “Honestly, I truly don’t.”

Rocha is not Boebert’s “daughter-in-law,” as she has never been married to Tyler Boebert and she has split with the baby’s father.

“We are not together,” Rocha said. “We were for a year and a half.”

While no longer a couple, Rocha and Tyler Boebert share parenting time.

“We do 50-50,” she said. “As of right now, no courts are involved.”

Rocha said she and her son live with her parents after they stayed for about a year with Tyler Boebert and his parents.

‘Lauren and Jayson’s drama’

Late last year, Lauren Boebert switched the congressional district in which she’d run during 2024, moving from the western part of Colorado hours away in hopes of representing the eastern part of the state.

Her prime motivation: pursue an even more conservative constituency and salvage her flagging political career, which has endured a series of high-profile controversies and scandals.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) wears a shawl with "Drill Baby Drill" printed on it as she waits for U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in the U.S. Capitol's House Chamber on March 1, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Rocha said Boebert’s decision to switch districts has complicated her parenting arrangement.

“It did,” she said. “Her switching districts means more distance. We meet halfway.”

Rocha said her relationship with Lauren Boebert, who herself recently split with husband Jayson Boebert, is “pretty good.”

“There are a few ups and downs. Just mainly Lauren and Jayson’s drama,” Rocha said.

Lauren Boebert's office did not respond to a request for comment.

Lauren and Jayson Boebert have indeed supplied drama.

They divorced in October. Lauren Boebert brought her grandson to the hearing.

At the time, the Vail Daily reported, “The public portion of the dissolution of marriage hearing was over in minutes, but that came after nearly 40 minutes of negotiations behind closed doors when shouting between the Boeberts, and a baby crying, could be heard through the locked door of the courtroom.”

Asked about the impact of the Boebert family drama on her relationship with Tyler, Rocha said that was “a little bit of it.”

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In an alleged incident during early January, Jayson Boebert was charged with misdemeanor obstructing a police officer and two petty offenses of disorderly conduct during an argument with Lauren Boebert at a restaurant in Silt, Colo.

On Jan. 9, Tyler Boebert called 911 on his father after an alleged fight and argument after 1 a.m. Jayson was charged with possessing a gun while under the influence of alcohol, misdemeanor harassment, and misdemeanor assault.

The police report is partially redacted, but it alleged that Jayson, under the influence of alcohol during an argument, shoved Tyler to the ground and pushed his thumb into his son’s mouth, inflicting pain by trying to pull a tooth out. The report further alleges that Jayson grabbed a rifle when he saw Tyler calling 911 — then left the house.

Rocha has had to deal with all of this as a teenager. She revealed her age — 17 years old — in response to a question during the interview.

A day after the interview with Rocha, Tyler Boebert left a voicemail asking about Raw Story’s “intentions.” He did not agree to speak on the record, but in a subsequent conversation, he agreed to consider questions sent by email. He did not immediately respond to those questions.

Culture warrior

The youngest grandmother in Congress and only one of a handful of millennial lawmakers, Lauren Boebert has spoken out against sex education in public schools.

“They have comprehensive sex ed,” she said. “They’re teaching kids how to have and enjoy sex and even same-sex sex. How to pleasure themselves. This is not something elementary students should learn, nor any student in a public school. These are things we need to go after and cut their funding.”

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Boebert is a culture warrior but said she “fell short of my values” in September after being kicked out of the musical “Beetlejuice” for vaping, recording the performance and singing. Security video showed her groping with her date.

Boebert faces a tough Republican primary campaign in her new district with a crowded field of candidates. The primary is June 25.

As for Rocha, she shoulders a lot of responsibility. In addition to being a mom, “I work. I do GED classes,” she said.

She added that she hopes to work in a medical field.

Asked how she handles the seemingly non-stop drama swirling around the Boebert family,” Rocha acknowledged that “there are some times I do lose my cool.”

But she added: “I try not to read everything in the media and leave the drama to them.”