(Headline USA) Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has filed for divorce from her husband of 34 years.
Noem, who was tasked with leading President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown from January 2025 to March 2026 and previously served as South Dakota’s governor, is seeking a divorce from Bryon Noem in their home state. The two married in May 1992 and have three children.
The filing, submitted to the court in April but posted online on Monday, comes after questions arose earlier this year about the nature of Kristi Noem’s relationship with a top adviser. The complaint, filed in Hamlin County, South Dakota, notes “irreconcilable differences” as grounds for the divorce.
The divorce follows reports from earlier this year about the sexual fetishes of Bryon Noem. The Daily Mail revealed in April that Byron had a secret online relationship with a left-wing dominatrix for more than nine years. That report followed the news that Byron was a secret crossdresser who wore fake breasts and pink shorts while paying adult performers for explicit conversations.
NEW: Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem files for divorce from her husband Bryon just months after he was exposed for his “bimbofication” fetish, citing irreconcilable differences. pic.twitter.com/6VkUQY35VG
— E X X ➠A L E R T S (@ExxAlerts) September 29, 2026
Kristi Noem’s attorney, Michael Sabers, confirmed that she has filed for divorce and said she will reserve further comments for the legal process.
Tim Bottum, Bryon Noem’s attorney, said his client is “saddened that the marriage is ending” and will welcome the opportunity to share his perspective if court proceedings become necessary.
“Bryon’s priority is to protect the family and move forward as loving parents and grandparents,” Bottom said in a statement.
A day before Noem was ousted from her post in Trump’s cabinet, members of Congress questioned her about an alleged extramarital affair with Corey Lewandowski, a special government employee and one of her lead advisers at the time. He was Trump’s first campaign manager in 2016 and appeared to play an outsized role in Noem’s department, even though his position was supposed to have a limit on days worked.
Noem denied the allegations that they were having an affair, dismissing them as “tabloid garbage.”
Trump nominated Markwayne Mullin, then a U.S. senator from Oklahoma, in Noem’s place and made her a special envoy for The Shield of the Americas, a new security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press.
