Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has filed for divorce from her husband, Bryon, bringing a 34-year marriage to court after months of public speculation about the couple.
The case appeared in Hamlin County, South Dakota, court records this week. The filing cites irreconcilable differences, according to NewsNation’s report on the documents. The Noems married on May 23, 1992, and have three adult children.
The public filing gives no further explanation for the split. Bryon Noem told Nexstar’s KELO on Tuesday, “I can’t comment right now,” according to the NewsNation account. The outlet said it was unable to reach Kristi Noem.
Months of speculation
The marriage had drawn attention since late March, when the Daily Mail published photos and messages it said showed Bryon Noem interacting with online fetish performers. A representative for Kristi Noem said at the time that the family had been “blindsided” and asked for privacy and prayers. The public divorce filing does not establish what prompted Noem’s decision.
In July, Kristi Noem’s mother, Corinne Arnold, told the Daily Mail the couple was headed for divorce. Bryon was absent from the August unveiling of a statue honoring Kristi’s time as South Dakota governor. At the event, she said her family, including Bryon, had supported her during her years in office.
The Trump administration connection
The filing also renews attention on Noem’s final weeks at the Department of Homeland Security. During a March House Judiciary Committee hearing, a Democratic lawmaker asked about reports of a romantic relationship between Noem and Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign manager who worked as an adviser at DHS. Noem dismissed the question as “tabloid garbage.” Both Noem and Lewandowski have denied the allegations. The divorce filing offers no evidence about those claims. cbsnews.com
Lewandowski’s authority at DHS had separately come under congressional scrutiny. ProPublica reported that agency records contradicted Noem’s testimony denying he had a role in approving contracts. That dispute concerned government oversight, separate from the couple’s divorce.
President Donald Trump removed Noem from DHS in March and named her special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a Western Hemisphere security initiative. She previously served as South Dakota’s governor from 2019 until joining Trump’s Cabinet in 2025.
For now, neither Noem has publicly explained the divorce filing beyond the irreconcilable differences stated in the court record.
