Bryon Noem has spoken publicly about his impending divorce from Kristi Noem, the former Department of Homeland Security secretary.
“Bryon is saddened that the marriage is ending and hopes for a private and amicable resolution,” the 56-year-old said in a statement issued through his attorney, Tim Bottum.
“If court proceedings become necessary, Bryon will welcome the opportunity to truthfully share his perspective. Bryon’s priority is to protect the family and move forward as loving parents and grandparents.”
The statement followed confirmation late Monday that Kristi, 54, had filed for divorce from her husband of 34 years.
Documents citing “irreconcilable differences” were prepared on April 6—six days after a bombshell Our News Outlet report alleged that Bryon, a father of three, had dressed in women’s clothing while chatting online with adult models.
Bryon accepted service of the documents on April 8, but they were not filed with the Hamlin County Circuit Court in Kristi’s home state of South Dakota until Monday morning.
The divorce filing was not entirely unexpected. In July, Kristi’s mother, 78-year-old Corrine Arnold, told Our News Outlet that her daughter had hired an attorney and begun divorce proceedings.
“I feel bad, sick that they’re getting a divorce, but what else can you do?” Corrine said. “The way that I brought up my kids, I know that they don’t just jump into big decisions.”
Bryon Noem issued a statement on Wednesday saying he was “saddened that the marriage is ending” as his divorce from Kristi Noem moves forward.
Our News Outlet published photos that it said showed Bryon wearing artificial breasts as part of an alleged private online persona.
“It took a long time for her to figure it out.”
Rapid City law firm Loos, Sabers & Smith said Kristi would not comment publicly on the separation.
“Kristi Noem has filed for the dissolution of her marriage to Bryon Noem,” the firm said in a statement.
“She has great faith in the South Dakota judicial system and will reserve any further comments for the legal process.”
Kristi filed on the basis of “irreconcilable differences,” a ground that does not assign blame to either spouse.
However, the two-page filing states that if the couple cannot reach a settlement, she “reserves the right to amend the Complaint to assert additional fact-based grounds for divorce.”
Potential grounds listed in the filing include adultery, extreme cruelty, willful desertion, willful neglect, habitual intemperance and conviction of a felony.
Several weeks after Kristi left her DHS position in March, Our News Outlet published photographs it said showed Bryon wearing tight pink shorts and a flesh-colored crop top over artificial breasts.
The outlet also reported that Bryon had engaged in explicit online conversations with multiple women involved in the “bimbofication” scene, a fetish community associated with exaggerated, Barbie-inspired appearances.
Bryon, shown supporting Kristi during a congressional hearing in March over her immigration enforcement policies, married her in 1992.
Bryon, pictured above taking out the trash just after days after Our News Outlet exposed his fetish pics, said he welcomes the chance to tell his side of the story in court as the divorce proceedings get underway
Bryon’s secret double life was exposed when Our News Outlet published photos of him posing with massive fake books and tight pink shorts
Bryon had sent at least $25,000 to his various busty babes and promised to make one his bimbo bride.
Another model said she worked out who he was after accidentally calling him and hearing a voicemail greeting for Noem Insurance, Bryon’s business.
A spokesman for Kristi at the time said she was ‘devastated’ and that the family had been ‘blindsided’ by the revelations.
President Donald Trump reacted to Our News Outlet’s revelations with shock: ‘Wow, well, I feel badly for the family if that’s the case, that’s too bad.’
By July, Bryon had left the couple’s home in Castlewood, South Dakota, and was living about 20 miles away.
Kristi and insurance mogul Bryon wed in 1992 and have three children: Kassidy, 31, Kennedy, 29, and Booker, 23.
Kristi, pictured over the weekend attending the Buffalo Roundup in Custer, South Dakota, filed for divorce after 34 years of marriage
Kristi and insurance mogul Bryon married in 1992 but their marriage has been dogged for years by reports that the petite pol was having an alleged affair with her longtime adviser Corey Lewandowski (pictured above)
But their marriage has been dogged for years by reports that the petite pol was having an alleged affair with her longtime adviser Corey Lewandowski.
Kristi, now US Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, and Lewandowski have long denied affair allegations, which were first reported by Our News Outlet in September 2023.
We have published ample evidence of their close relationship since then, including photographs of the pair enjoying a cozy lunch date in August in Minnesota.
Sources described them as ‘closer than ever.’ One said: ‘Whatever the future holds, they are devoted to one another.’
During a congressional hearing in March, shortly before her removal, Kristi refused to say under oath whether she had an affair with Lewandowski.
Bryon, who was there to support his wife while she was grilled over the deaths of several US citizens who were killed while protesting ICE, sat stone-faced behind her.
