Kristi Noem Files for Divorce From Bryon Noem After Photo Scandal
Sasha Wayman
Updated Tue, September 29, 2026 at 4:31 PM EDT
Six months after photos of her husband Bryon Noemwearing women’s clothing and fake breasts surfaced, the former Department of Homeland Security head has filed for divorce, according to court documents reviewed by E! News.
Kristi, 54, cited irreconcilable differences as the cause for their breakup, per the docs, which were filed in South Dakota Sept. 28.
E! News has reached out to attorneys for Kristi and Bryon for comment but has not yet heard back.
News of the couple’s divorce after 34 years of marriage comes months after photos of what appeared to be Bryon dressed in women's clothing and donning fake breasts were published by the Daily Mail March 31, with the outlet alleging that the 56-year-old had been living a double life where he chatted in online fetish forums with models.
At the time, a rep for Kristi—who shares daughters Kassidy, 32,and Kennedy, 29,and son Booker, 24, with Bryon—said the former South Dakota Governor was “devastated” by the images.
Yeah, I made no comments like that," he said in a phone call to the outlet, "that would lead to that."
The Daily Mail reported that Bryon hung up the phone after making this remark.
But Kristi—who was fired from her post as the DHS leader by President Donald Trump March 5 amid national backlash over her department's recent immigration enforcement tactics—is no stranger to the publicization of her personal life.
After all, the former South Dakota governor was questioned about her rumored affair with adviser Corey Lewandowski during a House Judiciary Committee hearing that same month, where she slammed the accusation as “tabloid garbage.”
Corey has also denied the rumors.
As for her life with Bryon, Kristi has previously insisted they’re an “open book” when it comes to their life together.
“People know me and we are such a transparent family,” she told Elysian in 2022. “I don’t know of another elected official that puts their family life out there, with their kids. All the funny, awkward, difficult moments.”
She added, “I think that is what this job requires in this day and age, you have to be real.”
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