Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has filed for divorce from her husband of more than three decades after reports alleged he secretly participated in online cross-dressing and fetish communities.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has filed for divorce from her husband, Bryon Noem, ending a marriage of more than three decades after reports earlier this year alleged he had secretly participated in online cross-dressing and fetish communities.
Court records in South Dakota show that Noem filed for divorce in Hamlin County and cited irreconcilable differences as the basis for the split, according to the Daily Mail. The case became visible through the county’s online court system Monday.
Separate reporting based on South Dakota court records also confirmed that Noem filed for divorce from Bryon after 34 years of marriage.
The filing comes months after an earlier Daily Mail investigation alleged that Bryon Noem had maintained a private online life involving cross-dressing and communications with women associated with what the publication described as the “bimbofication” fetish community.
The Daily Mail reported reviewing hundreds of messages involving three women and alleged that Bryon communicated with them about exaggerated feminine appearances, breast augmentation and his own interest in cross-dressing.
The publication also reported that images appeared to show him wearing women’s clothing and large prosthetic breasts while engaging in online conversations.
Fox News later reported on the photographs and messages but said it was unable to independently authenticate the images.
The allegations became public in March, shortly after Kristi Noem left her position as secretary of Homeland Security. President Donald Trump replaced her with Markwayne Mullin and appointed Noem to serve as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas initiative.
A spokesperson for Kristi Noem said at the time that the family had been blindsided by the reports and asked for privacy.
Bryon Noem has not publicly provided a detailed response to the allegations.
Asked by a South Dakota news organization about the divorce filing, he said, “I can’t comment right now.”
The couple had been married for 34 years and raised three children.
The earlier Daily Mail report described Bryon Noem as having allegedly exchanged messages with performers involved in an online subculture centered on exaggerated cosmetic transformation and hyper-feminine appearance.
According to the publication, the correspondence included discussions about prosthetic breasts, women’s clothing and sexualized imagery.
The report also alleged that Bryon made comments about his marriage during some of those exchanges.
Those claims remain allegations based on materials reviewed by the Daily Mail and have not been adjudicated in court.
The divorce filing itself cites irreconcilable differences rather than publicly identifying the alleged online activity as the legal basis for ending the marriage.
Trump was asked about the reports when they first surfaced in March.
Reacting to the allegations, the president said, “Wow, well, I feel badly for the family if that’s the case, that’s too bad.”
Fox News also reported at the time that images allegedly connected to Bryon Noem appeared to show him wearing women’s clothing and prosthetic breasts, though the network emphasized that it could not independently verify the material.
Kristi Noem served as South Dakota governor before joining Trump’s second administration as Homeland Security secretary.
Her tenure at DHS ended in March 2026 when Trump announced that she would leave the department and move into the administration’s Western Hemisphere security initiative.
The couple had generally maintained a public image centered on their South Dakota roots and family life throughout Noem’s political career.
Bryon Noem, a businessman who served as South Dakota’s first gentleman during his wife’s governorship, frequently appeared with her at public events and political functions.
The disclosure of the alleged online activity represented a sharp contrast with that public image and drew widespread media attention when it emerged earlier this year.
At the time, Trump framed the matter as a private family issue rather than a political controversy.
Noem herself has not publicly provided a detailed explanation of the divorce or directly linked the filing to the allegations involving her husband.
The available court record instead lists irreconcilable differences, the standard legal ground cited in the proceeding.
The case now moves through South Dakota’s family court system as the former Cabinet secretary and her husband begin the process of formally ending their 34-year marriage.
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