Life-size Kristi Noem statue unveiled in South Dakota
Kristi Noem’s statue joins 31 governors’ statues on the trail through Pierre’s downtown and state capitol grounds.
Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has filed for divorce from her husband, Bryon Noem, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY.
Noem, 54, filed for divorce in Hamlin County, South Dakota, back on April 6, but the court records were not posted online until Sept. 28. According to the divorce filing, the couple has been married since May 23, 1992.
The couple’s divorce filing comes after “irreconcilable differences,” the court records state. Back in July, Noem’s mother, Corinne Arnold, told British tabloid The Daily Mail that her daughter had shared the decision with family members in the spring.
“I said: ‘What’s the deal? Are you going to get together again?’ And she said: ‘No. No. We’re going to get a divorce,'” Arnold said.
Noem was removed from her role as Homeland Security secretary on March 5 following “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota, which notably involved ICE agents fatally shooting 2 civilians, Renée Good and Alex Pretti. Noem would later be named special envoy to the Trump administration’s “Shield of the Americas” initiative.
Neither Bryon nor Kristi Noem’s legal representatives immediately responded to USA TODAY’s request for comment.
Why the divorce?
Noem’s decision came shortly after The Daily Mail reported that Bryon Noem paid adult entertainers and cross-dressed while role-playing. The outlet said its reporting was based on messages, audio recordings and photographs that allegedly showed him wearing women’s clothing and using props.
After the report was published, a spokesperson for Kristi Noem told the New York Post that she was “devastated” by the allegations.
“The family was blindsided by this, and they ask for privacy and prayers at this time,” the spokesperson said, per the outlet.
Who is Bryon Noem?
Bryon and Kristi Noem married in 1992 in Watertown, South Dakota, and have three children: Kassidy, Kennedy and Booker, according to the National Governors Association.
Bryon Noem works in the insurance industry and earned a degree in business finance from Northern State University. Before becoming an insurance agent, he coached basketball and worked on the Noem family farm.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@usatodayco.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.