DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Shows Off Husband Amid Affair Rumours With Senior Aide Corey Lewandowski

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, 54, posted a rare video of her husband, Bryon Noem, at an airport this week in what appeared to be an effort to show support for her marriage.

Recorded at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the clip shows her saying she is 'just dropping off my husband, who's headed back to South Dakota.' He waves through the checkpoint. She waves back.

The post was shared alongside a message about federal funding for the Transportation Security Administration. Noem accuses Democrats in Congress of withholding funding that affects TSA workers, referring to a stalemate in federal budget talks that has left many unpaid.

But the timing of the video came as ongoing rumours about a close relationship between Noem and her senior aide, Corey Lewandowski, 52, have circulated. Both are married to other people. Neither has publicly confirmed any romantic involvement.

Despite denials, speculation has continued, partly because of the pair's frequent travel together and Lewandowski's prominent role at the Department of Homeland Security.

Kristi Shows Off Husband: Is It A Play All Along?

Bryon Noem rarely appears in public, so his visibility in the clip was unusual. He lives mostly in South Dakota, maintains a low profile and is not involved in politics professionally. He does not hold public office and is typically present only during personal or family-related events, making moments like the airport video particularly noteworthy.

This has led some political observers to interpret the video as a deliberate attempt to show marital unity amid intense scrutiny of Noem's rumoured affair. The clip landed just over a week after a bombshell Wall Street Journal report about life inside her department.

One comment on the post said: 'And you're still getting paid to fly around on your personal $70,000,000 Boeing 737 MAX and continue your affair with Corey Lewandowski in your 737 MAX bedroom.'

Airports across the US have had mixed reactions to similar political videos from Noem, with some refusing to display them on screens due to rules on political content.

Who Is Corey Lewandowski And Why The Rumours Persist

Corey Lewandowski is a long-time Republican political operative. He was once a campaign manager for Donald Trump and later became a senior adviser to Noem at DHS. His official designation as a special government employee caps his service at 130 days a year, though reports have described him as acting like Noem's de facto chief of staff.

Rumours about a personal relationship between the pair have persisted for years, dating back to Noem's time as Governor of South Dakota and continuing through her tenure as DHS Secretary. A FEMA official, speaking to New York magazine last September, called it the 'worst-kept secret in D.C.'

News reports have detailed close travel arrangements, including shared use of a government-leased Boeing 737 MAX with a private cabin. The Wall Street Journal described staff jokingly referring to the aircraft as a 'big, beautiful jet' used by the two officials.

The Journal report, published on 13 February 2026, also described how Lewandowski fired a Coast Guard pilot after Noem's blanket was left behind during a mid-trip plane switch. The pilot was reinstated shortly afterwards because nobody else was available to fly them home.

Both Noem and Lewandowski have denied an affair. Noem first called the allegations a 'disgusting lie' in September 2021, describing them as false attacks on conservative women. Her spokesperson denied further reports from the New York Post and the Daily Mail in September 2023.

Nonetheless, the stories persist because of patterns of travel, proximity and professional association that some Washington insiders find hard to ignore.

Kristi Noem's Married Life

Kristi Noem married Bryon in 1992 in Watertown, South Dakota. They have three children and have largely lived separate lives in recent years because of her political career in Washington and his continuing life on the ranch.

Bryon runs a crop insurance agency near Castlewood. On the South Dakota Governor's website, he is quoted as saying that marrying Kristi was his 'best decision'. She posted a 32nd anniversary tribute on Instagram in May 2024, calling him the person who made her 'a wife, mother, grandmother.'

He only occasionally appears publicly. The airport clip, dropping within days of the most damaging reporting yet about his wife's working relationship with Lewandowski, landed not as a casual goodbye but as something closer to a statement.