Are Kristi Noem, Bryon Noem Still Married? A Complete Timeline of Their Marriage Amid Scandal

Former US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and her husband Bryon Noem, married since 1992, are under intense scrutiny over the future of their marriage following her abrupt dismissal by President Donald Trump on 5 March 2026 and ongoing rumours of an affair with aide Corey Lewandowski.

The South Dakota power couple, who have three grown children, presented a stoic front at a fiery congressional hearing days earlier, but insiders now whisper that Bryon's long-suffering loyalty may finally be cracking under the weight of public humiliation.

Kristi and Bryon's story began in the flat farmlands of Hamlin County, South Dakota, where they grew up orbiting the same rural world. He was mates with her older brother, she was the high school junior eyeing a college freshman.

Fireworks over Lake Kampeska marked July 4, 1991, when Bryon proposed from his grandfather's boat, a moment he later commemorated on Instagram as the family returned there three decades later.

From Farm Life to Political Powerhouse

Tragedy struck early. On March 10, 1994, Kristi's father Ronald suffocated in a grain bin collapse on the family ranch, forcing the pregnant 23-year-old to leave Northern State University and take on the farm's responsibilities alongside Bryon.

Their first child, daughter Kassidy, arrived just weeks later on April 21, she married Kyle Peters in 2019 and has three children of her own. Kennedy followed in 1997 and Booker in 2002.

Kristi later boasted to ELYSIAN magazine in 2022, 'I think people know me and we are such a transparent family. I don't know of another elected official that puts their family life out there, with their kids.'​

Bryon, ever the steady hand, spent a decade on the Noem ranch before shifting to Bryant State Bank, then buying its insurance arm in 2010 to launch Noem Insurance.

His website states, 'I am blessed to be doing what I do, working with great people. I have a great staff! You should get to know us. We think you will like us!'

Meanwhile, Kristi rose through the South Dakota legislature before entering Congress in 2011 and becoming the state's first female governor in 2019. Trump appointed her as Homeland Security Secretary last year, praising her as key to 'Make America Safe Again.'

The idyll soured amid whispers. Seen together at Foster Friess's fishing trip, Florida conferences, AMPFest, even dog-shopping in December 2019, Kristi and married Trump crony Lewandowski drew tabloid fire.

Both denied the claims as nonsense, but The Wall Street Journal recently alleged they flaunted the relationship within DHS, travelling in private cabins intended for deportees. Trump, reportedly uncomfortable, blocked Lewandowski from becoming chief of staff.

Marriage Tested by Firing and Fury

Her sacking caused a stir. On March 5, Trump announced Senator Markwayne Mullin as her replacement, effective March 31, reassigning Kristi as 'Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,' a consolation role described with pointed praise for her 'numerous and spectacular results especially on the Border!'

Gossip king Rob Shuter claimed Lewandowski dumped 'ICE Barbie' pronto. 'The relationship was always about power. Without the job and the access, Corey isn't interested anymore. Corey loves proximity to power. When Kristi had it, he was glued to her. Now that she doesn't, he's gone.'

Bryon loomed large at the March 4 House Judiciary hearing, where ICE killings of two US citizens in Minneapolis had her in the hot seat. When Representative Sydney Kamlager‑Dove asked whether there had been 'sexual relations' with Corey Lewandowski, Kristi bristled, saying, 'I am shocked that we're going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this committee today.'

Pressed by Representative Jared Moskowitz for a simple 'no', she dodged, saying, 'I think the ridiculousness of this and the tabloids that you are quoting and referencing are insane. This is a thing I have refuted for years.' To the 'member of the liberal left,' she added sharply, 'You say conservative women are stupid or s---. I am neither.'

Now the marriage hangs in limbo. No divorce papers have been filed, but Bryon's family painted a grim picture to the New York Post. 'He decided about 20 years ago that it was his calling from God to support her in whatever she decided to do. So he has put up with the humiliation. We will see if he sticks with her now.'