{"id":371,"date":"2026-07-10T14:03:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T18:03:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thetiesthatbind\/?p=371"},"modified":"2026-10-01T18:30:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T22:30:25","slug":"kristi-noem-divorcing-husband-of-34-years-after-his-double-life-was-exposed-mom-confirms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thetiesthatbind\/2026\/07\/kristi-noem-divorcing-husband-of-34-years-after-his-double-life-was-exposed-mom-confirms.html","title":{"rendered":"Kristi Noem Files For Divorce From Husband Bryon After 34 Years of Marriage"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_377\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-377\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-377\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/458\/2026\/07\/Noem-Divorce_credit-kristinoem-Instagram.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-377\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">@kristinoem \/ Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has officially filed for divorce from her husband, Bryon Noem, ending a 34-year marriage that has faced months of intense public scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>Court records show Noem is seeking to dissolve the marriage in Hamlin County, South Dakota, citing \u201cirreconcilable differences.\u201d The complaint was submitted in April but was not posted publicly online until Sept. 28. The couple married in May 1992 and share three adult children.<\/p>\n<p>The filing confirms what Noem\u2019s mother, Corinne Arnold, revealed months earlier when she said her daughter had told family members the marriage was ending.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt has been difficult, but we knew this was coming, that they were going to get divorced,\u201d Arnold told the Daily Mail in July.<\/p>\n<p>At the time, Arnold said she had directly asked her daughter whether she and Bryon would reconcile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe said: \u2018No. No. We\u2019re going to get a divorce,\u2019\u201d Arnold recalled.<\/p>\n<p>Kristi Noem\u2019s attorney, Michael Sabers, has now confirmed the filing, saying Noem \u201chas great faith in the South Dakota judicial system\u201d and would reserve further comments for the legal process.<\/p>\n<p>Bryon Noem, meanwhile, said through his attorney that he is saddened by the end of the marriage and hopes the couple can resolve the matter privately.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBryon is saddened that the marriage is ending and hopes for a private and amicable resolution,\u201d attorney Tim Bottum said in a statement. He added that if court proceedings become necessary, Bryon would \u201cwelcome the opportunity to truthfully share his perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBryon\u2019s priority is to protect the family and move forward as loving parents and grandparents,\u201d Bottum said.<\/p>\n<p>The divorce follows months of controversy surrounding the couple. Earlier this year, reports surfaced alleging that Bryon Noem had participated in online fetish communities and communicated with women involved in them. Photos also emerged that appeared to show him wearing women\u2019s clothing and exaggerated prosthetic breasts. Noem\u2019s representatives said at the time that the family had been \u201cdevastated\u201d by the revelations.<\/p>\n<p>Kristi Noem has faced scrutiny of her own over longstanding allegations involving former Trump campaign manager and adviser Corey Lewandowski. Noem has denied allegations of an affair, dismissing them as \u201ctabloid garbage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The controversy came during a turbulent year for Noem politically. President Donald Trump removed her as Homeland Security secretary in March following mounting criticism over her tenure. She was subsequently appointed a special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere.<\/p>\n<p>Kristi and Bryon Noem were high school sweethearts and built their life together in South Dakota before her rise in state and national politics. They have three children and are now grandparents.<\/p>\n<p>What was only a reported separation when Arnold spoke publicly in July is now moving through the South Dakota court system, bringing the couple\u2019s marriage of more than three decades closer to an official end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has officially filed for divorce from her husband, Bryon Noem, ending a 34-year marriage that has faced months of intense public scrutiny. Court records show Noem is seeking to dissolve the marriage in Hamlin County, South Dakota, citing \u201cirreconcilable differences.\u201d The complaint was submitted in April but was not&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":377,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Kristi Noem Files For Divorce From Husband Bryon After 34 Years of Marriage<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is divorcing husband Bryon Noem, her mother says, following months of public controversy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, 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