Kristi Noem is reportedly heading for divorce from her husband, Bryon Noem, after months of fallout from a scandal that put their marriage under intense scrutiny. Her mother, Corinne Arnold, said the split had been expected for some time.
“It has been difficult, but we knew this was coming, that they were going to get divorced,” Arnold told the Daily Mail from her home next to the ranch where the family lived and raised three children.
What Arnold said about the split
Arnold said her daughter mentioned the plan in late spring, after photos surfaced of Bryon Noem, 56, wearing enormous fake breasts while speaking with a fetish performer. She said she learned more about the situation at a family birthday party for one of the couple’s grandchildren.
During that conversation, Arnold said she asked whether the couple might reconcile. According to her, Noem answered simply, “No. No. We’re going to get a divorce,” and said the lawyer was someone from Sioux Falls.
The scandal around Bryon Noem
Earlier reporting from nypost.com said Bryon Noem was connected to the so-called “bimbofication” fetish scene, where adult performers enlarge their breasts with large amounts of saline to create a Barbie doll-like look. The report said he had chatted with women in that scene and even taken part in the trend himself.
The photos of Bryon wearing fake balloon breasts circulated before the divorce comments from his mother became public. The episode added another layer to the controversy already surrounding the former South Dakota governor and Homeland Security secretary.
| Person | Relationship | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Kristi Noem | Wife | Her mother says she plans to divorce |
| Bryon Noem | Husband | Was photographed wearing fake breasts and linked to fetish-scene chats |
| Corinne Arnold | Mother of Kristi Noem | Gave the divorce comments in a Daily Mail interview |
Political fallout and unanswered questions
Noem’s personal life has also overlapped with a wider political storm. The article says President Trump fired her from her DHS job on March 5, shortly before the most embarrassing details of the Bryon Noem story became public.
Sources told The Post that Trump’s frustration was fueled by her performance at a congressional hearing the day before, when she refused to answer a direct question about rumors that she had “sexual relations” with Corey Lewandowski. Her husband was in the hearing room at the time, and the non-denial was widely read as an admission of infidelity.
Arnold rejected that claim and said, “Kristi would never do that.” She also said, “That’s not how I brought my kids up,” while adding that Lewandowski has his own family and young children.
Trump was also irritated, according to the same reporting, that Noem said he approved a $220 million DHS ad campaign that featured her personally. As of now, no divorce filings have surfaced.
The situation leaves the Noem family’s future unresolved, even as the allegations and public controversy continue to shadow one of the most closely watched political figures in the story.