How Did Kristi Noem Meet Her Husband Bryon? The Pair Have Been Together Longer Than You Realized

Even before Kristi Noem was controversially named as Donald Trump's new homeland security secretary, she was a well known politician. In fact, there are some rumors about Kristi Noem we simply can't ignore. The person who has stood by her side through it all, though, is Kristi's husband, Bryon Noem. And while many might be hearing his name for the first time as Kristi continues climbing the political ladder, the happy couple has been together for quite a while.

Kristi married Bryon when she was only 20 years old (she turns 54 in 2025), but they were actually high school sweethearts who initially bonded over their mutual love of ranching and farming. In fact, the Noems even ended up running a ranch of their own alongside venturing into the business world together at one point too, running a restaurant and an ice cream store, among other ventures. They raised their three kids in South Dakota, which Bryon is very proud of.

Interest in Bryon and Kristi's relationship piqued after she became the first female governor of South Dakota in 2018, and Bryon addressed his status as the first first gentleman of the state in a piece published by the West River Eagle. "I'm pretty proud of her!" he enthused of his wife, adding, "I'm proud of my rural roots." Bryon also expressed his desire to play an active role as the state's first gentleman and to do what he could to better the lives of his wife's constituents. But now that Kristi has a job in Washington, someone else is playing a more active role in her life.

Disturbing rumors about Kristi Noem's alleged affair with Corey Lewandowski were making the rounds long before Donald Trump nominated her for a lofty position in his cabinet. Lewandowski managed the 2016 Trump campaign and was later appointed as a special government employee, working for Noem. This is not the job he wanted, however. Word on the street was Lewandowski would've preferred to act as the former governor's chief of staff, but because of the affair rumors, White House officials didn't deem him a good fit. Still, Lewandowski has reportedly operated as Noem's righthand man regardless.

The rumors were first made public by the New York Post in 2023 when a source disclosed that they'd spotted Noem and Lewandowski getting cozy at the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference. "I remember it was so absurdly blatant and public," the source dished, adding that they apparently couldn't keep their hands off each other and didn't appear to mind that there were several witnesses either. "This has been a known, open thing and we've all been waiting for it to blow up at some point," they pointed out, confirming that Noem and Lewandowski engaged in similar behavior during a 2020 visit to Mar-a-Lago. 

Other sources detailed that they had engaged in this behavior on more than one occasion too. Neither Noem nor Lewandowski publicly debunked the affair rumors when asked for comment by the Daily Mail. However, a spokesperson for the U.S. homeland security secretary decried the salacious story as utter nonsense. Further, a DHS spokesperson informed The Wall Street Journal that they refused to comment on "salacious, baseless gossip." As for Noem's longtime husband? He hasn't commented at the time of writing.