Bryon Noem: Tragic Details About Kristi Noem's Husband
Thanks to her fame, many of the tragic details about Kristi Noem's life are well-known and documented. Between being humiliated at her senate hearing and being plagued by plastic surgery rumors in recent years, her journey to political stardom hasn't exactly been a walk in the park. But whereas there's been a spotlight shone on some of Kristi's misfortunes, the same can't be said for her husband, Bryon Noem. The former first gentleman of South Dakota has gone through his own share of adversity as well, but you might never know it because of his more inconspicuous lifestyle. This isn't to say that the former basketball coach goes out of his way to avoid public attention. For the most part, the media doesn't give him anywhere near the same amount of interest that his wife has received.
On the rare occasions where Bryon has conducted interviews, he usually keeps the conversation positive, friendly, and drama-free, making it even harder to notice how much he's gone through. Incidentally, his wife has actually played a significant role in making Bryon's life more difficult than it needs to be. Some of the most controversial things Kristi has done can't help but reflect badly on her husband.
He's caught in the middle of affair rumors
Word had been traveling about Kristi Noem's alleged affair with former political advisor Corey Lewandowski since 2021, although there was talk that the pair had even been dating on the side as far back as 2019. The rumors eventually swelled to the point that Kristi came out and vehemently denied the allegations. However, the gossip only seemed to intensify after Kristi's rebuttal. Sneaking off on private planes, going on long beach walks, and kissing in public places were just some of the activities Kristi and Lewandowski were said to have done on their off time. Whether there's any grain of truth to these rumors or not, Bryon Noem has been humiliated by the rampant speculation surrounding his marriage, regardless. Despite nothing having been proven, a good chunk of netizens are convinced that the affair rumors are true.
As a result, Bryon and Kristi can barely post family pics on social media without someone bringing up Lewandowski. On X, formerly known as Twitter, Lewandowski was on quite a few people's lips when Kristi and Bryon uploaded photos of their Easter celebration together. "Who's Bryon? I thought you were married to Corey Lewandowski," one X user wrote. "Wait, is this the husband, boyfriend or pool boy? I can't keep up," another poster commented. The replies are just a taste of the embarrassing digs Bryon has had to deal with since his wife's scandal.
His family can't catch a break from controversy
It must be hard for Bryon Noem to get any peace, considering that his wife, Kristi Noem, is always involved in some kind of scandal. Being banned from tribal lands in South Dakota and her history of legal issues are just some of the many problems Kristi's run into. But controversy, apparently, runs in the family. Kristi has three kids, and two of them have also brought considerable stress to Bryon's life. Kassidy Peters, Kristi's oldest daughter, faced backlash when she applied for her real estate license in 2020. Although her application was initially rejected, Peters was later awarded a license after being given other opportunities to apply.
It was rumored that Kristi used her political power to pressure the agency into finally approving her daughter's application. Kristi denied the claims after she and her family were investigated for the allegations. Additionally, Kristi's second daughter, Kennedy Noem, would also find herself in hot water. When her mother was still governor of South Dakota, Kennedy was hired to work with Kristi's staff as a policy analyst in 2018. Kennedy getting a pretty significant government position fresh out of college at the time sparked speculation that she was benefiting from nepotism. Peculiarly, Kennedy left politics two years after Kristi hired her. It wouldn't be all that surprising if Bryon lost a lot of sleep dealing with his family's constant controversies, especially after his wife joined the very scandal-prone Trump administration.
It's unclear how often he actually sees his wife
For a long time, there's always been a bit of a question mark next to how often Bryon Noem actually sees Kristi Noem. Even back when Kristi was serving as South Dakota's governor, she intimated that being in the same house with her husband was a rare occurrence. Kristi praised Bryon in 2019 for keeping the house organized and clean while she was away on business, asserting that she was gone often. Their housing situation became even more baffling when it was reported that they didn't fully live together in 2020. While Kristi called the governor's mansion in Pierre her home, Bryon lived on the family farm close to the city Castlewood. Since their son, Booker Noem, still went to school in the area, Bryon remaining on the farm allowed Booker to continue his education uninterrupted.
Kristi would occasionally see Bryon on the weekends, turning their marriage into a long-distance relationship. The distance would only widen after Kristi joined the Trump administration and had to relocate to a Washington, D.C., apartment. It was already tragic that Kristi had to travel even further to see her husband. But what's worse is that Kristi's new living quarters sparked more affair rumors. A man was allegedly seen doing chores for Kristi in her apartment. As you might've guessed, many assumed that Corey Lewandowski was the anonymous visitor.
His life changed forever because of family tragedy
Bryon Noem might've had completely different expectations for his life when he first fell for Kristi Noem. After crossing paths in high school, the couple would later end up marrying each other in 1992. But at the time, Bryon probably didn't think being married to Kristi meant he'd eventually have to put up with constant affair rumors and other political scandals. In fact, he didn't think Kristi would get into politics at all. He married her under the impression that she'd follow the family business and become a farmer. For a while, it seemed like Kristi was headed down that path.
After her father died in a farming accident in 1994, Kristi focused on taking care of her family's farm and other businesses. However, it also motivated her to get into politics. "When I lost him and almost lost everything, it made me start showing up and getting involved in policies that really do, tragically, crush families," Kristi said in an interview with Fox News. Losing his father-in-law, Bryon saw the trajectory of his marriage shift, and the quiet life he might've envisioned for him and his family was completely uprooted. Bryon has said that he supported Kristi's political ambitions after they had a long conversation about her career shift. Still, seeing how her decision has affected their family years later, he might've secretly wished at least once that his wife had stuck to farming.