Kristi Noem's Husband Bryon Isn't The Only Family Member She's Had Trouble With

March 2026 was a very difficult month for Kristi Noem, which started with her testifying before Congress and ended with a bombshell revelation about her husband, Bryon Noem. In between, she lost her job as the secretary of Homeland Security, with her cowboy cosplay ads reportedly being the last straw. But for her family, the part of her testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee that was most distressing had a far more personal touch to it. Kristi was repeatedly asked about rumors of an affair with Corey Lewandowski. She tried to turn the questions around on the senators, acting surprised that they would spend time on such a salacious rumor, all while refusing to give a direct yes or no. For Bryon Noem's blood relatives, this was the breaking point.

As revealed by the New York Post, Bryon's side of the family does not like his wife and the way she has treated not just him, but all of the Noems. One person told the outlet, "She despises the Noem family," while another made it clear that it hadn't always been that way, explaining, "She's not the same girl — we used to be close friends." Many of them are also confused by Bryon's refusal to leave Kristi despite the years of gossip about her and Lewandowski, rumors that Kristi Noem has continuously refused to shut down.

However, some members of the Noem clan think they know why Bryon has stayed with his wife through it all. One of them told the New York Post, "He said he decided about 20 years ago that it was his calling from God to support her in whatever she decided to do." It seems that, to Bryon, staying with her didn't mean he couldn't have fun with online models, spending over $25,000 for their time, according to the Daily Mail.

Kristi Noem met her husband when she was a junior in high school, and Bryon Noem was in his first year of college. They married when Kristi was 20 and ran a ranch together. In 2006, Kristi ran for a state house seat in South Dakota and won with just 39% of the vote. In 2010, she ran for and won a seat in the House of Representatives, and served her state for three terms before running for governor. Bryon supported his wife through it all, raising three children with her. According to Bryon's family, though, things changed after Kristi became governor.

That was when Corey Lewandowski entered the picture and became an important part of Kristi's team, even if the others didn't want him around. Kristi's chief of staff, Joshua Shields, reportedly quit because of Lewandowski's growing role in her political career, and that was before the rumors began. The first report of Noem and Lewandowski's alleged affair came from American Greatness in 2021, but they wouldn't be the last.

Gossip would spread for years, and the whispers turned into shouts in February 2026 when both the Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic ran articles about the two and their very close relationship. The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing brought it all to a head, and Bryon Noem had a front row seat as his wife refused to directly deny the allegations. Meanwhile, rumors about Bryon were swirling as well, though that gossip didn't break out into public discourse until the Daily Mail ran the photos of Bryon, revealing his own sexual proclivities. While there is sure to be more news about the Noems in the future, it's hard to imagine April will be as eventful a month for them.