Kristi Noem attends her statue unveiling without husband Bryon amid divorce claims

PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA: Kristi Noem stepped into the spotlight alone for the unveiling of her life-sized bronze statue and official portrait, with husband Bryon Noem notably absent from the ceremony.

The former South Dakota governor attended the event in Pierre on Friday, August 7, nearly a month after her mother publicly claimed that Kristi and Bryon were planning to divorce.

However, no divorce papers have been filed, leaving the status of their marriage unclear. 

Kristi Noem attends statue unveiling without her husband

Kristi, 54, was honored with the unveiling after serving as South Dakota governor from 2019 until January 2025.

She later became the first homeland security secretary of President Donald Trump’s second administration, though she was removed from the position in March.

She continues to serve Trump as his first special envoy to the Shield of the Americas.

Her appearance in Pierre came at a particularly sensitive time for her personal life.

In an interview published by the Daily Mail on July 10, Kristi’s mother, Corinne Arnold, claimed her daughter had told her that she and Bryon were going to divorce.

Arnold said the conversation happened during a family birthday gathering where Bryon was also present with their children and grandchildren.

“This was a big party where the whole family was there, Kristi and Bryon, all my kids, all my grandkids”, she shared.

Arnold recalled Bryon being affectionate with the children and described him as “very nice” during the gathering.

But Arnold said she eventually asked her daughter directly about their future.

“Finally, I said, ‘What’s the deal? Are you going to get together again?’ And she said, ‘No. No. We’re going to get a divorce,’” she claimed.

Divorce claims emerged after Bryon Noem's fetish forum controversy

The divorce claim followed a March 31 Daily Mail report about Bryon’s alleged activity on online fetish forums.

The report claimed he used the pseudonym “Jason Jackson” and had communicated with online models.

It also alleged that he spent more than $25,000 on those interactions and referenced his marriage in some of the exchanges.

The allegations caused a public backlash around the Noem family.

A representative for Kristi said at the time, “Ms. Noem is devastated. The family was blindsided by this, and they ask for privacy and prayers at the time.”

The reports also revived long-running rumors involving Kristi and her advisor Corey Lewandowski.

Both Kristi and Lewandowski have repeatedly denied the affair allegations.

Kristi Noem faced questions about Corey Lewandowski at hearing

The controversy followed Kristi into Congress during hearings held shortly before she was removed as homeland security secretary.

Bryon attended those hearings as lawmakers questioned Kristi over immigration enforcement and other issues.

During one exchange, California Democratic Rep Sydney Kamlager-Dove directly asked Kristi whether she had intimate relations with Lewandowski.

Kristi pushed back strongly against the question.

“I am shocked we're going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this committee,” she responded.