Tragic Details About Kristi Noem's Husband Bryon Noem

While Kristi Noem is a face familiar to many around the world, her husband, Bryon Noem, tends to keep a much lower profile. However, there are a few details that have emerged regarding the former first gentleman of South Dakota — and sadly, some have been downright heartbreaking. 

We'll start with the obvious: the rumors of Kristi and Corey Lewandowski's affair. As a brief overview, Kristi was first accused of stepping out on Bryon with her advisor back in September 2021, with insiders telling American Greatness that they had been romantically linked for months at that point. Not long after, Kristi denied that in a post on X, claiming that the claims were based in sexism and adding, "I love Bryon. I'm proud of the God-fearing family we've raised together" (via People). However, at some point, Kristi deleted the post ... and in 2023, sources who spoke with the New York Post claimed that she and Lewandowski were very much "on," with some insiders even saying they'd seen them kissing in a public place. Granted, that was never addressed by Bryon himself, so perhaps there was nothing to it. That said, in 2025, the affair rumors heated up again, and between eyebrow-raising work trips with Lewandowski and claims that the two have become neighbors in D.C. since she was named Secretary of Homeland Security, many have accused Kristi of humiliating her husband. 

Of course, like we said, Bryon himself has never addressed the rumors, so maybe the fact that his wife and her rumored side piece spend so much time together has been misconstrued. Even if that is the case, though, there's no question that the constant headlines must be a source of frustration for him at the very least, if not completely devastating. 

Unfortunately for Bryon Noem, headlines aren't the only place his marriage has been called into question. On the contrary, his social media is regularly inundated with trolls bringing up the affair rumors — and let's just say, those messaging him aren't exactly doing so to be supportive. 

In response to a Valentine's Day Instagram post Bryon shared in 2023, a number of users took it upon themselves to comment, "#CoreyLewandowski." They even did so in response to commenters who did have something nice to say. The Lewandowski hashtag was used again when Bryon shared an Instagram post for Mother's Day 2024, and that wasn't all. One Instagram user taunted, "Are you or is Corey the kids dad?" Another wrote, "Your wife is in love with another man."

Sadly for Bryon, posts about his wife and family aren't the only ones where trolls see fit to prod him over the rumors. Even underneath Instagram carousels of him promoting small businesses across South Dakota, he's been taunted. Case in point, one commenter shared a link to yet another article about the affair, along with the question, "Bryon, do you have NO self-respect?" Another lambasted him even more harshly for his wife's rumored infidelity, writing, "Have some pride Bryon. You got cheated on in front of the nation and still decided to come back for more. It's honestly pathetic." Yeah ... definitely not supportive. 

Affair rumors aside, one other thing Bryon Noem has had to contend with over the years is the fact that many see aspects of his and Krisi Noem's marriage as "weird." 

Now, some likely have a problem with the fact that Kristi has lauded Bryon in the past for being their children's primary caregiver and for taking care of the home, but we're not going to get into that. After all, countless wives do the same thing without anyone batting an eyelid, and shaming a man for being involved with his own household would be blatantly sexist. That said, we'll admit that some of the other details to have emerged regarding their union have been a little unorthodox. 

For starters, there's the fact that Bryon may or may not have moved out of the governor's mansion while Kristi was still serving as South Dakota's head honcho. In 2023, the New York Post noted that he was said to have moved out in 2021. Could that have had something to do with the affair rumors? Possibly. However, it bears mentioning that that's never been confirmed. Another theory floated by SDPB was that Bryon was living at the family's farm so that his and Kristi's son, Booker Noem, could remain settled at his school, similar to how Melania Trump delayed moving into the White House during her husband's first term to avoid uprooting Barron Trump. Of course, there is also something to be said for the fact that many believe Melania also didn't want to live in the White House. As with the affair rumors, Bryon has never addressed his and Kristi's living arrangements. 

Moving away from the questions surrounding his marriage, another sad detail about Bryon Noem is that his and Kristi Noem's youngest child and only son had some serious health issues as a young child. 

Kristi opened up about Booker Noem's health struggles in a 2019 Governor's Column. "Booker was such a sick little boy with so many breathing problems he needed multiple inhalers, medications, and constant trips to the hospital," she wrote. Kristi didn't share any further details about what exactly had ailed their son. However, she did share that her husband had leaned heavily on his faith during that time. "Bryon prayed over him every night, asking God to heal our little boy," Kristi wrote.

Thankfully, this sad period in Bryon's life had a happy ending. Booker did recover, and in 2022, Bryon shared a gushy Instagram post to commemorate his 18th birthday. "You're a wonderful young man and [I'm] super proud of you. You are fun, serious, Godly, thoughtful, and just a delight to be around!" the proud dad wrote. In September 2024, Kristi shared via Facebook that Booker was moving from the family's home in South Dakota to Kansas City. The then-governor revealed that he would be training for YWAM (Youth with a Mission). "We are excited for him but will miss him ... but God has got him where he wants him," she wrote. Bryon didn't post about Booker's move on his social media, but something tells us he was just as proud as his wife. 

On to a sad family matter that didn't have a happy ending, as some will know, Bryon Noem and Kristi Noem faced a major tragedy early on in their marriage. Kristi's dad was killed in a tragic accident on his farm when they were newlywed. Kristi was heavily pregnant with their eldest daughter, Kassidy Noem, at the time, and she's written about how traumatic the ordeal was. 

Kristi's father had gotten stuck in a grain bin, a deadly situation which rescuers have likened to being more dangerous than quicksand. In an op-ed for Fox News, Kristi wrote, "By the time I got to the farm, neighbors and friends had taken payloaders and ripped down the grain bin trying to find my dad. When they finally did, our neighbors started doing CPR until the EMTs took over. ... Nothing worked." Kristi didn't open up about where Bryon was during the ordeal, nor has she spoken about his relationship with her father, but there's no question that it would have been traumatic for him to go through as well. Bryon is believed to be very close with his in-laws, and has gushed over Kristi's mom for Mother's Day in the past, referring to her in his 2024 Instagram post as one of his "favorite mothers."

Between affair rumors, social media trolls who hit below the belt, and family tragedies, it's safe to say Bryon has been through a lot over the years. Through it all, though, he seems to have remained close with his wife and kids — and while we may not know all the ins and outs of his marriage, we'd guess that's probably what matters most to him.