Kristi Noem's Daughter Kennedy Has Been Through Some Tragic Things In Life

Between the messy rumors that her mother is having an affair with Corey Lewandowski, nepo-baby accusations, and her own health woes, Kennedy Frick has gone through a lot over the years. And, unfortunately for the former first daughter of South Dakota, a lot of that has played out very publicly. 

We'll start with the puppy scandal that shocked the world — and which Kennedy was unfortunately dragged into. Most will recall that in her book "No Going Back: The Truth on What's Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward," Kristi Noem shared the story of the time she put down their hunting dog, Cricket. Kristi had written that Cricket was "untrainable" and had caused havoc, killing a neighbor's chickens in one instance, but in a twist that disturbed readers, she hadn't tried to re-home the dog, or even had Cricket euthanized. Instead, she took matters into her own hands and shot Cricket in a gravel pit. 

As for how Kennedy entered the story, Kristi went on to write that shortly after shooting both Cricket and the family's goat, who had infuriated her with his habit of tackling her and Bryon Noem's kids, the children's school bus arrived. "Kennedy looked around confused, ... 'Hey, where's Cricket?'" Kristi wrote (via The Guardian). A devastating moment for the young girl, no doubt, and made worse by the fact that the story was published for the entire world to read. That particular detail has also led to a ton of social media taunting, with some of her mom's critics using Kennedy's Instagram comment sections to post GIFs of Laura Coates reading the line where Kennedy had asked, "Where's Cricket?" Kennedy did not reply.

Throughout her childhood, Kennedy Frick was incredibly sporty, and while that made her mother proud, Kristi Noem shared in a 2015 op-ed for Mitchell Republic that it had also resulted in several major injuries. "Kennedy's athletic career has not been without its own challenges," she wrote, noting that over the years her daughter had "knocked out her front teeth." Of that particular incident, Kennedy would later share with SDPB that she'd fallen on a basketball court and someone had fallen on her head.

The mom of three shared that during her high-school basketball career, Kennedy had also broken her foot and her back. Writing of the latter, Kristi recounted, "The break was bad enough that it required surgery, four days in the hospital and several more weeks in a hospital bed in our living room. She was limited to months of no activity — a hard task for a girl who rarely stops moving." Though Kennedy was given a green light to play again a few months later, Kristi wasn't thrilled by their suggestion. "The doctors had cleared her to play — so long as there was limited contact. I'd wondered if the doctors had ever watched a basketball game," she wrote. 

Even so, it was only in college that Frick finally stepped away from the sport. "I went back to the doctor and he said you have to make a decision. It's not going to be great if you keep playing ... My back really couldn't take it. And I figured I wanted to be able to enjoy life," she told SDPB. Ultimately, that allowed her to focus on her academic work in college, but quitting a lifelong passion undoubtedly stung. 

In her SDPB interview, Kennedy Frick shared that she'd decided to study political science. She also shared that she'd completed two internships in Washington, D.C., while completing her studies, first with Rep. Kevin McCarthy and then at the House Government Reforms and Oversight Committee. That said, by the time of her interview, her mom had already been elected governor of South Dakota. It had also been announced that she would be working in her mom's administration when it began in 2019 — and many were less than thrilled. 

Speaking about the backlash in late 2018, Kennedy explained, "I kind of knew it would come." She also said she didn't mind people thinking her mom had a hand in her getting the job. Still, she admitted that it hurt knowing many people believed her famous parent was the only reason she'd gotten the job. "It kind of looks past how hard I've worked and the internships I've had. I've definitely worked hard in school to be prepared for this," she told the outlet. 

Unfortunately for Kennedy, pointing that out didn't quiet her critics. On the contrary, in January 2019, a Senate bill was introduced specifically to prevent state employees from hiring their family members. At the time, Senator Stace Nelson — who had sponsored the bill — told Watertown Public Opinion that it wasn't personal, but necessary all the same. Watertown Public Opinion also pointed out that because Kennedy had already been hired by her mom's administration, it wouldn't impact her employment. Nevertheless, in July 2020, she announced in a Facebook post that she was leaving the South Dakota Governor's Office to pursue her MBA. "Can't wait to see what God has in store," she ended the post. 

Kennedy Frick may have escaped the nepo-baby criticism after she left her mom's office, but one thing that hasn't been quite as easy to escape has been the chatter surrounding her parents' relationship. 

In the unlikely event you haven't heard, Kristi and Bryon Noem's marriage has been the subject of gossip for years. In particular, Kristi has been accused of having an affair with Corey Lewandowski, and though she denied it early on, even Donald Trump appeared to suggest there was truth to the rumors. That, coupled with the questions surrounding Kristi and Bryon's living situation and the divorce rumors fueled by Bryon no longer posting pics of them together online, can't be easy for Kennedy or her siblings to see. 

Of course, in addition to the rumors themselves, Kennedy has also had the added layer of social-media comments to contend with. Case in point: When she shared an Instagram post in honor of her father's 50th birthday, she received a comment alluding to the gossip. "So sorry for what your mom has done to this poor guy," the commenter wrote. Kennedy didn't respond. However, it is a bit brutal that her post had specifically noted that Bryon had been hesitant to join Instagram, "Because of all the negativity we see on social media in today's world."  

As if the comment about her mom's rumored affair wasn't brutal enough, Kennedy Frick has also received a ton of hate directed at her family in general in the comments section of her Instagram.

In response to an Instagram post from her 2022 wedding to Tanner Frick, a number of social media users took the opportunity to hit out at Kennedy's mother. "Did your fascist mom invite her Gestapo goons to your wedding?" wrote one. Another replied to the post in 2025 in the wake of Kristi Noem's hospitalization for an allergy, chirping, "Hey heard your mom is in the hospital, best news ever ... I pray God [that] she's not good." Kennedy got a rough deal again in August 2025, when she shared pics from a photoshoot she and Tanner had done with their baby daughter, Noah Frick. "Do you sleep at night? Do you lie to people? Do you shoot puppies?" asked one Instagram user. Talk about a trifecta taunt. 

Kennedy has not spoken publicly about the hate she gets as a result of who her mom is, which is probably for the best. Much like Bryon Noem, who has tragically scaled back on posts about his wife, and who doesn't reply to the never-ending barrage of hate comments, she tends not to engage with anyone other than her well-wishers. Kennedy also keeps the bulk of her posts focused on her husband and daughter. Thoughts on Kristi Noem aside, it certainly is sad that her daughter has had to bear the brunt of the controversial decisions she's made, both politically and in her personal life.