Kristi Noem’s mother has said her daughter is planning to end her marriage to husband Bryon after 34 years together.
The claim follows reports published in April alleging that Noem’s husband, whom she married in 1992, had been leading what was described as a secret life.
According to the Daily Mail, Bryon was allegedly involved in a ‘bimbofication’ fetish, a practice centered on adopting the exaggerated appearance of a stereotypical ‘bimbo’.
People who participate are said in some cases to use balloons or prosthetics to create the look of enlarged breasts.
Photos later emerged that appeared to show the 56-year-old father of three wearing large fake breasts, pink shorts and lipstick.
The same report alleged that Bryon had been exchanging ‘bimbofied’ images with women while using the name ‘Jason Jackson’.
After those allegations surfaced, the family’s spokesperson said:
“The family was blindsided by this. They ask for privacy and prayers at this time.”
Now, Noem’s mother, Corinne Arnold, has told the Daily Mail that the relationship is over.
“It has been difficult, but we knew this was coming, that they were going to get divorced,” the 77-year-old claimed to the outlet.
Arnold also described an alleged conversation during a party for the couple’s grandchildren, saying she asked her daughter if she and Bryon would reconcile.
“‘No. No. We’re going to get a divorce,'” Noem is said to have responded, according to her mother.
Arnold went on to say:
“I feel bad, sick that they’re getting a divorce, but what else can you do?”
She also claimed that it took her daughter “a long time to figure out”.
Representatives for Kristi Noem have been contacted for comment.
Noem was serving as Secretary of Homeland Security when the March reports about Bryon emerged. She was later succeeded by Markwayne Mullin, who was sworn in as the department’s ninth secretary on March 24, 2026.
When the allegations involving Bryon later became public, President Donald Trump said he felt sorry for the family.
“They confirmed it? Wow, well, I feel badly for the family if that’s the case, that’s too bad,” he said when asked about the matter by Daily Mail reporters.
“I haven’t seen anything,” the POTUS continued.
“I don’t know anything about it. That’s too bad, but I just know nothing about it.”
Trump later replaced Noem with Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin, while she moved into a new position as Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.
The family has not publicly confirmed a filing, but the latest comments from Arnold add to weeks of speculation around the couple’s long marriage, which began in the early 1990s and has included three children and several grandchildren.