The annual White House Easter Egg Roll is typically a who’s who of the president’s inner circle. But this year, there was one noticeable absence.
Kristi Noem, 54, was nowhere to be seen at the event on the White House South Lawn on Monday, even as her Trump-appointed colleagues—including Jeanine Pirro, Stephen Miller, and United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz—made appearances.
The former Homeland Security secretary, who was ousted by President Donald Trump last month, was thrust into further controversy last week after a bombshell Daily Mail report revealed that her husband, Bryon, was an online “bimbo” who sent photos of himself sporting fake breasts and skintight leggings to adult performers—allegedly paying them thousands of dollars.
Noem is alleged to be in a years-long relationship with her former—and also married—de facto adviser, Corey Lewandowski. While the rumored couple jetted around the world in a leased luxury Boeing 737 with a private bedroom, Bryon, an insurance mogul, dabbled in online communities under the pseudonym “Jason Jackson.” Photos published by the outlet show him stuffing balloons into a tight-fitting shirt to give the appearance of large breasts while posing with a pouty expression. Other images show him wearing hot pink and pastel-colored biker shorts.
Following the Mail’s report, Trump told the outlet he was surprised to learn that the Noem family had confirmed the bombshell article.
“They confirmed it? Wow, well, I feel badly for the family if that’s the case, that’s too bad,” Trump said last week.
“I haven’t seen anything. I don’t know anything about it. That’s too bad, but I just know nothing about it,” the president added.
It’s unclear whether the president extended an invitation to Noem, whose current whereabouts are unknown. Also absent was Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom Trump fired on Thursday. Noem, at least, received a government position made up by Trump, and is now the “Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.” Bondi was not extended the same courtesy.
Bondi, 60, reportedly made a desperate plea to keep her job, even after the president informed her that her axing was imminent, to no avail.
By the time Trump announced that Bondi was out on Thursday, she had already fled Washington and returned to her native Tampa, Florida.
Noem, for her part, has dodged any public appearances since news of her husband’s extracurricular activities was revealed.
The former governor has maintained that she is “devastated” over reports of her high school sweetheart’s cross-dressing alter ego.
“Ms. Noem is devastated. The family was blindsided by this, and they asked for privacy and prayers at the time,” Noem’s representatives told the New York Post on Tuesday.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Noem’s representatives for comment.
