Kristi Noem admitted months ago that her husband, who reportedly crossdresses while paying and chatting with adult performers, was gay.
Noem’s 56-year-old husband, Bryon, allegedly shelled out thousands of dollars while dressing up as the opposite sex, the Daily Mail reported Tuesday. The former Homeland Security secretary, whom President Donald Trump fired earlier this month, was “devastated,” her spokesperson said, adding that “the family was blindsided by this.”
However, Noem, 54, apparently told a reporter last year that there was one aspect of her marriage that wasn’t conventional.
On the Aug. 25, 2025, episode of conservative political commentator Ryan James Girdusky’s podcast It’s a Numbers Game, the host talked about a “fascinating” piece of “D.C. gossip.”
“There is a member of Trump’s Cabinet. I’m not going to name names until this comes out publicly, but you guys put two and two together and you’ll know what I’m talking about,” he began. “There is a member of the Cabinet who’s well known, and it’s well known that this member—it’s a woman—is having an affair, a very semi-public affair, and if you’re in political circles, you know."
Noem was long rumored to be having an affair with her top aide, Corey Lewandowski, who is also married with children. Both of them have denied it.
“Well, a reporter walked up to her and said to her, ‘Why are you having this affair? Why haven’t you met up with your husand? Why aren’t you divorcing your husband?’” Girdusky continued. “And she blurted out to this reporter, who I know, and said, ‘Oh, my husband’s gay.’”
Girdusky was surprised that she didn’t come up with a defense.
“Like, what?” he reacted. “Didn’t even try and, I don’t know, make something up: ‘We’re doing it for the kids, we’re still together, Please respect my privacy.’”
“If it becomes a story, I’ll talk more about it,” he concluded. “It’s someone’s private life, but if it becomes a story, I just think that it’s very interesting that this person did not try harder to protect their spouse in this conversation.”
Noem’s alleged comment, as told by Girdusky, doesn’t necessarily mean she knew about the extent of her husband’s actions, as reported by the Mail. However, it certainly brings more scrutiny to her marriage and her alleged affair.
The Daily Beast has contacted the Noems and Lewandowski for comment.
When reached for comment by the Mail, Bryon Noem denied making indiscreet comments about his wife and potentially exposing her to blackmail, which some national security experts had warned of.
