Kristi Noem is seeking to end her 34-year marriage to Bryon Noem, but newly public court records show the divorce process was underway months before the case surfaced this week. The former Homeland Security secretary is seeking a dissolution of the marriage in Hamlin County, South Dakota, and the complaint cites “irreconcilable differences.”
PEOPLE reported that the case was filed on September 28 but also obtained records showing that Bryon signed and notarized an admission of service on April 8.
PEOPLE also reports that Noem reserved the right to amend her complaint to assert additional or alternative fault-based grounds if the couple does not reach a settlement, although no such additional grounds have been publicly asserted.
The divorce follows months of public scrutiny surrounding the marriage, including separate media reports about Bryon’s private online activity.
Noem’s Attorney Says Further Comment Will Stay With the Legal Process
Noem has said little publicly about the proceeding itself. Her attorney, Michael K. Sabers, confirmed the case in a statement to PEOPLE, saying she “has great faith in the South Dakota judicial system and will reserve any further comments for the legal process.”
Bryon had not issued a substantive public statement about the divorce in the first reports. PEOPLE said an attorney representing him did not immediately respond to its request for comment.
The proceeding also brings an automatic temporary restraining order into effect under South Dakota divorce law once the statutory filing-and-service requirements are met. Such orders generally restrict both spouses from improperly disposing of marital assets, disturbing the other’s peace or changing insurance coverage while the case is pending.
Earlier Reports About Bryon’s Online Activity Are Separate From the Divorce Grounds
The marriage had already attracted public attention in late March after the Daily Mail published photographs and messages that it said documented Bryon’s participation in online fetish communities and communications with adult performers. The outlet also reported that he had sent money to some of the people with whom he communicated.
After that report appeared, representatives for Kristi told the media that she was “devastated,” that the family had been blindsided and that they were asking for privacy. TMZ reported the family’s response at the time while attributing the underlying claims to the Daily Mail.
By July, the separation was no longer only a matter of outside speculation. Noem’s mother, Corinne Arnold, told the Daily Mail that her daughter had told family members she and Bryon were going to divorce, months before the court papers became publicly accessible.
Kristi and Bryon Noem Married in 1992
Happy 32nd Anniversary to us!! I love you Bryon ❤️. Thank you for making me a wife, mother, grandmother, and living a life full of adventure with me! pic.twitter.com/ZmfHRcfbwD
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) May 23, 2024
Kristi and Bryon married on May 23, 1992, after meeting while they were students at Hamlin High School in South Dakota. They have three adult children, Kassidy, Kennedy and Booker, and are also grandparents.
Bryon later worked in agriculture and sales before operating a crop-insurance business, while Kristi moved from farming and ranching into elected office. PEOPLE reports that he remained closely tied to Hamlin County even as her political career took her from the South Dakota legislature to Congress, the governor’s office and eventually the Department of Homeland Security.
In May 2024, Noem publicly marked their 32nd anniversary with a social-media post thanking Bryon for the family and life they had built together.