Here’s some quality, politically adjacent gossip to boost your spirits: Kristi Noem and Bryon Noem are reportedly heading for divorce.
According to the Daily Mail, Kristi Noem’s mother confirmed that her daughter, the former head of the Department of Homeland Security, had begun divorce proceedings.
“It has been difficult, but we knew this was coming, that they were going to get divorced,” Corinne Arnold told the conservative British tabloid.
Whether that’s shocking news to you may depend on how closely you followed the Real Housewives of the White House earlier this year.
If you tuned out, here’s your recap.
In March, President Donald Trump gave Noem the boot from Homeland Security after she suggested that he had authorized her glitzy $220 million DHS ad campaign. And a few days later, tabloids began running photos of her husband wearing tight feminine clothing and impressively large, fake breasts. “Bimbofication,” it was called.
While Kristi claimed that she was “blindsided” by the news, critics—including members of the MAGA faithful—called that claim bullocks.
“That isn’t true. She knew all about her husband which is why she lives with Corey Lewandowski in the DC area,” Laura Loomer, the White House’s favorite conspiracy theorist, tweeted at the time. “That’s why her husband never divorced her. It was their arrangement. Literally everyone in the admin has known this forever. I’m shocked it didn’t come out earlier.”
Those rumors of Kristi Noem’s alleged extramarital affair had been floating around long before her husband’s kink came to life. As Daily Kos has previously covered, Corey Lewandowski was reportedly running the DHS at his rumored lover’s side.
But when Kristi Noem was moved to her new—and apparently fragile—position as “special envoy” for the “Shield of the Americas,” Lewandowski seemingly left DHS alongside her.
Now, no official divorce filings for the Noems have hit public records yet. So far, the most we’re working with is a dedicated tabloid reporter interviewing Kristi Noem’s mother.
However, don’t hold your breath for much public sympathy whichever way it pans out.
After all, Kristi has a long public history of bashing—and signing orders against—the communities generally supportive of kinks like Bryon’s reported fetish. And her proclivity of embracing puritan culture hit much differently once reports broke about what was happening behind closed doors.
Either way, the gossip is a nice reprieve from other headlines. Stay tuned for more updates on the Real Housewives of the White House.
We’ll get straight to the point: The financial hardships that Daily Kos is facing this year are tough.
We continue to be paywall-free. We continue to be supported by our readers, not billionaires or corporations. But we need to bring in more revenue. We are leaning on our community more than ever to help make ends meet.