Kristi Noem files for divorce after husband Bryon’s crossdressing fetish leaked
Kristi and Bryon Noem (Getty Images)
Kristi Noem has filed for divorce from her husband, Bryon Noem citing “irreconcilable differences”, after his alleged “bimbofication” crossdressing fetish was leaked to the press.
The former US Department of Homeland Security secretary, 54, filed for divorce in April, according to the Daily Mail, however the documents were not found on Hamlin County court’s online database until 28 September.
On Tuesday (29 September), her attorney Michael K. Sabers said in a statement shared with PEOPLE: “Kristi Noem has filed for the dissolution of her marriage to Bryon Noem. She has great faith in the South Dakota judicial system and will reserve any further comments for the legal process.”
Court filings also state that Kristi reserves the right to amend the divorce complaint “to assert additional and alternative fault-based grounds for divorce” if no settlement is reached.
Kristi and Bryon, 56, married in 1992 and have three grown children: daughters Kassidy and Kennedy, and son Booker.
Bryon Noem’s ‘bimbofication’ fetish
The divorce filing follows a wave of reporting about Bryon’s alleged private online activity.
In late March, the Daily Mail published material which showed Bryon participating in “bimbofication” fetish forums. He allegedly spent upward of $25,000 in related chatrooms.
So-called “bimbofication” involves usually a heterosexual, cisgender man wanting to take on a feminine role for humiliation-based sexual pleasure. It is not linked to someone’s gender identity. There’s also nothing inherently wrong with it as a fetish or kink when between consenting adults.
In July, Corinne Arnold, Kristi’s mother, told the Daily Mail that the couple were divorcing. “I feel bad, sick that they’re getting a divorce, but what else can you do?” she said.
Kristi Noem ‘devastated’
Kristi Noem, who has often shared anti-LGBTQ+ opinions, was reportedly “devastated” when her husband’s images were published online.
The prominent Republican figure’s representative told the New York Post at the time: “The family was blindsided by this, and they ask for privacy and prayers at the time.”
