Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has filed for divorce from Bryon Noem, her husband of 34 years. The complaint was filed Monday, September 29, 2026, in Hamlin County, South Dakota, and cites irreconcilable differences, according to court records described by ABC News and Dakota News Now.
The Noem divorce filing marks a turning point for one of South Dakota’s best-known political families. The couple married in 1992 and raised three children in the Castlewood area, in the northeastern part of the state. Both sides have since issued brief statements through their attorneys, and neither has publicly gone beyond what the paperwork says.
What the Noem divorce filing says
According to ABC News, the document was prepared months before it reached the courthouse. The outlet reported that “The complaint for divorce was signed by Kristi Noem’s lawyer in April but was filed with the Hamlin County court on Monday.” That gap of roughly five months is one of the few concrete details in the public record, and no explanation for the timing has been given.
The stated grounds are limited to irreconcilable differences. The reports describing the filing do not mention any allegation of misconduct by either spouse. TMZ, which reported the case on Monday, said the petition leaves the door open for Kristi Noem to request support, though no specific financial terms have been made public.
The Noem divorce filing also brought an automatic legal step. Dakota News Now, the Sioux Falls station whose report was carried by other Gray Television outlets, wrote: “As a result of the divorce proceedings, and per South Dakota law, the parties are under a temporary restraining order.” The station tied the temporary restraining order to the divorce proceedings and state law rather than to any request or finding involving either spouse.
Statements from both attorneys
Kristi Noem is represented by Michael K. Sabers. In a statement quoted by ABC News, he said:
“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.”
Bryon Noem’s attorney, Tim Bottum, indicated that his client is prepared to respond if the case goes before a judge. “If court proceedings become necessary, Bryon will welcome the opportunity to truthfully share his perspective,” Bottum said, according to ABC News.
Neither statement addressed property or support. All three of the couple’s children are adults: daughters Kassidy, 31, and Kennedy, 29, and son Booker, 23, according to Dakota News Now. ABC News reported that the couple also has multiple grandchildren.
Why she is now a former DHS secretary
Noem, 54, no longer leads the Department of Homeland Security. President Donald Trump announced on March 5, 2026, that he was replacing her and naming Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma to the post, with the change effective March 31, according to Al Jazeera.
The move came after intense congressional hearings. Lawmakers questioned Noem over deadly shootings involving immigration agents and a $220 million advertising campaign promoting border security that featured her near Mount Rushmore. Noem maintained the bidding process for that contract was competitive. NarwhalTV has also covered a senator’s call for a perjury investigation into Noem over DHS spending and a later DHS review of Noem-era contracts.
A new role on the Shield of the Americas
Noem did not leave the administration entirely. In the same announcement, Trump named her special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a new security initiative focused on the Western Hemisphere. ABC News noted this week that she was named to that envoy post after her removal from DHS. Her current duties in that role have not been described in connection with the divorce case.
A private matter after a public year
The divorce follows months of public attention on the family. Shortly after Noem’s departure from DHS was announced in March, tabloid reports made claims about Bryon Noem’s personal life. At the time, a spokesperson for Kristi Noem said she was “devastated,” adding, “The family was blindsided by this, and they ask for privacy and prayers at the time,” as quoted by Dakota News Now.
The Noem divorce filing, as reported, does not reference those claims, and it lists no reason beyond irreconcilable differences. The court record reported so far contains no allegations about either spouse.
Roots in Hamlin County
The choice of court reflects the family’s home base. Dakota News Now datelined its report from Castlewood, the small community in Hamlin County long associated with the Noem family. Filing there keeps the case in the local courthouse that serves the area where the couple built their life together over more than three decades.
For much of Kristi Noem’s political career, Bryon Noem stayed largely out of the spotlight. That changed this year, as both his family’s private life and his wife’s federal service drew national coverage at the same time.
How the Hamlin County case could proceed
Divorce cases can end in a negotiated agreement between the spouses or, if they cannot settle, in a decision by a judge. Bottum’s statement suggests his client is prepared for the second path if it comes to that, while Sabers indicated Kristi Noem will keep further comments inside the legal process.
No hearing dates have been reported. For now, the confirmed facts are narrow: a complaint signed in April, filed on September 29 in Hamlin County, citing irreconcilable differences, a temporary restraining order that applies to both parties under state law, and two short statements from the lawyers on each side.
Both parties have asked, in different ways, for the matter to be handled through the courts rather than in public. Further updates are expected to come from the court docket rather than from either spouse.
