A quiet Tuesday afternoon in a lakeside Minnesota suburb has thrust former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem back into headlines, this time alongside the man who has stood beside her career for years.
Cameras caught Noem, 54, and Corey Lewandowski, 52, sharing a meal and a bike ride along the shores of Lake Minnetonka in Wayzata on Tuesday. The Daily Mail obtained the images, which show the pair relaxed and casually dressed as they moved through the wealthy Minneapolis suburb.
Noem opted for a flannel shirt paired with a floppy hat. Lewandowski wore a fitted black T-shirt and dark sunglasses. Witnesses captured a moment at The Grocer’s Table cafe where Noem laughed while glancing at something displayed on Lewandowski’s phone as the two waited for their order.
A person familiar with the pair’s relationship told the Daily Mail that the bond between Noem and Lewandowski has only strengthened. “Kristi and Corey are closer than ever,” the source said.
That same insider offered insight into the emotional weight behind Noem’s decision to end her marriage. “Making the decision to hire a lawyer and file for divorce was difficult. Very difficult. She loves Bryon. Always will. She wants the best for him. He’s the father of her children,” the source said.
The insider then turned to Lewandowski’s role during Noem’s most difficult stretches, both in her career and personal life. “But Corey’s been there with her through thick and thin – both professionally and personally. Who was there for her when she was let go by Trump, when the news about Bryon’s fetish went public? It was Corey. Whatever the future holds, they are devoted to one another,” the source said.
Speculation about a bond beyond friendship between Noem and Lewandowski dates back years. Both denied any romantic involvement after a 2023 Daily Mail investigation first exposed how tightly the two were linked.
Noem’s career took a sharp turn this spring when President Trump removed her from the top post at the Department of Homeland Security in March. She has since taken charge of the Shield of the Americas, a newly established and far smaller operation within the State Department.
Noem’s professional upheaval coincided with a separate scandal engulfing her personal life. Her husband, Bryon Noem, 56, was found to be actively involved in the online “bimbofication” subculture, where he exchanged images of himself with balloons tucked beneath clothing to mimic large breasts, sent to fetish models he had been messaging.
An investigative review of hundreds of messages tied Bryon to three women within that online community, where performers undergo extreme saline breast enhancement to resemble exaggerated, doll-like figures. Bryon repeatedly complimented the women’s surgically altered bodies, admitted to a strong attraction toward “huge, huge ridiculous boobs,” and made pointed remarks about his own marriage in the exchanges.
Security experts who examined the findings raised concerns that Bryon’s online behavior may have created a vulnerability for Noem, long nicknamed “ICE Barbie,” by opening the door to potential blackmail during her time overseeing national security matters.
Noem has publicly acknowledged the toll the revelations took on her, describing herself as “blindsided” and “devastated” once the details surfaced.
Corinne Arnold, Noem’s 77-year-old mother, confirmed in a recent sit-down interview that her daughter is moving forward with divorce proceedings, describing the scandal as the breaking point after 34 years of marriage. “It has been difficult, but we knew this was coming, that they were going to get divorced,” Arnold said.
Arnold detailed the last occasion she witnessed Kristi and Bryon together, a family birthday gathering in late spring not long after the scandal became public. “This was a big party where the whole family was there, Kristi and Bryon, all my kids, all my grandkids,” she said. She noted that Bryon appeared affectionate with the grandchildren that day. “Bryon was holding and hugging the kids,” Arnold recalled. “It seemed like the old Bryon.” She continued, “He was very nice. I hugged him, told him I loved him and he said the same.”
Arnold also revealed she pressed her daughter directly about reconciliation during the celebration. “She doesn’t tell me what she thinks,” Arnold said. “Finally, I said: ‘What’s the deal? Are you going to get together again?’ And she said: ‘No. No. We’re going to get a divorce.’”
Since the scandal broke, Bryon has relocated roughly 20 miles from the family home and continues operating his insurance agency. Kristi Arnold and Bryon Noem first met in high school before marrying in 1992. Together they raised three children: daughters Kassidy, 32, and Kennedy, 29, along with son Booker, 24.
Bryon had long been a visible presence supporting his wife’s political rise, including sitting beside her during a congressional hearing on her immigration enforcement record. That moment turned tense when Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D-Calif., asked Noem point-blank, “Have you had sexual relations with Corey Lewandowski?”
Rather than issuing a flat denial, Noem fired back, “I am shocked that we’re going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this committee.”
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