Kristi Noem and Husband Bryon's Relationship Timeline Following Explosive Corey Lewandowski Affair Rumors

Kristi Noem and her husband, Bryon Noem, first met and fell in love in high school.

Both raised on farms in Hamlin County, S.D., the couple had known each other because Bryon was friends with Kristi's older brother.

Although they attended the same high school, their romance began only when Kristi was a high school junior and Bryon was a college freshman.

In an Instagram post, Bryon confirmed he proposed to Kristi on July 4, 1991, on Lake Kampeska "while watching fireworks in my Grandpa Mitchell's boat."

He added, "She said yes! 30 years later we were back on that same lake watching fireworks with family and friends. It was a great day seeing friends at the Watertown parade and the Mobridge Stampede Rodeo. Also met Rodeo Legends, Jim and Julie Sutton @suttonrodeo, who will be inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame in a couple weeks. Another fine day in South Dakota blessed by God! 🇺🇸🙏."

Kristi exchanged vows with Bryon in a wedding ceremony on May 23, 1992, while she was still a college student at Northern State University.

On March 10, 1994, Kristi's father, Ronald Arnold, died following a tragic farming accident. A local newspaper reported that the then-49-year-old patriarch climbed into a grain bin to resolve an issue when it collapsed and smothered him.

The tragedy led then-pregnant Kristi to drop out of college and help run the family's farm.

Bryon and Kristi became parents for the first time when their first child, daughter Kassidy Noem Peters, was born on April 21, 1994.

She married Kyle Peters in June 2019. They have since welcomed three children.

Bryon and Kristi welcomed their second daughter, Kennedy, on February 24, 1997.

Booker Noem, the couple's youngest child, was born on May 21, 2002.

Kristi reflected on their family life in a 2022 interview with ELYSIAN, sharing, "I think people know me and we are such a transparent family. I don't know of another elected official that puts their family life out there, with their kids."

After working on Kristi's family farm for a decade, Bryon took a job at Bryant State Bank. He managed the company's insurance agency from 2003 until purchasing it in 2010 and turning it into Noem Insurance.

"I am blessed to be doing what I do - working with great people.I have a great staff! You should get to know us. We think you will like us!" he said on the company's site.

Meanwhile, Kristi was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives after initially serving as a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives.

Kristi made history as the first female governor of South Dakota. She was sworn in as the 33rd governor on January 5, 2019.

Six years later, Donald Trump tapped her to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

"She will be a great part of our mission to Make America Safe Again," the president said at the time.

Around the same time she began her work as DHS secretary, Kristi was repeatedly spotted being touchy-feely with Corey Lewandowski at multiple events, including the annual fishing trip hosted by investment manager Foster Friess, the 2019 Florida conference and the 2019 AMPFest.

In December 2019, the dating rumors intensified after they were photographed shopping for a dog.

The buzz surrounding their alleged clandestine relationship continued in the years thereafter, reaching an all-time high when The Wall Street Journal published a shocking exposé.

"Lewandowski and Noem, who are both married, have publicly denied the reports of the affair, but people said they do little to hide their relationship inside the department," the outlet noted in one part of the report.

Both consistently denied the speculation.

On March 5, Donald fired Kristi and replaced her with "the Highly Respected United States Senator from the Great State of Oklahoma, Markwayne Mullin" effective March 31.

"The current Secretary, Kristi Noem, who has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!), will be moving to be Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas, our new Security Initiative in the Western Hemisphere we are announcing on Saturday in Doral, Florida. I thank Kristi for her service at 'Homeland,'" he included in the Truth Social post.

A few days later, sources told Rob Shuter's Naughty But Nice gossip column that Corey dumped the ICE Barbie after the firing.

"The relationship was always about power," a Washington, D.C., source told the British journalist. "Without the job and the access, Corey isn't interested anymore."

The tipster said Corey only got attracted to Kristi due to her "control," explaining, "Corey loves proximity to power. When Kristi had it, he was glued to her. Now that she doesn't, he's gone."

Another insider said it had always been a "power story" rather than a "romance story."

Bryon and Kristi presented a united front when the former governor had congressional hearings since federal immigrant agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis.

When she testified before the House Judiciary Committee on March 4, Kristi was also questioned about whether she was having sexual relations with Corey.

"I am shocked that we're going down and peddling tabloid garbage in this committee today," she responded. "I would tell you is that he is a special government employee who works for the White House. There are thousands of them in the federal government."

When Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove pushed back, Kristi reiterated it was "garbage."

As she did not directly deny the affair rumors, Representative Jared Moskowitz told Kristi she needed to "say the word 'no' into the record so that you can clear that up."

"I think the ridiculousness of this and the tabloids that you are quoting and referencing are insane," said Kristi. "This is a thing I have refuted for years."

Jared asked once again, "Is that no?"

"This is what you do," Kristi answered the "member of the liberal left," adding, "You say conservative women are stupid or s----. I am neither."