It turns out D.C.’s real “worst-kept secret” wasn’t Kristi Noem’s alleged affair—but her “unconventional” marriage.
Members of President Donald Trump’s inner circle told the Washington Examiner that many insiders believed the ousted Homeland Security secretary’s husband, Bryon, “was gay or had his own arrangement,” even before a bombshell Daily Mail report revealed he was an online “bimbo” who sent photos of himself sporting fake boobs and skintight leggings to adult performers—allegedly paying them thousands of dollars.
“Everyone assumed they had an unconventional marriage because she was in a relationship with Corey Lewandowski,” a source identified as someone close to the White House told the Examiner on Wednesday.
“The assumption was that he was fine with it for whatever reason… because he was gay, or had his own arrangement. No one in their wildest dreams imagined this.”
Another Trump insider echoed a similar sentiment to the outlet.
“She was delusional,” they said. “Everyone in Washington knew what was going on.”
But while most MAGA insiders had some level of suspicion about Noem’s marriage, the reality still came as a shock, one administration official told the Examiner.
“Bryon wasn’t around much. We were all aware of that,” the person said. “But I’d never heard about anything like this.”
Noem is alleged to be in a years-long relationship with her former—and married—de facto adviser, Corey Lewandowski. While the rumored couple jetted around the world in a leased luxury Boeing 737 with a private bedroom, Bryon, an insurance mogul, dabbled in online communities under the pseudonym “Jason Jackson.” Photos published by the outlet show him stuffing balloons into a tight-fitting shirt to give the appearance of large breasts while posing with a pouty expression. Other images show him wearing hot pink and pastel-colored biker shorts.
Even Trump was looped in on Noem’s affair with his former campaign manager, with sources telling the New York Post that the president regularly tells a story about Noem and Lewandowski drinking from the same soda can—which the 79-year-old, a known germophobe, described as a dead giveaway.
“You can’t do that, it’s pretty obvious!” Trump reportedly said, according to the Post’s sources. “You can’t do that, everyone’s going to know!”
Following the Mail’s report, Trump told the outlet he was surprised to learn that the Noem family had confirmed the bombshell article.
“They confirmed it? Wow, well, I feel badly for the family if that’s the case, that’s too bad,” Trump responded.
“I haven’t seen anything. I don’t know anything about it. That’s too bad, but I just know nothing about it,” the president added.
The former governor has maintained that she is “devastated” over reports of her high school sweetheart’s cross-dressing alter ego.
“Ms. Noem is devastated. The family was blindsided by this, and they asked for privacy and prayers at the time,” Noem’s representatives told the New York Post on Tuesday.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Lewandowski and Noem’s representatives for comment.
