Kristi Noems husband, Bryon Noem, is facing intensifying scrutiny after a new report alleged he sought to abandon his marriage to the former Homeland Security Secretary in order to pursue a relationship with a dominatrix and transition into a woman.
According to Gateway Pundit, citing a Friday expos by the Daily Mail, Bryon Noem allegedly maintained a clandestine, intermittent online relationship for more than nine years with Shy Sotomayor, a 30-year-old Colorado Springs sex worker and dominatrix who performs under the name Raelynn Riley and is known for an extreme bimbofication persona. The report portrays a man living a double life, one that stands in stark contrast to the conservative, family-values image long projected by his wife, a prominent Republican figure.
In text messages and recorded calls described by the outlet, Bryon Noem is said to have confided to Sotomayor, I can see us leaving our spouses for each other. He allegedly went further, declaring, I will be your trans bimbo b*tch and I want to be a Crystal so bad. I want to be a woman so bad.
The communications reportedly show Bryon fantasizing in graphic detail about a full physical transformation. I will be your trans girl. Long hair, big lips, boobs pierced boobs, he allegedly told the dominatrix, embracing the hyper-sexualized bimbo aesthetic that has become a niche fetish online.
Sotomayor, who claims to have preserved extensive evidence of the exchanges, said Bryon readily agreed when she boasted she was so much better than his wife and that no one is prettier than me. No one is as powerful. Bryon allegedly replied, F-cking true, and then discussed an array of cosmetic procedures, including oversized breast implants, buttock augmentation, hormone therapy, and other feminizing interventions.
I think I do hair removal. Huge fake tits. Ass implants. Hormones, Byron Noem allegedly told the sex worker, outlining a radical departure from his current appearance. He also reportedly insisted on being addressed by a new name, telling her he wanted to be called Crystal.
That choice, Sotomayor said, left her stunned because of its similarity to his wifes name. I was just jaw to the floor, thrown for a loop that he wanted to be called that, so close to her name, when he could have gone with Stephanie or something, Sotomayor said.
The relationship allegedly began in 2016 on Twitter, before migrating to paid webcam sessions on platforms such as Streammate and Skype. Operating under the alias Jason Jackson, Bryon is said to have funneled thousands of dollars to Sotomayor through Amazon gift cards, designer merchandise, and cash, using the email handle Chrystalballz666.
According to the report, the online affair cooled around 2020, coinciding with Kristi Noems elevation to governor of South Dakota, as the familys public profile surged. But the exchanges allegedly resumed in October 2025 and intensified into early 2026, during the period when Kristi Noem was serving as Secretary of Homeland Security, raising questions about judgment and potential vulnerability to blackmail.
Sotomayor has reportedly provided dozens of screenshots and audio recordings to the Daily Mail, which claims to have verified that at least one of the phone numbers used in the conversations belonged to Bryon Noem. These latest materials build on earlier Daily Mail reporting that depicted Bryon as leading a secret life involving multiple women in the bimbofication fetish scene and included images of him cross-dressing with balloons stuffed in his shirt to mimic large breasts.
Despite the mounting evidence, Bryon Noem has not issued a comprehensive public denial addressing the specific texts and recordings now circulating. When contacted by The Independent about the newest allegations, he offered only a terse three-word response: not all true.
He did not clarify which elements he disputes or provide any alternative explanation for the communications attributed to him.
In March, responding to the initial wave of reporting, Bryon told the New York Times he would speak at some point but added, Today is not the day. I appreciate your heart.
Kristi Noems office, confronted with the first Daily Mail story, released a brief statement underscoring the personal toll on the family.
Ms. Noem is devastated. The family was blindsided by this, and they ask for privacy and prayers at this time, her spokesperson said.
No updated statement has been issued by Kristi Noem regarding the fresh claims that her husband contemplated transitioning and leaving the marriage. For conservatives who have long viewed the Noems as standard-bearers of traditional family values, the unresolved allegations and Bryons limited, ambiguous denials leave a cloud of uncertainty hanging over a household once held up as a model of stability and moral clarity.
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