ICE Barbie’s Wardrobe Back in Spotlight as Husband’s Alter Ego Revealed
Shared passions keep love alive...
“ICE Barbie” Kristi Noem’s love of cosplay is back under the microscope after it was reported that her husband leads a secret double life as a cross-dresser.
It emerged Tuesday that the newly-ousted DHS secretary’s husband, Bryon Noem, shares her hobby of dressing up. Bryon, 56, adopted an online alter ego as a “bimbo,” complete with fake boobs and skintight leggings, to chat with adult performers—allegedly paying them thousands of dollars, the Daily Mail reported.
The outlet said it had obtained hundreds of messages, involving three separate women, tied to his “bimbofication,” a fetish involving roleplaying as a hypersexualized Barbie doll in which a man wears massive breasts and tight clothing.
Kristi Noem, who has been married Bryon Noem for over three decades, was engulfed by fresh scandal Tuesday after it was revealed that her husband has been moonlighting as a pouty-faced cross-dresser online.
Democrats pounced on the revelation to jab Noem, 54, over her own rotating wardrobe of cosplays, which she donned for dozens of photo ops during her time as DHS secretary.
“That’s cute they both like to dress up,” the Democratic Party’s official X account wrote, pairing photos of Noem’s cosplays with images of Bryon’s cross-dressing obtained by the Daily Mail.
Democrats mocked Kristi Noem and her husband's penchant for playing dress-up.
Democrats/X
The Daily Mail exposed Bryon Noem's "fetish."
Daily Mail
Photos published by the outlet show Bryon stuffing balloons into a tight-fitting shirt to give the appearance of big boobs while posing with a pouty face and wearing hot pink and pastel-colored biker shorts.
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Compared to her husband, Noem made a far wider range of sartorial statements during her less than 14-month stint in Trump’s Cabinet, earning her the ICE Barbie nickname coined by the Daily Beast.
Firefighter ICE Barbie was decked out in turnout gear, complete with a heavy heat-resistant jacket and hard helmet, and was seen operating a fire hose.
ALEX BRANDON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Noem’s fashion adventures on taxpayers’ dime saw her as an ICE agent—bulletproof vest and cap included—as well as a cowgirl riding a horse against the backdrop of Mount Rushmore.
The latter is arguably her most expensive look, featured in the $220 million DHS advertisement that ultimately sealed her downfall.
Democrats also threw in two of Noem’s outfits from her time as South Dakota governor, when she donned a hard hat for an ad calling for home construction workers to join the state’s workforce, and scrubs in an attempt to appeal to nurses.
Ocean Rescue ICE Barbie got to drive the boat when she visited with the Maritime Security Response Team in San Diego in March 2025.
Kristi Noem/X
Over her tenure at the DHS, Noem—who is rumored to be leading a love affair with her top aide, Corey Lewandowski—also wore military fatigues and a combat helmet for her cosplay as a U.S. Coast Guard, decked out in turnout gear for her photo op as a firefighter, and kitted out with a military-grade combat rifle as she was pictured pointing the barrel at a law enforcement officer’s head.
“Kristi Noem doesn’t know how to hold a gun or run the Department of Homeland Security,” Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego wrote on Instagram at the time.
Kristi Noem/ X
After it was revealed that Bryon has been moonlighting as a cross-dresser online, her spokesperson told the Mail, “Mrs. Noem is devastated.”
ICE Blonde Kristi Noem on her wedding day with husband Bryon Noem.
Byron Noem/Facebook.
“The family was blindsided by this. They ask for privacy and prayers at this time,” the spokesperson said.
The Noems were high school sweethearts and the pair were married in 1992, when she was just a 20-year-old college student. They have three children: Kassidy, Kennedy, and Booker, all of whom are in their 20s.
The Daily Beast has reached out to both Noems for comment.
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