Bryon Noem Allegedly Texted Dominatrix 'I've Been a Really Bad Boy' Weeks After Scandal Broke

The Timeline

The original scandal broke in late March 2026, when the Daily Mail published photos and records showing Bryon Noem, 56, an insurance executive from South Dakota, posing with prosthetic breasts and communicating with online sex workers. That report landed while his wife, Kristi Noem, was already under fire. She had faced the Senate Judiciary Committee over questions about her relationship with political operative Corey Lewandowski, and President Trump fired her from the DHS secretary role shortly after, according to The List.

Bryon allegedly sent a text reading "I've been a really bad boy" on May 17, according to dominatrix Shy Sotomayor. That is nearly seven weeks after the Daily Mail story ran. Sotomayor made the claim during an appearance on the podcast UNCLOSETED with Spencer Macnaughton, as reported by the New York Post.

Nine Years, $45,000, and a Fake Name

Sotomayor, 30, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, told the Daily Mail she and Bryon first connected on X in 2016. He used the alias "Jason Jackson" and a payment email address listed as "Chrystalballz666," paying approximately $15 a minute for video sessions, according to Newsweek and The List.

The contact stopped in 2019 when Kristi Noem became governor of South Dakota. Bryon resurfaced in October 2025, around the time reports emerged about Kristi Noem's use of DHS funds to purchase two private jets, according to The List.

Sotomayor estimates Bryon spent up to $45,000 on her services across nine years. After the May 17 text, she says she followed up with a PayPal invoice for $4,500 she claims he still owed her.

What the Messages Allegedly Say

Text messages and audio recordings obtained by the Daily Mail, and described in reporting by Newsweek and The New Republic, show Bryon telling Sotomayor he loved her and could see them "leaving our spouses for each other." He allegedly said he wore women's underwear to work and wanted to change his name to Crystal, writing "I want to be a woman so bad."

He also reportedly criticized Kristi Noem's handling of federal immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. The New Republic noted that Bryon's texts referenced "family stuff" being "really bad at home" around January 16, roughly the time federal agents fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis, one of the most controversial moments of Kristi Noem's DHS tenure.

Sotomayor told the Daily Mail she found Bryon hypocritical. "I felt he was very hypocritical for standing ten toes on American family values while he was in my messages about wanting to be a trans bimbo bitch," she said.

Another online content creator, Lydia Love, also claimed Bryon was a regular client. She posted publicly that she was okay after concerns circulated about her safety, adding she had not known his real identity.

Additional Claims

Sotomayor told the UNCLOSETED podcast that during a phone call with Bryon in January, she heard a woman's voice ask, "Who are you talking to?" She identified the voice as a woman, suggesting Kristi Noem had walked in mid-call. Sotomayor also claimed that when she had warned Bryon previously about the risk of being discovered, he told her, "I don't care."

According to Newsweek, Sotomayor stopped taking Bryon's calls late in the spring. However, note that Newsweek's reported date of March 22 for Bryon's "last text" appears inconsistent with the May 17 date of the "I've been a really bad boy" text cited earlier in this article; readers should be aware this discrepancy has not been resolved across the sourcing. Reports also indicate Bryon entered a sex rehabilitation program, though the sourcing on that detail traces back to Sotomayor's account rather than independent confirmation.

What Has and Has Not Been Verified

None of this has been confirmed by Bryon Noem. He has not given a public statement responding to any of the allegations, including the text messages, the audio recordings, or the dollar figures. Every claim in this story originates from Sotomayor or from Daily Mail reporting based on materials Sotomayor provided. Sotomayor is a paid sex worker with a financial dispute against Bryon Noem, which gives her a material interest in the story's continuation. A spokesperson for Kristi Noem told the New York Post that "the family was blindsided by this" and asked for privacy and prayers. No independent verification of the recordings or messages has been published by any of the outlets covering this story.

Kristi and Bryon Noem have been married since 1992.

Current Status

No legal charges have been filed against Bryon Noem, and no law enforcement investigation has been publicly announced. The unresolved question is whether the remaining $4,500 that Sotomayor claims he owes her will become the subject of any civil action, which would force both parties to produce the documentation Sotomayor says she has.