Kristi Noem is an American politician known for serving as the first female governor of South Dakota, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, and U.S. Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas.
During Kacey Musgraves‘ Middle of Nowhere tour stop in Dallas, Texas, this weekend, the star hosted James Talarico, the state’s Democratic Senate candidate, who shared photos from the show including a picture of the singer taking a bedazzled selfie with him. “Thank you for having me last night, Kacey Musgraves!” Talarico wrote on social media after attending the show.
I’ll take @ellalangleymsic over Kacey Musgraves any day.
And if I’m choosin’ Texas, I’ll take Ken Paxton over James Talarico. https://t.co/sD9yzSF955
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) October 12, 2026
The moment didn’t sit well with the booted Secretary of Homeland Security Noem, who took to X to air out her grievances. “I’ll take [Ella Langley] over Kacey Musgraves any day,” Noem posted. “And if I’m choosin’ Texas, I’ll take Ken Paxton over James Talarico.” It appears that Langley, perhaps wanting nothing to do with the severe pettiness, untagged herself from Noem’s post.
Back in March, President Donald Trump fired Noem after weeks of public scrutiny, personal scandal, and bad press over her handling of the Department of Homeland Security. The ousting arrived days after Noem was berated by lawmakers on Capitol Hill over a series of disastrous blunders by her department, including the killings of two American citizens by border patrol agents in Minneapolis and apparent attempts by DHS to stifle investigations into the shootings. Noem was also under fire for extravagant spending at the department, while placing restrictions on FEMA disaster relief funds.
TROYE SIVAN JUST CAME OUT ON STAGE WITH KACEY NDJKSSJMSBDBX pic.twitter.com/wmfgjEO3Ee
— ★ Kacey Musgraves HQ ★ (@MusgravesHQ) September 2, 2026
