Kristi Noem, the current U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, has become the subject of memes that pit her against innocent dogs, mostly due to a running joke in the latest season of South Park.
Noem later commented on her portrayal in the episode, focusing on how the writers made fun of the way she looked. She didn’t address the multiple scenes in which her character unloads on puppies, which has confused some people who don’t know about her past.
So, what’s with all the memes about Kristi Noem and dogs? Where did the meme come from and what are some popular examples? Let’s explain.
Where Did The Kristi Noem Dog Memes Come From?
The memes about Kristi Noem and dogs all stem from a story that Noem revealed in her 2024 memoir No Going Back: The Truth on What’s Wrong with Politics and How We Move America Forward.
The then-Governor of South Dakota shared that, 20 years prior, she shot and killed her own 14-month-old dog, Cricket, because she was “untrainable.”
She cited a disastrous pheasant-hunting trip and a tragic run-in with a farmer’s chickens, which made her deem Cricket as “less than worthless… as a hunting dog.”
The story broke ahead of the memoir’s release by the Guardian at a time when Noem was being considered for the position of Donald Trump’s Vice Presidential candidate — a role that eventually landed on J.D. Vance.
Soon after the Guardian’s article, memes and political cartoons about Noem’s fateful day with the late Cricket surfaced online.
How Are Kristi Noem Dog Memes Resurfacing This Year?
So much has happened in American politics since the Kristi Noem Dog story first broke, and a lot of people have resurfaced the jokes, from random internet users to sitting government officials.
For instance, back in May, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker jokingly warned people to protect their pets ahead of Kristi Noem’s visit to the state.
In June, the Onion ran a headline related to Noem and her late dog, reading, “Kristi Noem Attempts To Relieve Tension From Negative Press By Squeezing Stress Dog.”
But of course, the reason why Kristi Noem Dog memes have come to the forefront again is because of the latest episode of South Park, in which Noem is portrayed as a serial dog-killer.
Noem addressed the episode’s portrayal of her, but failed to mention the whole dog murder part. “South Park: ‘You’re an ugly, dog murdering, psychopath who’s kidnapping an entire ethnic group’ / Kristi Noem: ‘I’m not ugly,'” joked one X user about her response.
What Are Some More Kristi Noem Dog Memes?
For the full history of Kristi Noem Dog Killing Controversy, be sure to check out Know Your Meme’s entry for even more information.