The Most Controversial Things That Have Come Out About Pete Hegseth

This article mentions discussion of sexual assault.

While many are relieved that Donald Trump won't be able to run for a third term in 2028, the divisive politician's cabinet picks indicated that the country could be left in considerable disarray once his second term in office ends. When the divisive politician nominated Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, many thought it had to be a joke. But those who were puzzled by the backlash soon learned from the media why Hegseth was a less than ideal candidate for the job. The TV personality has been mired in controversy — something that's not exactly a rare occurrence when it comes to the Trump camp — and once his nomination was announced, journalists started digging, and Hegseth's skeletons practically tap-danced their way out of the closet.

In 2017, Hegseth allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in his hotel room. One witness who came forward in the case said that, prior to the alleged rape taking place, the Fox News host touched her inappropriately before moving on to the woman who would eventually end up stuck in his room. Hegseth didn't deny that the encounter took place but insisted it was consensual. The complainant disagrees, claiming that she told him to stop multiple times. While Trump's advisors were initially shocked by the allegations, a spokesperson told CBS News that Hegseth was an innocent man. "The incident was fully investigated and no charges were filed because police found the allegations to be false," they clarified.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

The sexual misconduct allegations against Pete Hegseth are, sadly, only the tip of the iceberg. He's was previously in talks with Donald Trump during his initial term about pardoning servicemen who stood accused of committing war crimes. The outspoken Fox News host previously discussed the men's cases on the network itself but never outright mentioned his private discussions with the then-president to get them exonerated. The two men in question, Navy SEAL, Special Operations Chief Edward "Eddie" Gallagher and Army Major Matt Golsteyn, were notably both accused of premeditated murder. 

Hegseth also championed the case of Army Lieutenant Clint Lorance, who was facing similarly shocking charges for war crimes. While Hegseth's conversations with Trump surrounding the pardoning of these men were initially kept secret, the Fox News stalwart did take to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his support for the cause. These tweets have since all been scrubbed from the site. The former "Apprentice" host ended up pardoning the men, but before doing so, Trump announced on X that he was reviewing their cases, and he tagged both Fox News and Hegseth, letting the cat out of the bag.

No politician wants to give off ax murderer vibes, but unfortunately, many people associate Pete Hegseth with an ax-throwing incident that nearly killed an innocent bystander. Back in 2015, the media personality was attending an event hosted by Fox News, which was set to include an ax-throwing contest. The activity was reportedly canceled, but Hegseth decided to try his hand at it anyway. He had terrible aim and struck West Point drummer Jeff Prosperie instead of the intended target. The incident made headlines, and Fox claimed it offered to pay for Prosperie's medical expenses, but the drummer reportedly refused. 

He did, however, take aim at both Fox and Hegseth on Facebook. "My leadership told me they were told there would be no axe throwing," Prosperie wrote (via the Daily Beast). "I think the anchor person went rogue and decided to throw it." In 2018, the drummer subsequently filed a lawsuit against Hegseth, proclaiming that he had sustained permanent damage from the incident, which was affecting his quality of life. He accused the Fox News host of being "negligent, wanton, reckless and carless [sic] in, among other things, throwing an axe in an area where he knew or should have known that pedestrians were present."

Before Pete Hegseth worked at Fox News, he headed nonprofit advocacy groups. It appears he wasn't very good at his job, and at one of the organizations, Veterans for Freedom, Hegseth managed to accumulate a sizeable debt — over $400,000, to be exact. A whistleblower from anther organization, Concerned Veterans for America, ousted the future TV personality for his clandestine activities, revealing that Hegseth was regularly intoxicated at events — embarrassingly so. The contents of the report, first published by the New Yorker, details how the Fox News host embarrassed his colleagues.

Once, while in a drunken stupor, Hegseth reportedly started yelling loudly, "Kill all Muslims! Kill all Muslims," much to his colleagues' chagrin. In another embarrassing incident, he attempted to join a group of dancers at a strip club. The hottest tea spilled, though, concerned his apparently shameless infidelity. It's no secret Hegseth has had a messy love life, and witnesses claim the outspoken political commentator and some of his colleagues sexually harassed the women who worked for them. Thus, when news broke that Hegseth had been nominated as Secretary of Defense, many expressed their concern. 

As one of the whistleblowers detailed to the New Yorker, "I've seen him drunk so many times. I've seen him dragged away not a few times but multiple times. To have him at the Pentagon would be scary." While appearing on "Anderson Cooper 360," journalist Jane Mayer admitted that it's shocking Hegseth's misbehavior has been tolerated this long. "The behavior described by the people that he worked with really was the kind of behavior that would get anybody fired in almost any office in America," she argued (via CNN).

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

A gross on-air confession from Pete Hegseth that surely haunts germophobe Donald Trump was his admission that he never washes his hands. In fact, the Fox News host once shared live on air that he doesn't deem it a necessary habit and hadn't indulged in a good scrub in a decade. Yuck! "I don't really wash my hands ever," Hegseth shrugged (via X). "I inoculate myself. Germs are not a real thing. I can't see them, therefore they're not real."

After getting plenty of (overwhelmingly negative) media attention for his disturbing comments, Hegseth spoke to USA Today, reassuring the outlet that he was kidding (was he?), and adding that people took the idea of clean hands way too seriously. "We live in a society where people walk around with bottles of Purell [a hand sanitizer] in their pockets, and they sanitize 19,000 times a day as if that's going to save their life," Hegseth professed.

When your own mother sends you an email chastising you for your mistreatment of women, it might be time to do some soul searching. Pete Hegseth's mom, Penelope Hegseth, did just that, and the missive somehow became public, allowing millions to witness a grown man being scolded by his disappointed mother for acting like a total jerk. While the media personality was in the midst of divorcing his second wife, whom he had an affair (and a baby) with while still married to his first, Penelope sent an email in which she berated him for his bad behavior, calling Pete "an abuser of women" and accusing him of being someone who "cheats, sleeps around, and uses women for his own power and ego," (via the New York Times). Penelope also disclosed that she was embarrassed of him and heartbroken that she even had to write the message in the first place, signing off with: "Get some help and take an honest look at yourself."

In the aftermath of the shocking email getting leaked, Hegseth's mother opened up about what happened afterward, claiming that she regretted her harsh words. During an interview on Fox News, Penelope retracted everything she said, and all but flat-out proclaimed her son to be a complete saint in the process. "He doesn't misuse women," she confirmed (via CNN), adding that she was emotional when she wrote the email and sent her son another one about two hours later apologizing for it. Many former colleagues who have spoken out about Hegseth's behavior described the man mentioned in Penelope's email, however. "He was a huge drinker. I can't say if he had a problem, but he was very handsy with women, too," one informed the New Yorker.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).