Scandals That Rocked Fox News Host Pete Hegseth's Reputation

The following article includes references to substance use and allegations of sexual assault.

Former National Guard officer, author, and Fox News host Pete Hegseth emerged from relative obscurity on November 12, when President-elect Donald J. Trump officially tapped him as his pick for defense secretary. "Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First," Trump said in a statement about the nomination (via The New York Times). "With Pete at the helm, America's enemies are on notice — our military will be great again, and America will never back down."

While no one can deny that Hegseth's career has undergone quite the transformation, following Trump's announcement, many were still shocked, outraged, and plain old confused by Trump's appointment of Hegseth, citing what they perceive as Hegseth's lack of experience for such a high-ranking position. "The job of Secretary of Defense should not be an entry-level position, and I question President-elect Trump's choice of a television news host to take on this immensely important role," Congressman Adam Smith penned in a statement. 

However, it started looking less and less likely that Hegseth would pass his Senate confirmation and be appointed after all. As it turns out, it appears Hegseth has a rather sordid past. When all of those scandals reared their ugly heads, they threatened to upend his reputation and his bid for Defense Secretary once and for all. 

Pete Hegseth is none too shy about his thoughts on the current state of the United States military, as well as who he believes should and shouldn't be there. Case in point: General Charles Q. Brown. Jr. During an appearance on the "Shawn Ryan Show," Hegseth called for the nation's highest-ranking military officer to be fired. "First of all, you've got to fire the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. ... Any general that was involved ... in any of the DEI/woke s*** has got to go," he quipped. 

But that's not all. In the confines of his book, "The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free," he floated the idea that Brown, a recipient of the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, and the Bronze Star, was hired merely because of the color of his skin. "We'll never know, but always doubt — which on its face seems unfair to C.Q.," he penned (via The New York Times). "But since he has made the race card one of his biggest calling cards, it really doesn't much matter."

As one can imagine, many disagreed with Hegseth's hot takes regarding Brown, including even one of Hegseth's otherwise fervent supporters, Republican Senator Kevin Cramer. "I do not agree, Dana, that he should be fired. I know CQ Brown pretty well. I've had plenty of disagreements with CQ Brown, but I've never seen him as promoting DEI in any way, shape or form," Cramer declared during an interview with CNN's Dana Bash (via Mediaite).

Speaking of the military, Pete Hegseth also minces no words when it comes to women serving in combat. "I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles," he said on the "Shawn Ryan Show" in November 2024. "It hasn't made us more effective, hasn't made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated," he added. 

According to Hegseth, the way the military "open[ed] the door for women in combat" was by lowering the bar of who they let in. While sharing his opinion on how women affect the efficacy of military units, he said, "Everybody knows between bone density and lung capacity and muscle strength men and women are just different." Instead, Hegseth asserted in "The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free" that women in war should "carry the banner of Christian love" (via The New York Times) by way of secondary roles such as nursing. 

Obviously, his sweeping beliefs didn't sit well with many — including current and former members of the armed forces. "When you are starting by alienating 20 percent of the military — the 400,000 women, and telling them, 'thank you, you're OK pushing paper around but we don't want you pulling triggers,' this is really a bad idea," former major general and Iraq war vet Paul D. Eaton told the The New York Times.

Sadly, Pete Hegseth's limited view of female service members is only the tip of the iceberg. In 2024, a 22-page police report from 2017 surfaced wherein an unnamed woman referred to as Jane Doe accused him of sexually assaulting her after she repeatedly told him "no." 

Hegseth's attorney Timothy Parlatore vehemently denied the allegations, telling CNN, "This police report confirms what I've said all along, that the incident was fully investigated, and police found the allegations to be false, which is why no charges were filed." However, Parlatore did confirm that Hegseth paid the Jane Doe an undisclosed amount of money as part of a settlement agreement. According to the attorney, Hegseth only did so out of fear that he might lose his job at Fox News, but was careful to note to CNN that the dollar amount was "significantly reduced" and went as far as to say that Hegseth chalked the whole thing up to being blackmailed. 

Hegseth later directly responded to the sexual assault allegations during an appearance on "The Megyn Kelly Show." When asked whether or not he raped a woman, he responded emphatically, "Absolutely not." According to Hegseth, he agreed to the financial settlement because he felt like he had to due to thinly veiled threats from the accuser's attorneys to "out" him. "I did it to protect my wife, I did it to protect my family, and I did it to protect my job," he said.

As the great Dorinda Medley once waxed poetic, "Say it, forget it. Write it, regret it." Unfortunately, Pete Hegseth's mother, Penelope Hegseth, knows that sentiment all too well. 

On November 29, 2024, The New York Times published an email that Penelope penned to Pete in 2018 while he was going through a turbulent divorce with his second wife. (You can read all about Pete's relationship history here.) In the confines of the personal email, she admonished him for being "an abuser of women." She added, "I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around, and uses women for his own power and ego. You are that man (and have been for years) and as your mother, it pains me and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth." She urged him to "get some help" and noted that she would be praying for him. YIKES.

Fast forward to 2024, however, and it appears Penelope has had a drastic change of heart as it pertains to her precious baby boy. "Pete is a new person. He's redeemed, forgiven, changed. I think we all are after seven years. I believe he's the man for the job," she said during an appearance on "Fox & Friends." As for the email, she explained that she wrote it "in haste" and "with deep emotions ... as a parent." She also noted that two hours after hitting send, she actually sent another email retracting her words. 

Aside from the sexual assault allegation and his own mother accusing him of abusing women, it's been reported that Pete Hegseth lost his positions at Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America due to allegations of misconduct, including drinking while on the job. Per a seven-page report penned by several former employees of Concerned Veterans for America and obtained by The New Yorker, Hegseth, who served as the non-profit's CEO, was "seen drunk at multiple CVA events" and oftentimes had to be physically carried out. 

But that's not all. Former Fox employees who worked with Hegseth on "Fox & Friends" told NBC News that they were also concerned about his drinking after smelling alcohol on him and overhearing him talking about being hungover while on set. "Everyone would be talking about it behind the scenes before he went on the air," one source claimed. If true, this would undoubtedly go down as one of Fox News' biggest scandals ever. 

As for Hegseth, he vehemently denies any problems with alcohol. "I never had a drinking problem," he declared during an appearance on "The Megyn Kelly Show." He also refuted the claims that he was let go for misconduct. "I was not fired. I was not pushed out. There were no allegations of impropriety. There were no allegations of excessive drinking," he said. As for the claims made by those at Fox, he also referred to those as "patently false."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues or has been a victim of sexual assault, contact the relevant resources below:

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
• The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).