Pete Hegseth probably didn’t expect his own words to come back swinging this hard — especially not while Donald Trump was busy dodging a crisis that had everyone on edge.
While the president dodged a bullet that could’ve catastrophically ended his life, a far messier detail tied to Hegseth started bubbling up — and people can’t look away.
But instead of fading into the background, Hegseth walked straight into the first, with a clip now making the rounds that has people squirming, rewinding, and asking why he would even say that out loud.
Screenshots and video clips are stacking up, with critics locked in on one foul moment that gets worse the longer it circulates. Now the Secretary of Defense is the one stuck trying to outrun secondhand embarrassment.
A blunt admission Pete Hegseth made during a TV appearance has people cringing. Before taking his current role in 2024, he co-hosted Fox & Friends from 2017, where the moment resurfaced.
During a New Year’s resolutions segment, Hegseth said he planned to be more candid on air. Then he followed through with a bizarre, stomach-turning reveal that quickly left viewers fixated on the details.
“My 2019 resolution is to say things on air that I say off air,” Hegseth said before he shocked everyone with his big revelation. “I don’t think I’ve washed my hands for 10 years.”
His co-hosts laughed as they cringed while Hegseth continued to go off the rails with his oversharing. The female host looked disgusted for a split-second as she pulled down her dress and scooted over as he continued.
“I don’t really wash my … I inoculate myself, it’s not — germs are not a real thing. … I can’t see them, therefore they’re not real.”
A resurfaced clip of his admission was shared on Threads as a public service announcement. The post was captioned, “Just a PSA, don’t shake his hand for a number of reasons. This being number one.”
View on Threads
Other reactions to the video on social media were swift, including one from a user on Threads who added, “Eww he’s disgusting.”
Another user wondered why Hegseth’s co-hosts were giggling, asking, “Why are they laughing like it’s funny?!? It’s actually pretty disgusting!”
One user even pointed to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., referencing his past comments about snorting cocaine off toilets as part of a broader conversation about germs and vaccines.
“Sooo… RFK is clueless about math and Kegsbreath doesn’t believe in germs. These people are scary for SO many reasons,” said one person. “And here comes the next pandemic,” added another.
Two others in disbelief typed, “Is this for real ?” and “What a f—-g idiot.”
The U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information reports that one gram of human feces can contain up to one trillion germs, including bacteria like E. coli and salmonella that spread when people don’t wash their hands.
Viewers of “Fox & Friends” reacted with shock to Pete Hegseth’s admission. He brushed off the backlash, saying he was joking and that people took it too literally.
“We live in a society where people walk around with bottles of Purell in their pockets,” he said. “And they sanitize 19,000 times a day, as if that’s going to save their life. I take care of myself and all that, but I don’t obsess over everything all the time.”
The clip went viral again in 2025 during his confirmation for his current role.
