Secretary of War Pete Hegseth was previously known for his work as a Fox News host and his time there was controversial. However, this isn’t why his kids were banned from accompanying him to work.
Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer Rauchet, appeared on The Katie Miller Podcast in December 2025, where he shared that their kids had received a year-long ban from Fox because they were “so ungrateful.” Pete has told his kids that visiting the studio “is not a right, it’s a privilege… You act like you own the joint, you’re banned.”
Meanwhile, Rauchet also said their three children, from Pete’s previous marriage to Samantha Hegseth, were eight, nine, and 10 at the time, so she believed it was only natural that “they just thought the whole place was their playground.”
Hegseth clearly had little sympathy for his wife’s response and went on to explain, “You’re 14, you’re 13, you’re 15 – you need to represent yourself. You need to be seen and not heard. You’re not the center of attention all the time.”
Pete Hegseth said he banned his kids from Fox News for a year “because they were so ungrateful.”
Hegseth: “You’re meant to be seen and not heard.” pic.twitter.com/iXMOHngVAM
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) December 3, 2025
Miller revealed a stiff nod in response to his words, which showed her level of approval, while Hegseth clearly believed banning them from visiting the Fox News studio was a harsh punishment. Many netizens had a comedic dig at Pete’s parenting style.
One wrote, “You’re not the center of attention all the time.” — I wonder who they learned that narcissistic trait from?” Yet another social media user wrote, “Banning his kids from watching Fox News is not a punishment. It’s an act of mercy.”
Meanwhile, some social media users were captured by the old-fashioned “seen but not heard” expression, with one writing, “I haven’t heard ‘children should be seen and not heard’ for a couple of generations now. Imagine him being a father? Sad.”
While many find his child-rearing practices controversial, other actions taken by Hegseth have proven to be equally contentious. He recently fired eight generals, some of whom have been in the Pentagon for decades. When asked why, the Secretary of War said, “They all serve at the pleasure of the president.”
Meanwhile, a military archbishop has slammed the Secretary of War for invoking Jesus in his Iran war messaging. Archbishop Timothy Broglio, head of the Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services, said his language clashes with Christ’s message of peace.
The Secretary of War had asked Pentagon officials to pray for “overwhelming violence” against enemies in Iran and elsewhere in the “name of Jesus Christ” at a Christian worship service.
In another controversial instance, Hegseth had suspended the crew from two military helicopters who were seen flying near Kid Rock’s Tennessee home. Kid Rock’s original post, which featured a 26-second clip of the helicopters, went viral, drawing 17 million views in just a couple of days. At the time, President Donald Trump did say they probably shouldn’t have been there, but the unnamed crew faced no suspension.
