Pete Hegseth’s rise to Secretary of Defense hasn’t just kept the spotlight on him — it’s also drawn attention to his family, particularly his mother, Penelope Hegseth.
At the end of 2024, The New York Times published a private 2018 email in which Penelope sharply criticized her son, sparking headlines just as he was stepping into one of the most powerful roles in Washington. Around the same time, Donald Trump announced Pete’s nomination, praising him in a November 2024 statement: “I am honored to announce that I have nominated Pete Hegseth to serve in my cabinet as the secretary of defense. Pete has spent his entire life as a warrior for the troops, and for the Country. Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — our military will be great again, and America will never back down.”
Learn more about Pete’s inner circle, including what his mom wrote to him in 2018, below.
Who Is Pete Hegseth’s Mom?
Penelope Hegseth is Pete’s mother. In 2018, she wrote an email to her son about his treatment toward women.
“As a woman and your mother, I feel I must speak out,” Penelope wrote, according to The New York Times. “You are an abuser of women — that is the ugly truth, and 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.”
Penelope concluded her message by writing, “On behalf of all the women (and I know it’s many) you have abused in some way, I say … get some help and take an honest look at yourself…”
After the email was unveiled, Penelope told The Times that she promptly apologized to Pete in a separate message. She admitted to writing the original email “in anger, with emotion.”
Who Is Pete Hegseth’s Wife?
Pete is currently married to his wife, Jennifer Rauchet. They tied the knot in 2019. Before she married Pete, Jennifer was married twice, according to the U.S. Sun.
Pete was married to his second wife, Samantha Deering, from 2010 until they split in 2017. From 2004 to 2009, the former Fox News co-anchor was married to his first wife, Meredith Schwarz.
Does Pete Hegseth Have Children?
Pete has seven children — four biological and three stepchildren. He shares one daughter with his wife, Jennifer, and three other kids with his ex-wife Samantha, according to The Independent. Pete is a stepdad to Jennifer’s three children.