Pete Hegseth, nominated by President Donald Trump for Secretary of Defense, is undergoing increased examination concerning his previous actions following the reappearance of a video from Fox News’ All American New Year Live in 2023. In the footage, Hegseth, 44, is shown sipping champagne straight from the bottle and submerging himself in a tank allegedlyfilled with alcohol during the live transmission from Nashville.
The video features Hegseth on stage alongside his wife, Jennifer Rauchet, and their children as they welcomed the New Year. “Tonight it’s bottoms up with all of us up here,” Hegseth declared, moments before being chosen to take part in a dunk tank stunt.
Trump Defense nominee Pete Hegseth, said he doesn’t have a drinking problem. Here he is drinking on the job during a New Years Eve Fox News broadcast 2 years ago.
Hegseth (and his children) also drank out of the dunk tank which was filled with champagne. pic.twitter.com/SLv3GQ7ndP
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) December 31, 2024
Dunk Tank Filled with Alcohol
According to the OK! Magazine, Fox News presenters mentioned that the dunk tank was filled with champagne. Video clips reveal bottles being emptied into the tank prior to Hegseth being immersed. After coming out of the tank filled with champagne, Hegseth was spotted sipping from a bottle and pouring the liquid from the tank into his mouth.
Hegseth ‘Smelled Like Alcohol’ On Fox News Set
According to NBC News and OK!, Hegseth has faced allegations of being on air after drinking alcohol. Periodical. Multiple present and past Fox News staff members assert they often detected the scent of alcohol on Hegseth prior to live shows.
Two workers reported noticing alcohol on Hegseth over a dozen times throughout his time as a co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend, starting in 2017. The same people, together with another source, mentioned they overheard Hegseth talking about being hungover while getting ready for or being on air.
A former Fox staff member informed NBC that just last month, they detected the scent of alcohol on Hegseth and heard him express discomfort from a hangover earlier in the autumn. Regardless of the accusations, none of the sources remembered a time when Hegseth failed to show up for a scheduled event because of drinking. “Everyone would be talking about it behind the scenes before he went on the air,” one former colleague said.
Past Concerns at Veterans’ Nonprofits
Allegations of Hegseth’s drinking date back before his tenure at Fox News. As reported by NBC, which referenced The New Yorker, worries regarding his alcohol consumption arose at two nonprofit veterans’ groups where Hegseth was employed prior to joining the network. Hegseth has rejected the allegations, claiming that NBC News invented anonymous sources. He has urged detractors to “review every recording” for proof of him being inebriated during broadcasts.
