Fact Check: Did Pete Hegseth appear in an 'emo' look in his high school yearbook?
WASHINGTON, DC: Following the announcement of annual testosterone screening for the troops, an image began circulating on social media platforms claiming to show Secretary of War Pete Hegseth dressed in emo fashion for his senior yearbook photo, sparking mockery and speculation. Let us take a closer look at the photo and examine the evidence.
Claim: Viral photo claims to show Pete Hegseth in emo fashion
The image surfaced this month, claiming to show Hegseth in a very emo look, wearing all black, with side-swept, medium-length bangs and black eyeliner, claiming to be a yearbook photo from his senior year of high school in 1999.
The image has been shared on Facebook, X, Instagram, and Threads, triggering mockery about his testosterone screening announcement. While many seemed to believe the photo to be authentic, others expressed disbelief and questioned its authenticity, prompting a fact-check.
Fact Check: Fake, the photo is AI-generated
The image, however, does not belong to Hegseth. Hegseth grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Forest Lake Area High School in 1999. A search for the school's yearbooks was conducted, which proved otherwise.
According to the 1999 yearbook, Hegseth kept a busy schedule, playing on the football and basketball teams. He also sang in the choir, received a nomination for homecoming king, and was voted by his classmates as "Most Likely to Marry" alongside his girlfriend.
The yearbook entry lists Hegseth's nicknames, sports activities, future aspirations, and favorite high school memories, which include time spent with friends, school events, athletic achievements, outdoor activities, and post-game gatherings.
But there was no photo of him in an emo look, and the real photographs showed otherwise.
Additionally, the viral image was found to be AI-generated, as suggested by OpenAI's verifying tool, which identified a SynthID watermark in the fake yearbook photo.
Pete Hegseth's testosterone policy announcement
The photo surfaced after Hegseth announced that the Pentagon will require all service members over the age of 30 to undergo annual screening for testosterone deficiency.
Those found to be deficient will be given the option of receiving testosterone replacement therapy as part of what he described as a commitment to keeping troops at peak readiness.
The announcement was made in a video posted to X titled "High-T Department," saying, "I'm authorizing a new screening program for testosterone deficiency for our service members, ensuring you have the right testosterone levels to operate at your absolute best."
