Fact Check: Was Pete Hegseth banned from his family’s Christmas celebrations?

WASHINGTON, DC: In early December, a rumor began circulating online claiming that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s cousin said the family had banned Hegseth from their Christmas celebrations.

According to the rumor, Hegseth was no longer allowed at family Christmas “because he is a danger to himself and others.” But is there any truth to this viral claim? Let’s find out below.

Claim: Pete Hegseth was banned from his family Christmas celebrations

An Instagram user, @smallplatesig, posted a video titled "My cousin Pete is banned from family events. Here's why:"

The user claimed that Pete Hegseth was no longer allowed at family Christmas "because he is a danger to himself and others." The Instagram user also recounted several alleged incidents at family parties that reportedly ended with Hegseth going to the hospital.

Variations of the rumor spread quickly across social media platforms including Facebook and X. One X user shared the same clip and captioned it, "This is what the cousin of Pete Hegseth, Trump's DUI @SecofWar @DeptofWar has to say about him. @MSNOWNews @CNN @FoxNews @NewsNation @NEWSMAX."

Fact Check: False, the viral video was labeled as a satire

The claim made in the viral rumor is false, as the video itself was labeled satire. The Instagram user included #satiregram in the caption and stated in the video, "This is just satire."

Instagram user @smallplatesig, who posted the reel, is a comedian, and Snopes found no evidence that he is Pete Hegseth’s cousin. No reputable media outlet has reported any such story about the Defense Secretary.

The fictional rumor circulated online at a time when Hegseth was facing scrutiny over the legality of strikes on boats near Venezuela and surrounding countries. Some legal experts also questioned the legality of a September 2 “double tap” strike that killed survivors of an initial strike.

Pete Hegseth dodges questions on releasing second-tap boat-strike video

Pete Hegseth dodged questions about whether the American public would ever see the video of the “double tap” airstrike on an alleged d**g boat in the Caribbean.

Interestingly, it was not Hegseth but President Donald Trump who had promised to release the footage, assuring reporters he would have “no problem” with making the full tape public.

However, when Fox News moderator Lucas Tomlinson pressed for a timeline, Hegseth offered a non-answer. Tomlinson asked, “After Admiral [Frank ‘Mitch’] Bradley’s meetings from Capitol Hill with Joint Chiefs, President Trump said he would have no problem if the full video of the strike is released. When can we see that video? When will you release it?”

Hegseth responded, “We are reviewing it right now to make sure sources, methods, I mean, it’s an ongoing operation right now, TTPs. We have operators out there doing this now. Whatever we decide, we have to be responsible, and we are reviewing it.”

Tomlinson then referenced a Washington Post report alleging that Hegseth personally ordered, “Kill them all,” including survivors of the initial strike.

Hegseth snapped back, saying, “Is anybody here from The Washington Post? I don’t know where you get your sources, but they suck.”

He added, “Of course not! Anybody that has been in this situation room, or has been in the war room there, the secretary’s office, know you don’t walk in and say, ‘Kill them all.’ It’s patently ridiculous. It’s meant to create a cartoon of me.”

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.