Fact Check: Was Pete Hegseth hospitalized after poking himself in the eye with a mascara brush?

WASHINGTON, DC: A claim has circulated that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was rushed to Walter Reed Hospital after accidentally poking himself in the eye with a mascara brush.

This story has gained traction online, but how much of it is actually true?

Claim: Pete Hegseth poked eye with mascara brush

In late November 2025, a rumor spread online claiming that Pete Hegseth had been taken to a medical center after accidentally poking his eye with a mascara brush.

For instance, a Facebook page shared the story on October 29.

The claim was also shared in another post.

Another post added further details, noting that "WH Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied alcohol played 'any role' in the cosmetics mishap."

It also reported that Leavitt said, "Secretary Hegseth to make a full recovery. He is already working from his hospital bed, texting plans for the invasion of Venezuela to random people in his address book."

It also claimed, "Several members of the Trump administration sent Hegseth their thoughts and prayers, while JD Vance offered him a makeup tutorial."

Fact Check: False, viral claim is satirical post

The story about Hegseth injuring his eye with a mascara brush originates from a satirical article by humorist Andy Borowitz, published on The Borowitz Report.

His Facebook page and Substack blog, The Report, focus on publishing fictional and satirical news stories.

The About page of The Borowitz Report states, "Hello! If you're meeting me for the first time, I'm Andy Borowitz, a writer and comedian. I live in New Hampshire with my wife, daughter, and dog, a goldendoodle named Cookie. I'm not posting a photo of Cookie because if I did you'd want to subscribe to his newsletter instead of mine." Reflecting on his long career in humor, he writes, "I've been writing satirical news since I was eighteen. This represents either commitment to a genre or arrested development."

CBS News reported that in April 2025, Hegseth had a room next to the Pentagon press briefing area converted into a makeup studio.

The piece goes on to quote a fictional White House press briefing, where a spokesperson denies alcohol was involved, and asserts that Hegseth is expected to make a full recovery.

The satire also includes a joke that while recovering, Hegseth was texting invasion plans and that other administration figures offered him a makeup tutorial.

The satirical nature of the article makes clear that the event was not a real news report but a comedic fabrication.   

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.