United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has been married to Jennifer Rauchet since 2019.
Hegseth was sworn into office in January 2025 with Rauchet by his side.
“An overwhelming heartfelt THANK YOU to all who have supported us,” Rauchet wrote via Instagram after the swearing-in ceremony. “Our family, friends, warriors and prayer warriors. I’m so proud of my husband and — like you — am excited to see all that’s to come for our nation under this president and his well chosen leaders. It’s a new chapter and God is the author. He writes the most beautiful stories.”
Keep scrolling to learn more about Hegseth’s wife and their marriage:
Rauchet began working behind the scenes on Fox and Friends in 2006. She later served as an executive producer on Watters’ World from 2017 to 2018.
How Did Pete Hegseth and Jennifer Rauchet Meet?Hegseth and Rauchet met when they both worked at Fox News while in other relationships. They started dating amid their respective divorces.
Pete Hegseth Has Been Married Twice BeforeBefore Hegseth started dating Rauchet, he was married to Meredith Schwarz from 2004 to 2009 and Samantha Deering from 2010 to 2017.
Hegseth and Rauchet now frequently offer glimpses of their relationship via social media.
“Happy Birthday to my Jenny, the love of my life,” Hegseth gushed via Instagram in January 2026. “Grateful to God for you, every single day.”
Hegseth and Rauchet tied the knot in August 2019 at the Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey, and President Donald Trump even attended the ceremony.
Do Pete Hegseth and Jennifer Rauchet Have Kids?
Hegseth and Rauchet each have children from past relationships. The Secretary of Defense shares three sons with ex-wife Deering and is stepfather to Rauchet’s three kids from her past marriage. Hegseth and Rauchet later welcomed their daughter, Gwendolyn, in 2017.
“[We] are a family brought together by the grace of God. There are no ‘steps’ or ‘halves’ in the Hegseth clan,” the politician told Birmingham Christian in 2024. “Fathers chart the course and lead the path for their families and kids, a path that should lead to Jesus Christ.”
Jennifer Rauchet Homeschools Their ChildrenRauchet teaches her and Hegseth’s blended family.
“I went with Classical Conversations because I was familiar with it before and it also has a lot of structure,” she said on the “Katie Miller Podcast” in December 2025. “I needed that to start [and] it gives you everything you need. Now, you still have to do the work and you still have to do the teaching, but but other than that it’s outlined for you and it’s great and it’s flexible and
you do meet once a week which is helpful because the kids get accountable to someone else, really each other, and they have to present things they’ve been working on.”
Rauchet and Hegseth also revealed that he is the stricter parent.
“Overall, I am the [one to] establish the rules, discipline, ‘Listen to your mother,’ execute,” Hegseth said. “She’s always wanting to have fun and create exceptions and it’s wonderful that way.”
Subscribe to newsletters 
Hegseth was accused of sexual assault in November 2024 when an unidentified woman claimed that the former TV host sexually assaulted her in 2017 during the California Federation of Republican Women biennial conference.
Hegseth was never charged in connection to the alleged assault, vehemently denying the accusations.
“They won’t stop with Pete. It’s not him they’re after,” Rauchet wrote via Instagram in December 2024, addressing the scandal. “It’s your values. We won’t back down.”
