The Hoax

Pete Hegseth Has A Drinking Problem

The claim that Pete Hegseth is an alcoholic stems from an NBC News article published on December 3, 2024. Critics point to interviews with anonymous current and former Fox News employees who claimed that during his tenure as a co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend, Hegseth occasionally smelled of alcohol and discussed being hungover before going on air. Some also cited instances of heavy drinking during social and work events. Notably, no source reported Hegseth missing work or failing in his professional duties due to drinking.

See the original NBC News story:

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, drank in ways that concerned his colleagues at Fox News, according to 10 current and former Fox employees who spoke with NBC News.

Two of those people said that on more than a dozen occasions during Hegseth’s time as a co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” which began in 2017, they smelled alcohol on him before he went on air. Those same two people, plus another, said that during his time there he appeared on television after they’d heard him talk about being hungover as he was getting ready or on set. 

One of the sources said they smelled alcohol on him as recently as last month and heard him complain about being hungover this fall.

None of the sources with whom NBC News has spoken could recall an instance when Hegseth missed a scheduled appearance because he’d been drinking. 

“Everyone would be talking about it behind the scenes before he went on the air,” one of the former Fox employees said. 

Shortly after this story dropped, a video surfaced where Hegseth explains his drink of choice. More on this below in our Hoaxology section.

His lawyer and representatives have categorically dismissed the claims as unfounded and politically motivated, asserting they lack credible evidence and are driven by disgruntled individuals with ulterior motives.

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In Reality

The Original NBC News Article Uses Persuasive Hoax Techniques

Context matters. The basis of the claim that Pete Hegseth is an alcoholic relies on anonymous sources—a classic hoax technique. The NBC News article cites ten unnamed current and former Fox News employees to allege problematic drinking behavior without offering verifiable evidence. None of the sources provided any verifiable evidence that Pete Hegseth has a drinking problem. Instead, the anonymous accounts rely on vague and unsubstantiated claims, which are framed to suggest a larger pattern of behavior.

The original NBC News article served as a classic anchor in persuasion, a technique where an initial idea or story plants a thought in the public’s mind that influences how subsequent information is interpreted. The story, centered on anonymous accusations of Pete Hegseth’s alleged drinking habits, created a mental framework for the audience to associate him with alcohol issues.

Shortly after, an old video resurfaced of Hegseth casually discussing his favorite drink. Before the NBC News article, this video was innocuous and merely a lighthearted personal anecdote. However, once the idea of Hegseth as an alleged alcoholic was anchored in the public consciousness, the video took on new weight. Viewers who had absorbed the NBC story were primed to see the video as evidence supporting the claim, a phenomenon known as confirmation bias.

This combination of anchoring and confirmation bias transformed the video from a benign clip into a perceived corroboration of the article’s narrative. The public’s belief in the initial claim now reinforced their interpretation of the video, creating what’s called a positive feedback loop (which is where observation validates and strengthens a preexisting belief) that magnified the original allegation without adding substantive evidence.

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Hoaxology | How The Hoax Was Created

Anonymous Sources
The NBC News article relied on unnamed individuals to make vague and unsubstantiated claims about Hegseth’s behavior. This technique leverages the lack of accountability and specificity that comes with anonymity, making it difficult to verify the truthfulness of the allegations while lending them a false sense of credibility.

Credibility Laundering
By citing allegations originally reported by The New Yorker, the NBC News article gave the appearance of corroboration without presenting any new evidence. This technique, known as credibility laundering, creates the illusion of independent verification by repeating claims from another source, regardless of their validity.

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