Meet Pete Hegseth’s wife Jennifer Rauchet: the Trump defence secretary pick and Fox TV host’s romance with his producer partner began with a cheating scandal – but did she get Tucker Carlson fired?

Nov 25 , 2024

Who is Pete Hegseth’s wife Jennifer Rauchet? The Trump defence sec pick and TV host’s romance with his producer partner began with a cheating scandal. Photo: @jennycdot/Instagram

Hegseth is facing scrutiny as a sexual assault claim made against him in 2017 has resurfaced – his legal team has admitted to paying off the claimant because he feared losing his job at Fox News

US president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defence secretary Pete Hegseth is facing intense scrutiny as graphic details around a 2017 case of alleged sexual assault against him are revealed. According to The New York Times, a woman referred to as Jane Doe claimed she was sexually assaulted by Hegseth after a convention in Monterey, California.

Pete Hegseth, president-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of defence. Photo: AP

Hegseth’s legal team has admitted to paying the woman an undisclosed sum in 2020 as part of a nondisclosure agreement, after she threatened legal action. Per the source, Hegseth feared he could lose his job at Fox News if the allegation was made public.

As more details around the case come to light, attention has turned to Hegseth’s personal life. The TV personality is a decorated army veteran who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, per CNN.

Pete Hegseth and his wife Jennifer Rauchet in November 2023. Photo: @jennycdot/Instagram

Hegseth, who has been married to television producer Jennifer Rauchet since 2019, regularly posts about his family life on social media. But their seemingly perfect life didn’t have a smooth start. Here’s what to know about Rauchet, the woman Hegseth says is “my favourite person on planet Earth”.

The couple both worked at Fox

Pete Hegseth and his wife Jennifer Rauchet work in television. Photo: @jennycdot/Instagram

Rauchet is a TV producer whose credits include Watters’ World, hosted by Jesse Watters. She is an alum of Towson University in the state of Maryland, having graduated with a degree in journalism.

Hegseth and Rauchet met when he was a TV host for Fox & Friends Weekend, and she was a producer of Fox’s morning show. An executive alleged that Rauchet showed favouritism towards Hegseth, per US media.

Hegseth cheated on his wife with Rauchet

“Happy Birthday to the love of my life,” Pete Hegseth wrote on Instagram in January 2023 to his third wife Jennifer Rauchet. Photo: @petehegseth/Instagram

Hegseth and Rauchet made headlines after they were embroiled in a cheating scandal in 2017. According to CNN, multiple insiders confirmed that Hegseth was having an affair with Rauchet while married to his second wife, Samantha Deering. The couple told management about their relationship after Rauchet discovered she was pregnant.