PoliticsJimmy Kimmel Calls Out the Irony in Pete Hegseth's 'No Weirdos' Pledge
Jimmy Kimmel criticized Pete Hegseth's 'State of the Force' speech during his late-night monologue.
Oct. 2 2026, Published 2:14 p.m. ET
During his monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Jimmy Kimmel tore into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, pointing out glaring contradictions in his "State of the Force" speech.
He specifically targeted the speech's delivery and the ironic backgrounds of the men appointed to lead Hegseth's new defense initiative, Project Meridian, a newly launched Pentagon task force tasked with studying and mapping the future of warfare.
Kimmel played the clip of Hegseth delivering his "no fatties, no trannies, no beardos, no weirdos" verse to troops.
Jimmy Kimmel poked fun at the leaders Pete Hegseth selected for Project Meridian after playing a clip from his speech.
He noted that Hegseth stumbled over several words anyway, joking, "You know, he practiced that in the mirror all morning and still screwed it up."
“And while Pistol Pete’s cutting 20 percent of our generals and admirals, their loss will not be felt thanks to a new group of leaders spearheading an effort he calls Project Meridian,” Kimmel added.
After playing Hegseth's "no fatties, no beardos, no weirdos" rule, Kimmel immediately cut to footage of the three men Hegseth appointed to lead Project Meridian: Elon Musk, Newt Gingrich, and Palmer Luckey. Kimmel quipped, "I saw all three of those right there.”
Rep. Becca Balint Mocked Pete Hegseth's Aesthetic
Rep. Becca Balint openly mocked Pete Hegseth after he mandated annual testosterone deficiency screenings for service members aged 30 and older.
Kimmel focused heavily on billionaire tech founder Luckey's eccentric appearance. Showing a Wikipedia photo of Luckey sporting a mullet, goatee, cargo shorts, flip-flops, and a Hawaiian shirt, Kimmel joked, “This is not even a real person. Pete Hegseth put Tommy Bahama in charge of our military. He hired a guy he met at a kayak rental shop to run [it]. I don't know if there's a Mrs. Luckey, but I will assure you, she's not.”
Hegseth’s pro-macho, testosterone-fueled rants as Defense Secretary have raised eyebrows among politicians who have described his demeanor as textbook Freudian.
In July, after Hegseth mandated annual testosterone deficiency screenings for service members aged 30 and older, Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) openly mocked his aesthetic.
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Rep. Becca Balint discussed Pete Hegseth's public image and rhetoric during a July interview.
In an interview at the time, she compared his persona to hypermasculine figures drawn by a famous gay erotic artist.
"I think [this] is indicative of the fact that there are so many people in this administration that have some weird, like, intense homoerotic feelings towards men while also being incredibly homophobic... And so, Pete Hegseth is like the example of this manly, manly, rugged, macho man... The weird part is that they pretend that that's not what it's about,” she said.
Pete Hegseth's 'Macho' Approach Criticized
Pete Hegseth has faced criticism over his emphasis on a 'warrior ethos,' physical standards and testosterone screenings.
Commentators have routinely criticized his intense focus on "macho" military makeovers — such as demanding a "warrior ethos" reset, body-shaming higher-ranking officials ("no fatties"), and screening troops for testosterone.
The New Republic summarized Hegseth's public remarks and fixation on "patriotic cowboys" as simply sounding "ridiculous" for the head of the world's largest military.
