Jimmy Kimmel Jokes Pete Hegseth Wears 'More Makeup Than Kylie Jenner' as He Pokes Fun at His Looks: 'Secretary of War and Styling Mousse'

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is well known for his obsessive attention to appearance and grooming standards — so when he met with the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln after their record-breaking deployment ended, longtime nemesis Jimmy Kimmel wasted no time in taking aim.

“Our secretary of war and styling mousse, Pete Hegseth, was in San Diego today to personally greet the long-suffering crew of the USS Lincoln,” Kimmel said. “Pretty Pete was right there waving his pocket square from the dock, welcoming our sailors home.”

Kimmel then took a shot at President Donald Trump’s bizarre suggestion that Iran could “take out” parts of California: “He decided to show up in person after the president’s comments. He had a sudden urge to get bombed in San Diego.”

He then rolled the tape of Hegseth attempting to work out alongside military members, with varying results.

“They had a workout, a group workout for a Fox News photo op with their leader, a man wearing shorts and more makeup than Kylie Jenner,” he quipped. “We have to get that testosterone up, you know.”

Hegseth, who strongly opposes gender-affirming care in the military, famously issued guidelines for mandatory testosterone testing for some troops and a volunteer testosterone replacement program for those who failed to measure up.

Hegseth’s latest workout video drew widespread mockery for his fatigued appearance and struggle to complete drills as he participated alongside active-duty military members.

It wasn’t his first such public humiliation. He attracted laughs when he and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued the “Pete & Bobby Challenge” with a series of push-ups and pull-ups that military observers remarked would never live up to military standards.

"He must have a humiliation kink," joked one observer.

Hegseth has made physical fitness a cornerstone of his time as secretary, stating in 2025, “Every member of the joint force at every rank is required to take a test twice a year, as well as meet height and weight requirements twice a year, every year of service. Additionally, members of the joint force will be required to do PT [physical training] every duty day."

When he gave a speech to service members last month, memos reportedly instructed commanders to allow only troops meeting specific appearance standards to attend the speech.

Hegseth’s perfectly curated hairstyle, defiant attitude and tendency to make odd pronouncements — such as ‘No fatties, weirdos, or beardos’ — has made him a continued target of comedian mockery. He’s a regular part of Kimmel’s monologue, and Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost frequently portrays him as a rabid frat boy gone out of control.