Pete Hegseth Allegedly Refused to Hold Jesse Watters' Drink During Photo Op — After Defense Sec. Was Accused of Having an Alcohol Problem
Pete Hegseth has vehemently denied past allegations of alcohol abuse.
Sept. 28 2026, Updated 6:20 p.m. ET
Jesse Watters asked Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to help him out at an event recently, but he was out of luck, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
On The Five, Watters reflected on the run-in, revealing that it took place at the White House state dinner on Thursday, September 24. The dinner was held in honor of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Jesse Watters Reflects on White House State Dinner
Watters recently opened up about his experience at the White House state dinner that was hosted in honor of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Watters went with his wife, Emma DiGiovine, and several familiar faces were in attendance.
"I stayed at the same hotel as Tim Cook, the guy at Apple. I see him and go, 'Congratulations on all your success,' and he shakes my hand and goes, 'You, too, Tucker,'" Watters recalled, suggesting Cook believed he was Tucker Carlson.
"But the best part," he continued, "You know how you walk in, Greg [Gutfeld], and you have to go through the security part?"
"So we walk in, and the CEO of Microsoft is sitting there like this, waiting. And everyone's walking by," Watters explained.
'We Messed Up the Last Time'
According to Watters, he saw Tim Cook, Satya Nadella, and more at the White House state dinner last week.
Watters went on, "I'm like, 'What happened?' and he said, 'I put my birthday in wrong.' It's the same thing we messed up the last time."
"That made me feel a lot smarter," he noted.
"And so you get in, and the first guy you see is Jensen Huang," the Fox News host remembered. "I said, 'We just did a thing on 'The Five where you always wear the same outfit so you don’t have to make a lot of decisions.'"
"He goes, 'Not only that, I eat the same lunch every day … I have rolled up pieces of ham and Turkey because I can eat and type at the same time,'" Watters revealed.
Jesse Watters Recalls Pete Hegseth Run-In
Hegseth allegedly refused to hold Watters' drink at an event out of fear of fueling alcohol abuse allegations.
"So then, we go in there – this is kind of embarrassing – they want to take pictures. And I turn around, I said, 'Hegseth, can you hold my drink because I don't want to have a drink in a picture,'" Watters admitted.
Hegseth reportedly responded, "I can't be seen holding a drink!"
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Pete Hegseth Denied Drinking on the Job
Hegseth's alcohol consumption has been called into question several times over the years.
Hegseth's alcohol consumption has been called into question multiple times over the years.
In 2025, he vehemently denied allegations of drinking on the job when questioned by Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii.
"Those are multiple false anonymous reports peddled by NBC News that run directly contradictory to the dozens of men and women and Fox News channel," he insisted at the time.
