John Oliver highlights Pete Hegseth’s most embarrassing career moments. Then he reveals what happened when he contacted the Pentagon for comment
A wrecking ball.
John Oliver recently turned his attention to Pete Hegseth, and the resulting segment was quite damning of the Secretary of War. According to The Wrap, the host of the HBO show Last Week Tonight used his platform to break down why he believes Hegseth has been a disaster for the U.S. military.
He also shared a bizarre experience he had when his team reached out to the Pentagon for comment – an interaction Oliver said was far from professional. “Our dealings with the Pentagon this week have at times felt like dealing with a bunch of d******* teenagers,” Oliver noted, per Deadline.
When the show asked about Hegseth’s college-era views on diversity, the official response they received was, “The secretary is absolutely correct on this issue. He is very based.” The situation escalated further when the producers asked if there was any other information the office felt was important to share. A Pentagon spokesman reportedly replied, “Deport John Oliver.” Oliver is actually a U.S. citizen, having obtained his citizenship back in 2024.
The host did not hold back when describing the current state of the military under Hegseth
Oliver characterized Hegseth’s leadership as taking a wrecking ball to the armed forces. He pointed out that the Secretary of War oversees a massive budget of more than $1 trillion and manages 3.4 million Americans.
Despite the serious nature of the role, Hegseth often posts videos of himself publicly exercising with troops and recruits. Fitness experts have been less than impressed by these displays. One expert remarked, “I’ve never seen someone be more gentle and dainty in their kettlebell swing. It looks like some sort of ballet move.”
Oliver also took aim at Hegseth’s rhetoric, specifically his ‘State of the Force’ address in Virginia. During that speech, Hegseth declared that there would be no more gender pronouns or PowerPoint trainings or drag queen shows. He claimed the military was no longer the “woke department” or the “weak department.” He then added, “Translation of that: no fatties, no weirdos, no wimps, no radicals, just warriors.”
According to The Guardian, Oliver even mocked the delivery of these lines, saying, “If you’re going to go on stage and spew hate, at least don’t flub the delivery like a middle schooler about to lose his first rap battle.” The host went on to call the speech “less like an inspiring piece of oratory and more like he’s reading from a book called ‘Dr. Seuss for Concussed Bigots’.”
The segment reviewed some of Hegseth’s more questionable moments
Oliver shed light on Hegseth’s time at Fox News weekend morning show, reminding viewers of his stunt segments involving bull riding, sumo wrestling, and even hitting himself in the crotch with a skateboard. He also showed footage of an axe-throwing demonstration where Hegseth missed the target entirely. In fact, the axe ended up hitting Jeff Prosperie of the Hellcats – a marching band drummer who was performing in the background.
Beyond the stunts, Oliver highlighted several other serious concerns. He pointed to Hegseth’s tattoo of a Christian crusader motto and his ties to Christian nationalist groups including the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches.
This community is led by Doug Wilson who, Oliver explained, is “a far Right pastor and self-proclaimed Christian nationalist.” Wilson has called for repealing a woman’s right to vote. He believes homosexuality should be a crime and has also called the immigration of Muslim and Hindu people to the US “parasitic”.
Oliver then mentioned a settlement involving a woman who accused Hegseth of sexual assault, as well as a letter the Defense Secretary’s own mother wrote, calling him out for abusing women. The host shared an NBC news segment that said Penelope Hegseth made these claims in a 2018 email to Pete Hegseth, even asking him to get help.
Personnel decisions were another major point of contention. Oliver criticized the decision to fire “top lawyers for the army, navy, and air force”. He also noted that Hegseth refused to discipline chopper pilots who conducted a low-level flyover at Kid Rock’s house while firing the general who supported an investigation into the event. Furthermore, Oliver mentioned that Hegseth has blocked the promotions of about 10% of top military officers, noting that more than half of those individuals were Black or female.
Oliver also spoke about the US-Israeli war in Iran
The segment touched upon the current conflict with particular focus on the tragic school bombing in Minab. Oliver argued the war achieved none of the administration’s original goals. He noted that the Strait of Hormuz is now under Iranian control and there seems to be no exit strategy. When confronted with these issues at a press conference in March, Hegseth reportedly dismissed them as “fake headlines” and suggested a “patriotic press” should frame the conflict differently.
Oliver concluded the segment by pleading with newly-elected lawmakers to “remove this f****** a**** from his office.” He speculated that if Hegseth is eventually impeached, he will likely return to a television career. Oliver even suggested he might host a show featuring more stunts like playing beer pong with Kid Rock.
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