Keeping Track Of Pete Hegseth’s Family Is No Small Matter

Keeping up with the current American political landscape is tough enough, but tracking Pete Hegseth’s ever-growing family has become a whole internet sport.

Peter Brian Hegseth has lived a colorful life, with seven children, three marriages, and a blended household that seems to get more complex with every new chapter.

The former Fox News anchor’s life has transformed significantly over the last two decades, with his expanding family becoming a major part of his public persona.

His uniquely structured household and seven children have drawn significant online attention from those curious about how they’re all connected.

Now the US Secretary of Defense, Hegseth, built his family across distinct life phases: from a high school romance to a second marriage that introduced fatherhood, and finally a third union that created a real-life version of Yours, Mine and Ours.

The entire group is frequently spotted at public events, which has fueled media coverage and online interest in his blended family.

Pete Hegseth’s public-facing family life has become an unexpected focal point of media and online fascination. While his political trajectory and net worth remain widely discussed, his personal life has captured a different kind of attention.

Much of this curiosity stems from how prominently his children feature on his Instagram feed. From holiday gatherings to sports outings, Hegseth documents key family moments for his nearly 300,000 followers, reinforcing the image of a tight-knit, traditional household.

That scrutiny intensified on January 25, 2025, when all seven children stood beside Hegseth and his wife, Jennifer Rauchet, as he was sworn in as Secretary of Defense at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC. The photo op was widely shared and dissected across platforms, especially given Hegseth’s vocal support of conservative family values.

It’s this tension between the curated, idealized image and the complexity beneath it that keeps Hegseth’s family life a recurring topic of online conversation (via People).

It all began back in 1999 with his first wife, Meredith Schwarz. Hegseth and Schwarz were high school sweethearts at Forest Lake Area High School in suburban Minneapolis, where he played varsity sports, and she was nominated for homecoming queen.

They were even voted “most likely to marry” by their graduating class.

They made it official in 2004, tying the knot at the Cathedral of Saint Paul. But after nearly a decade together, the relationship ended in 2008 when Schwarz filed for divorce, citing infidelity.

Despite their long history, they had no children together (per Vanity Fair).

Hegseth’s journey into fatherhood began shortly after. He met Samantha Deering while working in Washington, DC, and the two welcomed a child before his first marriage had formally ended. They married in 2010 and went on to have three sons: Gunner, Boone, and Rex (via NBC).

Their marriage unraveled in 2017 after Hegseth had a daughter with Fox News producer Jennifer Rauchet, whom he later married in 2019.

Rauchet, a former executive producer of Watters World and Fox & Friends, also brought three children, Jackson, Luke, and Kenzie, from her previous marriage into the family (via Vanity Fair).

Despite the tabloid timelines and overlapping relationships, Deering filed for divorce a month after Hegseth’s daughter with Rauchet was born. Hegseth’s blended family has emerged as a public-facing unit (via Mediaite).

In August 2022, Pete Hegseth revealed on Instagram that his entire family was relocating to Tennessee. He posted a photo of the full crew with the caption, “We hit the summer trail…destination Tennessee. Love you @jennycdot and our 7 souls.”

The move marked a symbolic reset, aligning with the values Hegseth often emphasizes. He later explained that choosing Middle Tennessee was intentional, as he wanted to enroll the children in a private Christian school and raise them in a setting rooted in their shared beliefs.

Hegseth had previously lived in the state earlier in his career, making the transition feel like a return rather than a relocation. The family settled in Goodlettsville, a suburb outside Nashville in Sumner County.

According to public records, the property was purchased in June 2022 for $3.4 million. With ample space for a family of nine, it has become the setting for many of the family moments Hegseth now shares in their new chapter.

In 2024, Pete Hegseth told Birmingham Christian Family that he rejects the term “stepfather,” explaining, “There are no ‘steps’ or ‘halves’ in the Hegseth clan—we are a family brought together by the grace of God.”

This outlook reflects the foundation of how he and Jennifer Rauchet raise their seven children: as a single, unified household grounded in faith.

Faith, family, and service remain central to Hegseth’s worldview. In a May 2024 interview with Fox News, he expressed hope that his sons would one day join the military, an idea that inspired his book The War on Warriors.

The book’s epilogue, “A Letter to My Sons,” explores his personal convictions on fatherhood, which he calls “the highest honor.” He writes that nothing brings him “greater earthly joy” than raising his children with purpose.

Describing their household as a “covenant Christian home,” Hegseth said he intends to guide his sons when they face the decision to serve, without applying pressure.

He closed his letter with a prayer that their choices would help build a future America that “honors God, cherishes freedom, celebrates families, and lives in peace.”