Inside Hegseth’s Makeup Studio Rumored to cost $40k

Hegseth’s Makeup Studio Raises Alarms Inside the Pentagon

Multiple sources confirm that Pete Hegseth’s makeup studio team repurposed an existing green room inside the Pentagon for on-camera appearances. Spearheaded by former Fox News producer Tami Radabaugh and approved by Hegseth’s wife and the Pentagon’s spokesperson—both also former Fox producers—the makeover reflects more than a cosmetic renovation. It represents a growing convergence between partisan media and military communications infrastructure. The timing couldn’t be worse: the Department of Defense is facing internal calls for fiscal restraint, and public trust in institutional transparency is rapidly eroding.

Hegseth, who previously co-hosted Fox & Friends Weekend, waved off CBS News’ investigation as “Totally fake story. No ‘orders’ and no ‘makeup.’” But photographic evidence and confirmations from multiple internal sources challenge that dismissal. The room’s updates reportedly include new countertops, LED lighting, and a mirror flanked with makeup lights. According to a DoD spokesperson, the furnishings came from existing Pentagon inventories—a talking point unlikely to neutralize growing criticism.

From Fox & Friends to Pentagon Vanity: The Foxification of Defense Messaging

The transformation doesn’t stop with Hegseth’s makeup studio. The Pentagon’s main press briefing room—long one of the few places in the building where journalists could access Wi-Fi to file reports—was quietly restricted in February. Now, reporters are only permitted when high-ranking officials are actively speaking. This curtailment of press access has sparked outrage among journalists and civil liberties groups, who view the move as another step away from democratic transparency.

Sources inside the Pentagon have described a deliberate shift toward “strategic messaging” that echoes the editorial style of Fox News. The press space increasingly resembles a curated broadcast environment rather than an arena for open inquiry. This isn’t just a logistics issue—it’s a political one. One veteran defense official, speaking under condition of anonymity, said the change reflects a “cable news model of information control” being imported wholesale into military communications.

Signal Chat Leaks: When Optics Meet Operational Risk

If Hegseth’s makeup studio is the lipstick, the national security scandal swirling around his digital communications is the pig. In mid-March, Hegseth reportedly disclosed real-time planning details for U.S. airstrikes in Yemen to a private Signal chat group. That group included several high-ranking officials—and, more controversially, his wife Jennifer Hegseth, who has no official government role. She is, however, a former Fox News producer.

Though Hegseth maintains that no classified information was shared, his explanation does little to reassure critics. The existence of the group was accidentally revealed when National Security Adviser Michael Waltz mistakenly added The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the chat. Goldberg, stunned by the inclusion, confirmed the group’s contents and purpose after removing himself from the thread.

The Department of Defense’s acting Inspector General has launched a preliminary review into the disclosures. But so far, no disciplinary actions or administrative changes have occurred, and Hegseth continues to operate as Defense Secretary with no visible consequences. That alone has prompted new calls for congressional oversight and legislative review of executive communications standards.

Oversight in Limbo, Accountability on Hold

Despite mounting questions, the press room remains closed to independent journalists, and Hegseth’s makeup studio remains active and available for media-friendly engagements. He continues to appear on Fox News from inside the Pentagon, where he has downplayed the story as “just more media hysteria.” But critics argue that the true issue isn’t the optics—it’s the rot beneath them.

“It’s not just a green room with better lighting,” one former DoD official said. “It’s a metaphor for what happens when you let infotainment become the operating model for a national security agency.” That metaphor is now baked into the infrastructure—right down to the director’s chair, the vanity mirror, and, reportedly, even a kegerator tucked in the corner for after-hours comfort.

The Cost of Image Over Integrity

This isn’t just about mirrors and makeup. It’s about who controls the narrative, and how far they’re willing to bend ethical lines to do it. When Hegseth’s makeup studio becomes one of the most carefully curated spaces inside the Pentagon—while battlefield decisions are leaked to group chats with family members—it signals something far more dangerous than poor taste.

Americans deserve a Department of Defense focused on strategy, not stagecraft. They deserve leadership that respects national security procedures, not undermines them for broadcast moments. They deserve more than cable cosplay and power-as-propaganda performances masquerading as governance.

The Pentagon was never supposed to be a set. And no amount of contouring can cover up what’s happening behind the lights.