Wendy Patrice Windley

Jennifer Hegseth (née Cunningham; born January 30, 1980) is the chairwoman of the Presidential Military Spouse Commission and a former television producer. She is the wife of Pete Hegseth, who has served as the 29th United States secretary of defense since 2025.

Early life and education Jennifer Cunningham Rauchet was born on January 30, 1980, in Towson, Maryland. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Towson University.

Career Before her marriage, Hegseth worked as a producer on short films and in television, first at WPIX and later at Fox News. When their relationship became public, she moved over to produce Watters' World instead. Hegseth remained at Fox until 2024, eventually becoming a vice president at the network's streaming service, Fox Nation.

After moving to Washington, D.C., following her husband's appointment as defense secretary, Hegseth became a senior advisor at the America First Policy Institute.

Spouse of Defense Secretary Hegseth's visibility around her husband began before his confirmation, when she regularly accompanied him to meetings with senators on Capitol Hill. Senate staffers indicated that her presence altered the dynamic of conversations, particularly those touching on the sexual assault allegation against Hegseth, since some senators had hoped to question him on the matter privately.

In March 2025, Hegseth was a guest of congressman Pete Stauber at the 2025 Donald Trump speech to a joint session of Congress. Since her husband assumed his role as secretary of defense, Hegseth has served in an unofficial capacity as a frequent confidante and advisor. CNN reported in April 2025 that Hegseth had applied for a security clearance, though it remained unconfirmed whether one was ever granted. A spokesperson from the Pentagon has described her as an accomplished leader and a trusted adviser to her husband.

Hegseth has joined at least one official bilateral meeting at the Pentagon, sitting in on a March 2025 discussion between Hegseth and the United Kingdom's defense secretary John Healey. Hegseth has played an influential role in managing her husband's media strategy and has taken part in building out the Pentagon's public affairs operation.

Presidential Military Spouse Commission Trump established the Presidential Military Spouse Commission by executive order on August 3, 2026, and named Hegseth as its first chairperson.

Personal life

Hegseth met Pete Hegseth while both were employed at Fox News, and at the time, each was married to someone else – she to her first husband, with whom she had three children, and he to his second wife, Samantha Deering, with whom he had three sons. Hegseth's marriage to Deering ended shortly after he had a daughter with Jennifer in 2017. Officials speaking for the Pentagon stated that the informants were trying to sabotage Hegseth's agenda, and that "there was no classified information in any Signal chat".