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Who is Pete Hegseth’s ex, Samantha Hegseth? The Trump nominee’s second wife shares 3 kids with the former Fox host, and has been named in an affidavit by his ‘deeply concerned’ former sister-in-law

Pete Hegseth was married to Samantha Hegseth for seven years. Photo: @PeteHegseth/X
Pete Hegseth was married to Samantha Hegseth for seven years. Photo: @PeteHegseth/X
US Politics

Pete Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, has come forward to allege that the ex Fox News host was abusive to his second wife, Samantha Hegseth

Pete Hegseth’s former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, has come forward to allege that the one-time Fox News host was abusive to his second wife, Samantha Hegseth, as reported by Time.
A new affidavit alleges Pete Hegseth mistreated his second wife. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
A new affidavit alleges Pete Hegseth mistreated his second wife. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Senators vetting the nomination of Pete Hegseth as Donald Trump’s defence secretary received the affidavit, which was later obtained by the Associated Press. The affidavit alleges that Pete’s treatment of Samantha included repeated drunkenness and situations which reached the point where she feared for her safety. “I have chosen to come forward publicly, at significant personal sacrifice, because I am deeply concerned by what Hegseth’s confirmation would mean for our military and our country,” said Danielle Hegseth, who was formerly married to Pete Hegseth’s brother. He has denied the allegations.
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“Sam has never alleged that there was any abuse, she signed court documents acknowledging that there was no abuse and recently reaffirmed the same during her FBI interview,” Pete Hegseth’s lawyer Tim Parlatore said in a statement. “Belated claims by Danielle Dietrich, an anti-Trump far left Democrat who is divorced from Mr Hegseth’s brother and never got along with the Hegseth family, do nothing to change that.”

Samantha Hegseth told NBC News in a statement that there “was no physical abuse in my marriage. This is the only further statement I will make to you, I have let you know that I am not speaking and will not speak on my marriage to Pete. Please respect this decision.” The former couple both signed a Minnesota court document in 2021 during their divorce to state that neither of them claimed to be a victim of domestic abuse, per Time.

Here’s what we know about Samantha Hegseth.

Who is Samantha Hegseth?

Samantha Hegseth has refused to elaborate on her marriage to Pete Hegseth. Photo: Pete Hegseth/Facebook
Samantha Hegseth has refused to elaborate on her marriage to Pete Hegseth. Photo: Pete Hegseth/Facebook

Samantha Hegseth is Pete Hegseth’s second wife. They began dating when his first wife, Meredith Schwarz, filed for divorce, according to The Independent. He reportedly met Samantha when he was working in Washington at political advocacy organisation Vets for Freedom.

When did Pete and Samantha Hegseth split up?

Pete Hegseth was married to Samantha Hegseth from 2010 to 2017. Photo: Reuters
Pete Hegseth was married to Samantha Hegseth from 2010 to 2017. Photo: Reuters

Pete and Samantha Hegseth were married from 2010 to 2017.