Pete Hegseth's wife Jennifer Rauchet receives a brutal nickname from Pentagon staff. Here's why

Employees at the Pentagon have reportedly given Jennifer Rauchet, the wife of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a brutal nickname. According to Daily Mail, the Defense Department staff have their own nickname for their boss's wife: 'Yoko Ono' and this is because she is frequently seen with her husband while he attempts to push US President Donald Trump's agenda.

It was reported by the Daily Mail that several of her employees have taken to calling her "Yoko Ono" behind her back.Jennifer Rauchet Hegseth has recently found herself under scrutiny over her informal involvement in her embattled husband's job overseeing the nearly three million-strong United States military.

Pete Hegseth's wife faces heat

The name comes as Rauchet's frequent appearances at the Pentagon have drawn criticism from several staffers after the Wall Street Journal reported that she attended sensitive meetings, including one with his British counterpart, John Healey. It was also reported by two sources that Rauchet attended a meeting between her husband and his foreign counterparts at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Heseth's wife is causing concern among federal officials for her reportedly near-constant presence with her husband as he deals with sensitive military plans and has inappropriately brought her along to meetings with lawmakers and at least one foreign official, according to CNN. Ruachet has applied for security clearance, but the White House has refused to say if it was granted, CNN noted.

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Rauchet also raised eyebrows last month for tagging along with her husband on two meetings with high-level foreign defense officials, as the Wall Street Journal first reported.

One person within the DoD told The Mail that Hegseth allegedly relies on Rauchet to prepare and supervise him, just like she did when they both worked at Fox News. The source also added that Rauchet's presence could help Hegseth's sobriety in check, as well as make sure his eyes don't wander.

Both said Rauchet has attended meetings during which she has been seen taking notes and photos. On days when she is not physically accompanying her husband, one said she is apprised of details about his schedule.

And on at least one occasion, the other added, she has urged the DoD's public relations team to include more about his military service and family values in news releases. "I'm sure she's worried about his infidelity and drinking, but she's also involved in the shaping of his public image,' one source said.

"She's like his parole officer and PR agent all at once."

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'Human leash'

The other likened Rauchet to Yoko Ono, the wife of late Beatles star John Lennon, known for being fiercely protective and controlling of the narrative around her husband. "She is a human leash," the insider said.

The need to control the Defense Secretary's image is not something new. Hegseth's first marriage to Meredith Schwarz ended when she claimed that he had serially cheated on her with several others, including Samantha Deering, the woman he married soon after and with whom he had three children.

Deering ended her marriage with Hegseth when he hooked up with Rauchet, a producer on Fox & Friends, who was also married with three kids. Rauchet revealed that she was pregnant with Hegseth's child shortly after the then-anchor had been promoted to co-host.

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Shortly after the birth of their daughter, Gwen, Hegseth was accused of drugging and sexually assaulting a woman while attending a Republican women's conference in 2024. A California police report shows that his accuser was having champagne with co-workers when things got "fuzzy." The woman reported that she later somehow found herself in a room with Hegseth.

Despite saying that the entire encounter was consensual, Hegseth ended up paying the woman $5,000. Rather than fight her allegations in court. Rauchet was once again blasted to the forefront of people's minds this past week when it was revealed that she and Hegseth's brother had been part of a second Signal Group chat that received plans about an attack on the Houthies in Yemen.

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Hegseth reportedly relayed information from Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, who leads U.S. Central Command. According to NBC, the material sent by Kurilla allegedly contained details about when U.S. fighters would take off and when they would hit their targets.

Should the military information have fallen into the enemy's hands, it could have put the fighters and their pilots in considerable danger. Three U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the exchanges told the news outlet that Hegseth allegedly used his personal phone to send the information transmitted by Kurilla to at least two group chats using the Signal app.