Pete Hegseth Under Fire for Pentagon Makeup Studio: Social Media Reacts

Social media users swiftly criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday after it was revealed that he had ordered a room near the Pentagon’s press briefing space to be converted into a makeup studio.

The remodeling of the room reportedly cost several thousand dollars, as CBS News reported, highlighting the timing of this expense amid significant budget cuts by the Trump administration.

While the Department of Defense confirmed the studio’s existence to HuffPost, it pushed back against CBS News’ claims. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Pentagon’s social media team labeled the story “fake news,” insisting there was “no lighted mirror” in the space and that the studio did not cost “thousands” to build. They clarified that the room was intended as a “green room,” not a makeup studio.

Hegseth’s tenure as defense secretary has been marked by criticism, especially after private Signal messages involving military strike discussions were leaked. The revelation of the Pentagon makeup studio only fueled more online mockery, with social media users relentlessly mocking the extravagant use of funds.