jimmy kimmel called out pete hegsethThe United States Secretary of Defense, for his department’s spending, during a conversation on his chat show. He pointed to a report by The Daily Beast. He pointed to heavy spending on lobster tails, donuts, ribeye steaks and other foods. Additionally, he joked about the department’s identity and quipped if it was “my 600-lb Department of Defense”, referencing the popular MTV reality show.
Jimmy Kimmel criticizes Pete Hegseth’s spending
Jimmy Kimmel Live! During the monologue, the host took a moment to criticize Hegseth’s department spending as he referenced a report The Daily Beast. The outlet cited the government watchdog’s analysis open books. It was reported that Hegseth spent more than $93 billion in September 2025. This is considered the end of the financial year. This spending was on various grants and contracts, the highest amount since 2008. Furthermore, the outlet also reported that some of the amount was also spent on food items.
As Kimmel said, citing the outlet, “[Hegseth]spent $6.9 million on lobster tails, $140,000 on donuts, $124,000 on ice cream machines, $26,000 on sushi preparation tables and $15.1 million on ribeye steaks.” Alluding to food expenses, Kimmel joked that should the department now be considered “my 600-pound Department of Defense?”
He added, “Can you imagine how big the size of (Fox News host) Sean Hannity’s egg would be if a Democrat had spent millions of dollars on lobster tails and sushi preparation tables? He would never walk again.” Kimmel, referring to the $12,000 spent on fruit baskets, noted that he found it strange how they “ran up the bill”. “He keeps saying, ‘We’re making the Army manly again! … Now, where’s the stand for my fruit basket?’ He continued.
Originally written by Shazmin Navarange Mandatory.