Former Fox News anchor and current U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth faced criticism from his ex-colleagues for an unsavory habit during an April 2025 episode of ‘Outnumbered.’ In a segment shared on X, previously known as Twitter, Fox News co-hosts examined a long-standing belief that food is safe to consume after it has fallen on the floor, provided it is retrieved within five seconds—commonly referred to as ‘the 5-second rule.’

To the utter dismay of his colleagues, Joe Concha dropped a peeled banana on the floor, waited five seconds, and then consumed it, prompting reactions of shock and disapproval from Ainsley Earhardt, Rachel Campos-Duffy, and Lara Trump.

Trump remarked on the unsanitary nature of the floor, stating, ‘everyone’s feet have been on this [floor].’ Earhardt echoed this concern, highlighting that they all ‘walk around New York City,’ suggesting that their shoes carry an array of germs.

After Campos-Duffy humorously suggested that Concha was aspiring to emulate Hegseth, Earhardt recounted an incident where she witnessed the Secretary of Defense drop a bagel, cream cheese side down, and eat it off the floor without a second thought.

With a hint of sarcasm, she inquired if there was any hair on it, describing the entire situation as extremely off-putting. This anecdote adds to Hegseth’s growing list of controversies that have tarnished his image.

Additionally, during the same clip, Joe Concha mentioned rumors regarding Pete Hegseth’s alleged habit of not washing his hands after using the restroom. Ainsley Earhardt corroborated that the Secretary of Defense had even confessed to this on television.

It is indeed an unusual admission to make in front of millions, but to each their own, Pete. While Concha appeared appalled, Earhardt dismissed it, attributing it to his military background. In 2019, Hegseth had previously overshared on ‘Fox and Friends Sunday,’ stating, ‘I don’t think I’ve washed my hands for 10 years’ (via YouTube). A peculiar assertion, indeed.

He further complicated matters by claiming, ‘I can’t see [germs], therefore they’re not real,’ a statement that contradicts centuries of scientific understanding.Comments on X concurred with Earhardt, Concha, Rachel Campos-Duffy, and Lara Trump regarding the unsanitary nature of Hegseth’s dropped food and his failure to wash his hands.

One user candidly tweeted, ‘The Secretary of Defense not washing his hands after using the restroom is even more concerning.

He is consuming bagels contaminated with whatever is on the floor and his own bodily waste.’ Another individual humorously remarked, ‘Everything bagel with extra everything.’