Fox Host’s Testosterone Remarks Spark Outcry Over Military Policy

During a segment of *The Five*, Fox News host Jesse Watters joked that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s proposal to screen service members’ testosterone levels could lead to “wild animals” assaulting women on bases, especially in Asia. Watters suggested that troops who “don’t need it” might “take it to triple boost” and warned, “women on base…you better be careful.” The remarks were delivered amid laughter and prompted immediate criticism from other panelists and journalists.

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Secretary Hegseth has advocated measuring testosterone in all active-duty personnel older than 30, arguing that supplementing troops could keep them at their “absolute best.” The policy also requires service members to stay below a 26 percent body-fat maximum and maintain a waist-to-height ratio of no more than 0.55. Hegseth’s initiative has generated widespread online debate about its necessity and potential side effects.

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The comments drew swift condemnation from journalists who described the jokes as “a Fox host joking about US soldiers raping women.” Critics linked the remarks to the military’s longstanding issues with sexual violence, noting past incidents involving women near U.S. bases in Okinawa, Japan, and the resulting congressional scrutiny. The controversy underscores broader concerns about how policy proposals are discussed in public media and the impact such discourse may have on perceptions of military conduct.

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• “Yeah, I want these guys on it. But you know what's going to happen? The guys that don't need it are going to take it to triple boost, right?” — Jesse Watters, Fox News host

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• “And then they're gonna get out there, and women on base, you guys better be careful. Port calls women in Asia, you better be careful because these guys are gonna be wild animals, and you better watch out.” — Jesse Watters

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• “A Fox host joking about US soldiers raping women. Well done Rupert Murdoch, well done,” — Mehdi Hasan, journalist (Zeteo)

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• “Yeah, but I don’t know that I would have.” — Dana Perino, Fox News commentator

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