Celebrities at the Pentagon: How unusual was the Paul brothers’ visit?

Influencers Logan and Jake Paul are the latest celebrities to visit the Pentagon, where they addressed troops and met with United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The Paul brothers, who made the visit on Thursday, are content creators and are also known for combat sports. They shared photos and videos of the visit over the weekend on social media. The posts also included images from a separate meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

It remains unclear why the two visited the Pentagon, but the appearance comes amid a broader push to promote martial arts and physical fitness among service members, including efforts to recruit troops to attend the UFC event held at the White House in June.

The visit also comes ahead of the “State of the Force” address, Hegseth’s annual speech to troops slated for later this month. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Hegseth asked commanders to nominate troops to attend the address, where they could also have the opportunity to “work out” with him.

Celebrities and other public figures have visited the Pentagon during multiple administrations.

In 2019, during US President Donald Trump’s first term in office, actor Milo Ventimiglia of the television show This Is Us visited the Pentagon to discuss ways to strengthen the “civilian-military connection”. In 2018, actor Gerard Butler also visited the Pentagon to discuss his film Hunter Killer, which was made in collaboration with the US Navy.

Gene Simmons, the frontman of the band KISS and a prominent supporter of the military and veterans, visited the Pentagon in 2019 and addressed service members and reporters in the press room.

Such visits also took place during the administration of former US President Joe Biden, a Democrat. Actor David Boreanaz toured the Pentagon in October 2024 as part of a United Service Organizations (USO) tour, in which celebrities, musicians and other public figures travel to military bases around the world to entertain US service members. Boreanaz was there in connection with his role in the television series SEAL Team.