Who is Pete Hegseth's ex-wife Meredith Schwarz? All about her
Pete Hegseth has gained massive ground since President-elect Donald Trump nominated him as secretary of defense on 12 November 2024. Hegseth is an American TV presenter and author who has had three marriages. Discover facts about Pete Hegseth's ex-wife, Meredith Schwarz, and what she does for a living.
Source: Getty Images
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Meredith is a career woman but only rose to prominence following her marriage to Hegseth. She is an American restaurateur with extensive experience in the field. So, where is Pete Hegseth's ex-wife Meredith Schwarz now? Does she have kids?
Profile Summary
| Full name | Meredith Schwarz |
| Date of birth | 1981 |
| Age | 43 years (As of 2024) |
| Place of birth | United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Height | 6 feet |
| Weight | 79 kg |
| Eye colour | Hazel |
| Hair colour | Dark brown |
| Gender | Female |
| Sexual orientation | Straight |
| Marital status | Divorced |
| Education | Bachelor of Arts |
| College | Columbia University |
| Ex-spouse | Pete Hegseth |
| Profession | Restaurateur |
| Claim to fame | Ex-wife of Pete Hegseth |
| Net worth | Unknown |
Who is Pete Hegseth's ex-wife, Meredith Schwarz?
Meredith is a restaurateur who has had an illustrious career. She is Pete Hegseth's first wife and was married to him for about 4 years before divorcing him due to infidelity.
How old is Pete Hegseth's ex-wife?
As of 2024, Schwarz is 43 years old. She was born in 1981 in the United States of America, raised Catholic, and is of American descent.
Meredith Schwarz's education
Meredith Schwarz attended Forest Lake Area High School. She was excellent in academics and was on the student council. She attended Barnard College of Columbia University and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Restaurant Management.
Source: Facebook
Meredith Schwarz and Pete Hegseth's wedding
Meredith met Pete in high school, and they started dating near the end of their first year. The two high school sweethearts were everyone's favourite. Pete played varsity football and basketball while Meredith served on the student council.
They were both academic all-stars and were bound for the Ivy Leagues, with Pete Hegseth heading to Princeton and Meredith destined for Barnard. Their classmates voted them the pair 'most likely to marry' in their high school yearbook.
In the Forest Lake yearbook, Meredith Schwarz wrote that Pete had a heart of gold and was the sweetest guy she ever knew. On the other hand, Pete Hegseth was charmed by his high school sweetheart. He wrote, "Meredith is as beautiful, caring, intelligent, and loving inside as she is outside."
The couple continued dating long-distance while in college and met during weekends and summer holidays. After graduation, Pete started military service in the Army National Guard, while Meredith secured a job as an investment banker at JP Morgan in New York.
They tied the knot in the summer of 2004, shortly before Pete was shipped out to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Source: Facebook
The couple's marriage in their early twenties was considered unusual for Ivy League graduates. However, Pete and Meredith were registered Republicans and religious, so marriage after college was the natural course.
Meredith Schwarz and Pete Hegseth's divorce
Five years into their relationship, things took a different path after Meredith learned about her husband's affair with a female colleague. Pete lived in DC while Meredith was in New York. This put a strain on their relationship.
In November 2008, Vanity Fair published how Pete confessed to Meredith that he had been unfaithful. He reportedly showed up at his in-law's house in Forest Lake in his Army uniform and admitted to cheating.
Schwarz wanted to make the marriage work despite the infidelity. She was reportedly still in love with him until she got confirmation of his affair.
Meredith received a charge on her credit card. She confirmed later that the charge was for a local hotel room where Pete had had an affair with Samantha Deering. Pete admitted to having five affairs while they were married.
Meredith Schwarz filed for divorce in December 2008. The couple parted ways without having any children.
Meredith Schwarz's career
After graduating in June 2003, she began working as an Analyst and Associate at JP Morgan. This is a New York-based holding firm for financial services and a major international investment bank.
In August 2008, she joined the M&A division of General Mills, where she was in charge of different business transactions. She was also the head of the fund's strategy, overseeing the portfolio of assets and compiling a list of potential future investment opportunities.
In August 2015, she joined Encore Consumer Capital as vice president and operating executive. She served as CEO for ten months until departing the organization in May 2016.
In January 2017, she joined Rustica as a Partner and CEO. After two years, she became the Advisor for Food and Retail. She has also worked as the Chief Financial Officer at Minnesota Birth Control.
What is Meredith Schwarz's net worth?
While Meredith has earned considerable wealth throughout her career, there is no credible source on her net worth.
Who is Pete Hegseth?
Source: Getty Images
Peter Brian Hegseth was born in Forest Lake, Minnesota, on 6 June 1980. He is an American television presenter, author, and Army veteran. He works for Fox News channel as a contributor and co-hosts the Fox & Friends Weekend show.
In 2003, he was commissioned into the United States Army National Guard as an infantry officer. He holds a Combat Infantryman's Badge and two Bronze Stars for his service in Afghanistan and Iraq. Pete has also served as a guard at Guantanamo Bay.
From 2007 to 2010, he was the executive director at Vets for Freedom, a political advocacy group. He was also a Fox News channel military investigator, appearing on Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC.
He became a major Trump supporter in 2016 and served as an adviser to Donald Trump throughout the latter's first term of presidency.
On 12 November 2024, he was announced as the nominee for U.S. defense secretary by President-elect Donald Trump. His nomination has led to questions about his past conduct, which is marred with infidelity and sexual misconduct allegations.
Pete is also an astute author with his famous book In the Arena. He has also written several editorials for The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Post.
How many times has Pete Hegseth been married?
He has been married three times. In 2008, Pete Hegseth's ex-wife and high school sweetheart, Meredith Schwarz, divorced him. Pete then moved on and dated Samantha Deering, his affair partner at the time.
The two solemnized their union in the spring of 2010 at St. John's Episcopal Church of Washington, DC. They were blessed with three sons: Gunner, Rex, and Boone.
Seven years later, their marriage faced the same problem as Pete Hegseth's first one: Infidelity. In August 2017, while still married to Samantha, Pete Hegseth had a daughter with Fox executive producer Jennifer Rauchet. Samantha divorced him in September 2017.
Immediately after the divorce, Pete and Jennifer started dating and got engaged on 15 June 2019. Two months later, on 20 August 2019, they tied the knot at Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck in New Jersey. Jennifer Rauchet works for Fox News.
Pete Hegseth's controversial mother's email
In November 2024, the New York Times published Pete Hegseth's mother's email to him in 2018. In the email, his mother accuses him of mistreating women for years. This was during Pete Hegseth's divorce from Samanta Deering.
His mother wrote:
I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego. You are that man (and have been for years) and as your mother, it pains me and embarrasses me to say that, but it is the sad, sad truth.
She implored him to change his ways and reassured him that she still loved him:
On behalf of all the women (and I know it’s many) you have abused in some way, I say… get some help and take an honest look at yourself.
Mrs Hegseth has since said that she regretted the email and said that it was sent "in anger, with emotion". She said she apologized to her son soon after sending the email.
Pete Hegseth's allegations of infidelity, abuse and sexual misconduct
The reported infidelity of Pete Hegseth marred his career and cast doubts about his character, particularly in his newly nominated position. Active duty service members in the military operate under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Therefore, Pete can be prosecuted for adultery.
Pete Hegseth also received a sexual assault complaint in October 2017. The woman sought a settlement, which Pete paid quietly. He has denied the accusation and said he only paid the settlement to protect his job as an anchor at Fox & Friends.
What is Samantha Hegseth doing now?
Pete's ex-wife Samantha Hegseth is an American journalist who works for Fox News. She is usually behind the cameras as the Fox & Friends executive producer and produces Watters' World.
Source: Getty Images
How many children does Pete Hegseth have with each wife
Hegseth has four biological children. He has three children with his second wife, Samantha: Gunner, Bonne, and Rex.
Pete and Jennifer Rauchet are raising four children: their biological daughter, Gweny Hegseth, and three children from Jennifer's previous marriage.
Pete Hegseth's first wife, Meredith Schwarz, had no child with him.
How many years did Pete Hegseth serve in the military?
He served for over 13 years in the military. Mostly as a major in the Minnesota Army National Guard and the District of Columbia Army National Guard.
FAQs
- Who was Pete Hegseth's first wife? Meredith Schwarz was Pete's first wife. She was his high school sweetheart and married him for four years.
- Who are Meredith Schwarz's children? As per available reports, Pete Hegseth's ex-wife has no children.
- Who is Pete Hegseth's wife? Pete Hegseth's new wife is Jennifer Rauchet, an executive producer at Fox News.
- How many natural children does Pete Hegseth have? He has four biological children: Gunner, Bonne, Rex and Gweny.
- What is Pete Hegseth's wife net worth? There are no verifiable reports about Jennifer Rauchet's net worth.
Pete Hegseth's ex-wife, Meredith Schwarz, is a successful career woman who has established herself in her field. Her marriage to Pete Hegseth was brief due to infidelity. After the divorce, she has become a subject of interest despite her choice to live a private life.
Briefly.co.za recently published an article about Sean Hannity's daughter, Merri Kelly Hannity. Sean Hannity is one of America's most conservative TV presenters. He became famous when he co-hosted Hannity & Colmes, a liberal-conservative debate show on Fox News between 1996 and 2009.
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Source: Briefly News
Bennett Yates (Lifestyle writer) Bennett Yates is a content creator with over five years of working experience in journalism and copywriting. He graduated from the University of Nairobi (2017) with a Bachelor's in Information Technology. In 2023, Bennett finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. He started working for Briefly in 2019. You can reach him via email at bennetyates@gmail.com.
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