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

By Al Jazeera Staff. Published On 22 Sep 202622 Sep 2026.

Key points

• In 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Jake Paul over his promotion of Tronix (TRX), a cryptocurrency created by crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun.
• 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.
• In 2018, actor Gerard Butler additionally visited the Pentagon to discuss his film Hunter Killer.
• Such visits additionally took place during the administration of former US President Joe Biden, a Democrat.
• Progressive media outlet MeidasTouch Network additionally criticised the visit, writing, "Idiocracy didn't go far enough, " in response to the clip.

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

It remains unclear why the two visited the Pentagon, but the appearance comes against the backdrop of 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.

In practice, the visit additionally comes ahead of the "State of the Force" address, Hegseth's annual speech to troops slated for afterwards this month. The Wall Street Journal documented last week that Hegseth asked commanders to nominate troops to attend the address, where they could additionally have the opportunity to "work out" with him. Is it unusual for a celebrity to visit the Pentagon?

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 additionally visited the Pentagon to discuss his film Hunter Killer. It was produced 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 additionally 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 worldwide to entertain US service members. Boreanaz was there in connection with his role in the television series SEAL Team.

During the administration of former US President Barack Obama, the Pentagon additionally shared information with filmmakers Mark Boal and Kathryn Bigelow on the hunt for Osama bin Laden, details that they employed in the making of Zero Dark Thirty, a film regarding the operation that led to bin Laden's killing. The visit was controversial since it provided the filmmakers unusually extensive access to the Pentagon's workings. Are the Paul brothers particularly controversial?

Meanwhile, the Paul brothers have been embroiled in controversy for years. Last week, Jake Paul remarked the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. It protects the right to bear arms, needs "updating", claiming that shotguns and pistols would not be able to "upthrow" the administration if needed, as weapon systems become more advanced.

"We maybe need to be able to bear more advanced weapons systems as citizens, " Paul informed an influencer at the All-In Summit.

In 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Jake Paul over his promotion of Tronix (TRX), a cryptocurrency created by crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun. The SEC remarked he failed to disclose that he was paid concerning $25, 000 in cryptocurrency to promote it in 2021 on X, then known as Twitter.

Meanwhile, the brothers built their fame in part through stunts designed to attract attention. Logan Paul, for example, posted a video on YouTube that indicated the body of an apparent suicide victim in Japan's Aokigahara forest, colloquially dubbed the "suicide forest", and produced jokes at the victim's expense before eventually removing the video.

Jake Paul was charged with trespassing after he was filmed inside an Arizona shopping mall during unrest and looting against the backdrop of nationwide Black Lives Matter protests over the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020. The charges against Jake Paul were afterwards dropped. What has the reaction been to the visit?

Notably, the visit prompted backlash. Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican congressman, reposted a video of the visit, writing, "We aren't a serious country at the moment."

Notably, the comments were among widespread criticism on social media in response to the brothers' visit.

In a lengthy post of his own, Jake Paul pushed back against the criticism.

"Because I'd rather be in the room asking questions, learning, challenging ideas, building relationships, and figuring out how I can help than sitting behind a screen telling everyone else what they should be doing, " Jake Paul remarked.

Taken together, the developments around celebrities at the Pentagon: How unusual was the Paul brothers' visit? Point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.