4 Celebrity Pentagon Visits That Explain the Paul Brothers' Trip

Logan and Jake Paul's Thursday visit to the Pentagon, where they addressed troops and met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, follows a pattern of celebrity access to the building that spans multiple administrations, according to Al Jazeera. The two content creators and combat-sports figures posted photos and videos of the trip over the weekend, along with images from a separate meeting with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Al Jazeera reported that it "remains unclear" why the brothers made the visit, and the appearance has drawn backlash on social media. But the outlet placed the trip in a wider context: public figures, from actors to musicians, have toured the Pentagon and addressed service members under presidents of both parties for years.

Why did the Paul brothers go to the Pentagon?

Al Jazeera did not report a stated reason from the Pentagon or the Paul brothers for the visit. The outlet noted the appearance comes amid a broader push to promote martial arts and physical fitness among troops, including efforts to recruit service members to attend the UFC event held at the White House in June. It also arrives ahead of Hegseth's annual "State of the Force" address to troops, slated for later this month.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week, as cited by Al Jazeera, that Hegseth asked commanders to nominate troops to attend that address, where attendees could also have a chance to work out with him.

"...where they could also have the opportunity to 'work out' with him."

That detail, drawn from the Journal's reporting, suggests the Pentagon has been actively cultivating a fitness-and-combat-sports image around Hegseth's leadership in the weeks surrounding the Paul brothers' visit.

How does this compare to past celebrity visits?

Celebrity trips to the Pentagon are not new, and they have occurred under presidents from both parties, according to Al Jazeera's reporting.

In 2019, during Donald Trump's first term, actor Milo Ventimiglia of "This Is Us" visited the Pentagon to discuss ways to strengthen the "civilian-military connection." That same year, KISS frontman Gene Simmons, a longtime supporter of the military and veterans, addressed service members and reporters in the Pentagon press room.

In 2018, actor Gerard Butler visited to discuss his film "Hunter Killer," which was made in collaboration with the U.S. Navy. During the Obama administration, filmmakers Mark Boal and Kathryn Bigelow received information from the Pentagon on the hunt for Osama bin Laden for their film "Zero Dark Thirty" — access Al Jazeera described as controversial because of how extensive it was.

Under President Joe Biden, actor David Boreanaz toured the Pentagon in October 2024 as part of a United Service Organizations tour tied to his role in the series "SEAL Team." USO tours regularly send celebrities and musicians to military bases to entertain service members.

Is the Paul brothers' visit unusual by comparison?

Measured against that history, the format of the visit — meeting with the defense secretary, addressing troops, and generating social media content — tracks closely with prior trips by Ventimiglia, Butler and Simmons. What sets the Paul brothers' visit apart, based on Al Jazeera's reporting, is the lack of a stated project or cause tied to the trip, unlike Butler's film promotion or Ventimiglia's civilian-military outreach framing. Their visit also folded in a separate meeting with Bessent, broadening the scope beyond a single-agency stop.

What is driving the social media backlash?

Al Jazeera reported the backlash without detailing its specific content, framing it as a reaction to influencers with no clear defense-related project gaining access to the building and to Hegseth directly. The outlet's broader reporting suggests the reaction sits at the intersection of two ongoing storylines: Hegseth's push to align the military's public image with combat sports and fitness culture, and long-running scrutiny of how the Pentagon selects which public figures get access to troops and leadership.

What comes next for Hegseth's Pentagon outreach?

The visit lands just ahead of Hegseth's "State of the Force" address, for which the Journal reported he asked commanders to nominate attending troops. Al Jazeera's reporting indicates that address, combined with the June UFC event at the White House, forms a pattern worth watching for further blending of Pentagon messaging with combat-sports and influencer culture in the weeks ahead.