Fox host Pete Hegseth says he hasn’t washed hands in 10 years and that ‘Germs are not a real thing - I can’t see them’
Fox News host Pete Hegseth mentioned on air that “germs are not a real thing” and that he doesn’t wash his hands because he can't see them. Hegseth mentions that after co-host Jedediah Bila reveals that there was day-old pizza on the set and that Pete was eating it.
Hegseth replies, “Pizza Hut lasts for a long time,” he continues, “My 2019 resolution is to say things on air that I say off air. I don’t think I’ve washed my hands for 10 years. Really, I don’t really wash my hands ever. I inoculate myself, Germs are not a real thing. I can’t see them. Therefore, they’re not real.”
Hegseth said that by not washing your hands, you help your body build up the antibodies to become immune to sickness.
Was Pete Hegseth joking or dead serious?
The Twitterverse quickly reacted after his comments.
Hegseth later clarified to USA Today that he was just joking, but he felt that people tend to overreact when it comes to germs.
“My half-hearted commentary to the point is, we live in a society where people walk around with bottles of Purell in their pockets, and they sanitize 19,000 times a day as if that’s going to save their life,” he said. “I take care of myself and all that, but I don’t obsess over everything all the time.”
Joking aside, how important is it to wash your hands?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe that handwashing with soap is one of the best methods for killing and removing germs in order to prevent the spread of germs. After all, just one gram of human feces (poop) can contain one trillion germs. Think about the times you touch a door handle, trash can, bathroom stalls, and any other public surface. Do you believe that everyone else is taking care to wash their hands as well?
It's no laughing matter. Getting sick is NOT fun. Hegseth may be joking, but there are people out there that might take it literally... and not wash their hands.