The Department of Defense hosted former YouTube stars and boxers Jake and Logan Paul last week, with the Pentagon confirming the two met with the Secretary of Defense.
The Paul brothers, who gained fame as content creators on YouTube, shared photos of visits to Washington, D.C. on Instagram, showing them at the Pentagon briefing room and meeting with other government officials. On Sunday, the Department of Defense posted photos and videos of their visit, captioned “Last Thursday, we welcomed Logan and Jake Paul to the Pentagon to meet with our warriors.”
Video shared by the Defense Department on social media showed them meeting with uniformed troops and addressing them, as well as talking with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“The Department of War was proud to host Jake and Logan Paul at the Pentagon this week. They toured the building, paid their respects at our 9/11 memorial, thanked our service members, and briefly met with Secretary Hegseth,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Joel Valdez said in a statement, using the unofficial nickname for the Department of Defense. “The Department is grateful for their visit and continued support of our military.”
It is not clear why the two visited the Pentagon. The brothers paid for their own transportation for the trip to D.C., which saw them meet with two cabinet secretaries. During their visit to D.C. Jake Paul also met with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. A Pentagon official said the brothers paid for their own transportation to the installation.
The Defense Department has leaned into ties with celebrities and influencers, including martial artists. The Pentagon recruited troops to attend the UFC fight that took place on the White House lawn this summer. Hegseth has gone on an Apache helicopter flight with Trump administration ally Kid Rock, after lifting a suspension of Apache crews after they buzzed the musician’s home.
The Paul brothers started as video creators on YouTube before moving into boxing promotion and finance. They have also generated considerable controversy. Jake Paul was accused of public disturbances in Los Angeles and settled Securities and Exchange Commission charges for illegally promoting cryptocurrencies. Logan Paul released a video in 2017 showing a suicide victim in a forest in Japan. The two have boxed professionally; Jake Paul’s most recent fight saw heavyweight Anthony Joshua win by knockout with Paul suffering a broken jaw.
