Samantha Deering, born in 1981 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, served as a spokesperson for the veterans advocacy group Vets for Freedom in Washington, D.C., where she met Pete Hegseth. She became his second wife, married from 2010 to 2017, and is the mother of their three sons: Gunner Hegseth (born June 2010), Peter Boone Hegseth, and Rex Hegseth. The couple divorced in 2017, with the settlement finalized in 2018 and including a nondisparagement clause prohibiting negative public statements about each other. The divorce occurred amid allegations of abuse by Hegseth toward Deering. Post-divorce, Deering Hegseth has resided at 661 Nason Hill Road North in Marine on Saint Croix, Minnesota. In January 2025, during Pete Hegseth's nomination for Secretary of Defense, his former sister-in-law filed an affidavit alleging Hegseth's abusive behavior toward Deering Hegseth, including claims that she had a 'safe word' and feared for her safety due to his alcohol use; Deering Hegseth reportedly provided a statement to the FBI on these matters.