‘The View’ Co-Hosts Slam Military’s Crazy New Testosterone Mandate

The hosts of The View tore into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday after his latest military mandate sparked a new round of backlash — and plenty of disbelief.

Hegseth is facing criticism over a controversial plan requiring certain male servicemembers to undergo yearly testosterone checks, a move the co-hosts mocked as strange, unnecessary, and straight out of the “manosphere.”

During the July 17 episode, Ana Navarro called Hegseth’s focus on the issue “a little crazy,” especially as the U.S. remains tangled in a tense and uncertain conflict with Iran.

Earlier this month, Hegseth announced that male servicemembers age 30 and older would be required to receive annual screenings to determine whether their testosterone levels fall within a normal range. If their levels are low, they would be allowed to decide whether to pursue hormone replacement therapy.

In a clip played on the show, Hegseth defended the initiative as a matter of military readiness.

“It’s well-established science that as we age, testosterone levels often naturally drop,” he said. “This initiative, it’s not about artificial enhancement; it’s about restoring and optimizing your natural capabilities, protecting your longevity, and ensuring you have the biological foundation required to sustain the fight.”

But the explanation did not land well at The View table.

Alyssa Farah Griffin kicked off the segment by ridiculing the premise and taking a direct jab at Hegseth’s fixation on male hormone levels.

“So, it is a fact of science that no man who is confident in their own testosterone levels worries about other men’s testosterone levels. Look it up. It’s in the science textbook,” Griffin joked. “I have literally never heard my husband be like, ‘I’m worried about our neighbor and his T levels.’”

Griffin went on to argue that the mandate sounded less like serious national defense policy and more like something inspired by online masculinity influencers.

She said the idea that big muscles and testosterone levels equal military strength felt “detached from the reality of the U.S. military,” and suggested the thinking had the fingerprints of the “manosphere” and figures like Andrew Tate all over it.

Sara Haines was even blunter.

“What are they doing next? Measuring p—s size?” Haines asked. “This feels like the manosphere is in charge of the military. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

The co-hosts also raised concerns about the medical side of the proposal, warning that hormone treatments are not something to be treated casually.

Navarro noted that taking testosterone can carry serious health risks if it is not handled properly. Griffin agreed, pointing to her own experience taking estrogen and supplements during IVF.

“I was taking estrogen and a number of different supplements that you have to, for that process, and you should never do that without deep consultation with the doctor,” Griffin said.

For Navarro, the bigger question was why Hegseth was spending time on hormone screenings, body standards, and grooming rules while the country is facing far more urgent national security questions.

“We’re in the middle of a war that none of us know when and how it will end,” Navarro said. “We all desperately want it to end. And in the middle of this war, you’ve got the secretary of defense focused on who’s chubby in the military, the facial hair, who’s got a beard in the military, and now testosterone levels.”

Then she delivered the line that brought the criticism home.

“Why don’t you focus on getting the h— out of Iran?”

The exchange quickly turned Hegseth’s testosterone mandate into another flashpoint in the broader debate over where the Trump administration’s defense priorities really lie. Critics on The View portrayed the policy as another culture-war distraction, arguing that military leadership should be focused on strategy, troop safety, and avoiding further escalation overseas — not policing masculinity inside the ranks.