Fox News’ Will Cain has called for his former co-host and current U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to weigh in on male cheerleaders in the NFL after the Minnesota Vikings became the 12th team make its dance squad coed.
The lighthearted suggestion was met with laughter on a recent episode of Fox News’ Saturday Night With Jimmy Failla, where both the guest and host earnestly objected to men dancing with female cheerleaders.
‘A good third of the league is focusing, perhaps, on the wrong thing,’ Cain said, alluding to the number of teams with coed dance teams.
But Cain wasn’t blasting all male cheerleaders. The native Texan did give a 10-gallon hat tip college cheer teams, which have traditionally included men.
‘I don’t have anything against male cheerleaders,’ he began.
‘The Texas A&M Aggies have been doing this for decades,’ he continued, playfully making the hook’em hand gesture of the rival Texas Longhorns. ‘There have been male cheerleaders around a long time.’
Minnesota Vikings cheerleader Blaize Shiek performs before a recent preseason game
Minnesota Vikings cheerleader Louie Conn lines up with his colleagues on Saturday
The Vikings are one. of a few teams to include male performers on their dance team
The problem, as Cain sees it, is that the NFL’s male cheerleaders are more dancers than the burly guys who spend Saturdays throwing their female counterparts through the air.
‘There is something different than what is going on in the NFL,’ Cain said, arriving at his point. ‘And if we’re really being honest, we’re talking about male cheerleaders being female cheerleaders. That’s what’s happening with these men who are cheering on the Minnesota Vikings.’
Failla agreed saying ‘this is not good.’
Since Hegseth is a Minneapolis native and diehard Vikings fan, Cain naturally thought the defense secretary might be able to get involved.
‘I do know somebody who is a Minnesota Vikings fan, and I imagine he had a pretty big hand in those B-52s flying over Vladimir Putin’s head today in Alaska,’ Cain said, referring to Donald Trump’s brief meting with the Russian President. ‘So I don’t know, maybe we need to call the Secretary of Defense.’
Failla responded by yelling: ‘Oh d***.’
He then made it abundantly clear whom Cain was discussing.
‘For those of you who don’t follow cabinet positions, that man he was mentioning rhymes with “Pete Hegseth,”‘ Failla joked.
Hegseth is a big Vikings fan, but it’s unlikely he would be able to influence the team
Hegseth (right) and Cain are seen during a Fox & Friends Weekend segment in 2021
Cain then added: ‘And the man who would show up to Fox and Friends weekend ever Sunday dressed in purple. Several places. Socks, wristbands, tie.’
The Vikings recently added Blaize Shiek and Louie Conn to the cheer squad.
There has been some uproar over their inclusion on the team, but the Vikings have since defended their position in a statement.
‘While many fans may be seeing male cheerleaders for the first time at Vikings games, male cheerleaders have been part of previous Vikings teams and have long been associated with collegiate and professional cheerleading,’ the statement read.
‘In 2025, approximately one-third of NFL teams have male cheerleaders. Every member of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders program has an impressive dance background and went through the same rigorous audition process.
‘Individuals were selected because of their talent, passion for dance and dedication to elevating the game day experience. We support all our cheerleaders and are proud of the role they play as ambassadors of the organization.’
