Althea Legaspi
Contact Althea Legaspi on X View all posts by Althea Legaspi March 31, 2026
Kid Rock testifies before a Senate hearing on the entertainment industry on Jan. 28, 2026. Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it better: the conclusion to the drama of what will happen to the aircrew who flew army helicopters over Kid Rock’s Nashville home over the weekend appears to have come to a fairly quick ending. The answer: Absolutely nothing. After the Army suspended the crew who allegedly flew military helicopters near Kid Rock’s Nashville home over the weekend, over which President Trump weighed in (though he claimed he did not see the video footage of the incident that the rocker shared), the defense secretary has put an end to the drama. For now.
On Tuesday, following news that the Army had suspended the pilots involved, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a hold-my-beer-moment, declared, “ @USArmy pilots suspension LIFTED,” in a social media post in X, which for some reason also thanked Kid Rock. He added: “No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots” and ended his post with an American flag emoji.
Thank you @KidRock.@USArmy pilots suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots. 🇺🇸 https://t.co/Zqhv1Zx1iG
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) March 31, 2026
The whole hubbub started on Saturday, after Kid Rock, given name Robert Ritchie, posted a video of himself clapping for two AH-64 Apache helicopters who were hovering by his house while he was standing on the pool deck of his home ¸— it’s an area he’s named “The Southern White House” as it’s a replica of the White House in Washington, D.C. Also as seen in the video, the yard features a person-sized Statue of Liberty overlooking the pool.
“This is a level of respect that shit for brains Governor of California will never know,” Rock captioned the video, blasting Gavin Newsom. “God Bless America and all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend her.” At press time, the video has been viewed 10 million times.
The U.S. Army identified the aircraft as AH-64 Apache helicopters, which were flying in the Nashville area; a military spokeperson said on Monday that “appropriate action will be taken if any violations are found.” They added that the aircraft had come from Fort Campbell, Kentucky prior to their flying around the Nashville area a military spokesperson said on Monday, during which the pilots decided to do an apparent fly-by over Kid Rock’s house.
