Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleKid Rock delivered a Memorial Day message from the Pentagon lectern, wearing sunglasses and a hoodie, which was amplified by the Department of Defense. His brief message honored fallen service members, concluding with a salute and the phrase, “Keep on Kid Rocking in the free world.”The choice of Kid Rock for the message drew criticism on social media, with some questioning his appropriateness for the solemn occasion. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who has called Kid Rock a “patriot,” previously intervened to lift suspensions for Army helicopter pilots who performed a stunt near Kid Rock's Nashville mansion. Kid Rock has frequently appeared in social media posts from the administration, including a shirtless workout video with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In fullPentagon has a special message on Memorial Day...delivered by Kid RockThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Kid Rock’s Memorial Day message from Pentagon sparks backlash
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleKid Rock delivered a Memorial Day message from the Pentagon lectern, wearing sunglasses and a hoodie, which was amplified by the Department of Defense. His brief message honored fallen service members, concluding with a salute and the phrase, “Keep on Kid Rocking in the free world.”The choice of Kid Rock for the message drew criticism on social media, with some questioning his appropriateness for the solemn occasion. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who has called Kid Rock a “patriot,” previously intervened to lift suspensions for Army helicopter pilots who performed a stunt near Kid Rock's Nashville mansion. Kid Rock has frequently appeared in social media posts from the administration, including a shirtless workout video with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In fullPentagon has a special message on Memorial Day...delivered by Kid RockThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Kid Rock delivered a Memorial Day address from the Pentagon podium — in hoodie and sunglasses — amplified by the Department of Defense under Secretary Pete Hegseth. The episode signals how the current U.S. administration is using pop-culture figures to shape military communications, a shift in institutional messaging that enterprise teams in defense, government, and regulated sectors should factor into their stakeholder and PR risk models.
