Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday there won’t be an investigation after two Apache helicopters were seen hovering outside the home of singer and rapper Kid Rock, and he announced that the pilots’ suspension has been lifted.
“Thank you @KidRock. @USArmy pilots suspension LIFTED. No punishment. No investigation. Carry on, patriots,” Hegseth wrote Tuesday on X from his personal account.
Just hours earlier, an Army spokesperson said the crew had been suspended from flying while the Army conducts a formal investigation into why the AH-64 helicopters flew near the singer’s Nashville house and a “No Kings” protest during a training mission over the weekend.
It’s not clear what the purpose of the training mission was. It was also not immediately clear how many people the suspension had affected.
Kid Rock said in an interview with local ABC affiliate WKRN that he thinks the crew is “going to be alright.”
“My buddy’s commander-in-chief,” he added, referring to President Trump.
He also said he didn’t know what the Army was looking into, as the helicopters “stopped for, I don’t know, seconds? A minute?”
Kid Rock had posted two videos of the helicopters on social media Saturday. In one of the videos, a helicopter is seen hovering outside his house while he stands poolside next to a replica of the Statue of Liberty and salutes the pilots before they fly away. In another video, seen from a different angle, Kid Rock is pumping his fist at the first helicopter outside his house. A second helicopter then flies past.
An Army spokesperson said Monday that the branch had launched an administrative review. “Army aviators must adhere to strict safety standards, professionalism, and established flight regulations,” Maj. Montrell Russell said, and the review would “assess the mission and verify compliance with regulations and airspace requirements. Appropriate action will be taken if any violations are found.”
Maj. Jonathon Bless, a spokesperson for the 101st Airborne Division, also said the command had opened an investigation.
In his interview with WKRN, Kid Rock noted that the pilots fly from Fort Campbell and he often sees the helicopters, saying: “It’s not the first time they’ve flown over my house.” Kid Rock said he spoke to pilots at Fort Campbell last year during a Thanksgiving celebration. The singer, who appeared at the holiday event with Vice President JD Vance, said he told the pilots they are “always welcome” to cruise by his house, and that “it’s harmless.”
contributed to this report.
