Pete and Chasten Buttigieg attend Kennedy Center Honors in first night out since twins born

Date night on the red carpet: Pete and Chasten Buttigieg attend Kennedy Center Honors in first night out since their twins were born

  • Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten on Sunday evening went on their solo date night since the twins, attending the Kennedy Center Honors 
  • ‘It’s our first night out,’ Chasten told DailyMail.com
  • The couple attended National Christmas Tree lighting last week with kids
  • Twins were born in August and Pete was criticized for going on paid leave
  • The couple walked red carpet at D.C.’s premier social event 


Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten on Sunday evening went on their solo date night since the twins, attending the Kennedy Center Honors.

‘It’s our first night out,’ Chasten told DailyMail.com as he watched his husband conduct interviews on the red carpet.

When Pete joined him, the Transportation secretary pointed out they had gone out last Thursday to the National Christmas Tree lighting.

‘We had the kids with us,’ Chasten reminded him.

The duo were indeed spotted at the tree lighting with babies in arms. 

Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten on Sunday evening went on their solo date night since the twins, attending the Kennedy Center Honors

Chasten and Pete Buttigieg attended National Christmas Tree lighting last week with kids

Chasten and Pete Buttigieg attended National Christmas Tree lighting last week with kids

Chasten said this was the first childcare night for the couple. Pete Buttigieg came under fire from some conservatives for taking parental leave after the couple welcomed their twins – Penelope Rose and Joseph August – in August. 

Asked how long they checked on the kids, Chasten joked: ‘Not in the last 20 minutes.’

The D.C. power duo walked the red carpet at Washington D.C.’s premier social event. 

Operatic bass-baritone Justino Díaz; Motown founder Berry Gordy; Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels;  actress Bette Midler; and singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell were honored at the 44th annual Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday night. 

Pete Buttigieg wore cuff links in the shape of airlines with his classic black tux in a nod to his role as transportation secretary. Chasten sported a polk-a-dot bow tie and white kerchief with his tux.

‘We have a lot that unifies us and maybe one of the most important unifying things we have is our culture,’ Pete said of attending the gala. ‘It’s very fitting that the political world pauses to honor something that’s a little bit higher than even the highest heights of government and that’s the highest types of cultural achievement.’

The event is a major fundraiser for the Kennedy Center and the ceremony airs on CBS on Dec. 22. Honorees are selected for their contributions to American culture through the performing arts.

Pete Buttigieg defended taking four weeks of paid paternity leave as the Biden administration pushed Congress to pass the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.

‘I think it’s also no secret how I feel about family leave and how the president does, which is why … he campaigned on it and we will continue to fight for it,’ Buttigieg said in early November after the infrastructure bill passed. 

President Joe Biden pushed to have paid family leave in his Build Back Better bill, a huge social safety net program. It was ultimately cut as some moderate Democratic senators pushed for a lower overall price tag of the legislation. 

Chasten Buttigieg watched his husband Pete Buttigieg conduct interviews on the red carpet of the Kennedy Center Honors

'We have a lot that unifies us and maybe one of the most important unifying things we have is our culture,' Pete Buttigieg said of attending the gala

Chasten Buttigieg watched his husband Pete Buttigieg conduct interviews on the red carpet of the Kennedy Center Honors

Pete Buttigieg wore cuff links in the shape of airlines with his classic black tux in a nod to his role as transportation secretary

Pete Buttigieg wore cuff links in the shape of airlines with his classic black tux in a nod to his role as transportation secretary

Americans receive no mandated paid federal leave. The 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act provides for up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off.

‘It’s talked about as time off. It’s time to work. Good work. Joyful work. Meaningful work,’ Pete Buttigieg said of his time with the twins. 

The couple welcomed the twins in September, announcing the birth on social media. It made him the first openly gay cabinet secretary to become a parent while in office. The two had been exploring adoption.

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk