According to the profile, Fetterman’s stay at Walter Reed Medical Center in 2023 was more serious than publicly disclosed. He was admitted after a few troubling episodes, including one where he wandered across a road, narrowly missed being hit by a car, then walked around Capitol Hill aimlessly. He reportedly became delusional by the time he was sent to Walter Reed, believing he would be arrested if he took a bed at the hospital and that his family members were secretly recording him with wires. He tried to break out of his room at one point, thinking a political rally was being held in the hospital’s lobby, according to the profile.

Fetterman was assigned different medication and discharged from the hospital with a detailed recovery plan, the profile reported. After showing some improvement, his condition deteriorated rapidly after Hamas’s surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. His hawkish pro-Israel position isolated him from former allies, including staff who were part of his recovery plan. Staffers and physicians once again began noticing him “acting bizarrely” at the end of 2023, including an alleged instance at the Capitol where he nearly knocked over a group of people after obliviously wandering into them.

By 2024, staffers alleged Fetterman couldn’t be around people outside the office on certain days because he was in “some sort of state” and might say “really f***ed-up s*** to his constituents,” or “unhinged s***.” Staffers said he would sometimes “shut down” and begin “spiraling,” spending entire days “doomscrolling” on social media despite part of his recovery regimen being reduced access to social media.

Staffers also alleged other puzzling behavior from Fetterman, including an instance where he randomly flew to Hartford, Connecticut, without telling his staff or wife, and missed his child’s birthday. However, Fetterman told the outlet that the characterization was untrue, saying he flew out to visit the grave of a deceased friend, and his family was aware of the trip.

One of the most alarming details alleged by staffers was Fetterman’s erratic driving.

“He engages in risky behavior,” Fetterman’s former chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, said in a letter to the senator’s doctor. “He drives recklessly: he FaceTimes, texts, and reads entire news articles while driving — and I don’t mean while stopped at a light or something, he reads and FaceTimes while driving at high speeds.”

In June 2024, Fetterman crashed into a woman while driving “well over” the 70 mph speed limit, totaling both vehicles. He told a staffer he fell asleep at the wheel after they had begged him to find someone else to drive him. His wife, Gisele Fetterman, suffered a pulmonary contusion and spinal fractures.

“It’s a miracle no one died,” an officer allegedly told the staffer.

Staffers also said Fetterman suffered a near breakdown during deliberations over whether to vote for Pete Hegseth for defense secretary. He allegedly suggested retreating to his parents’ house in York, Pennsylvania, instead of voting, leading one staffer to say the incident “felt like I was looking at a 6- or 8-year-old.”

Fetterman allegedly became so distraught that he cried while on FaceTime with his staff and wife.

“My no vote on Pete Hegseth speaks for itself. The rest is pure conjecture,” Fetterman said of the alleged incident.

His staffers alleged he made insensitive comments about the war in Gaza, calling Palestinians “unreformable sour milk” and saying “let’s get back to killing” during ceasefire discussions.

“He said, ‘Kill them all,’” a person who claimed to hear the conversation said.

Fetterman rejected the characterization, saying, “Any reference to killing was solely about Hamas, and I do support the destruction of that organization, down to its last member.”

Fetterman allegedly retreated more into isolation, which affected his work. He has missed more votes in 2025 than any other senator.

Fetterman and his wife virulently denied the vast majority of accusations in the profile, blaming Jentleson for much of it.

“In December 2023, Adam Jentleson took action that jeopardized the privacy/sanctity of my confidential medical records. I subsequently directed my doctors to sever any access Adam could have to my medical information,” Fetterman told the outlet. He later added that no one on his staff would know about his health situation.

“There’s not anyone that you’re referencing who would be privy to my medical history,” Fetterman said when asked about the accusations.

Fetterman’s wife accused Jentleson of being part of a conspiracy to tarnish her husband’s reputation, saying he told her “scary, untrue stories about John’s health.”

“I would talk to John’s doctors about what Adam was telling me, and they would be confused. Those doctors would tell me that their concerns were not with John, but with Adam. Any alleged ‘concerns’ heard from me came straight from those lies, not from John’s doctors or my own eyes,” she added.

Sens. Peter Welch (D-VT) and Katie Britt (R-AL), two of Fetterman’s closest friends in Congress, said they hadn’t noticed Fetterman struggling at all.

Fetterman blamed the accusations on “disgruntled employees saying things that are … untrue,” adding, “There’s a lot of people who just hide behind unnamed sources in articles.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to Fetterman for further comment.

Fetterman’s profile went viral on social media, with users expressing bewilderment and sadness.

“Damning report on Fetterman’s personal situation. If even some of this is true, he’s unrecognizable to many of those who have known him closely. Makes it more demented and sinister that neocons are exploiting his new form and trotting him out as a mascot,” American Conservative Executive Director Curt Mills said.

“Fetterman has to go,” another user said.

Many Democrats were particularly incensed by Fetterman’s alleged comments on Gaza. Jewish Currents reporter Alex Kane described the sentiment as “genocidal racism.”

However, some users came to Fetterman’s defense.

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“Fetterman has among the highest approval ratings of any elected Democrat in a purple or red state so obviously the left’s answer is to write anonymous hit pieces and call for him to resign based on questionable smears,” user AGHamilton29 said.

Others said the criticism was due to his pro-Israel advocacy.