After announcing he would not return to Congress, Matt Gaetz appears to be trying out a new career option: creating personalized videos for his fans on Cameo.
Gaetz, a former Florida representative, joined the platform Friday, a day after he withdrew his name from consideration to serve as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general amid sexual misconduct allegations.
There, he’s been doling out paid holiday wishes, marriage congratulations and career pep talks. As of Sunday night, Gaetz is charging a minimum of $550 per video, which so far have averaged about a minute and a half in length.
“I served in Congress,” his Cameo page reads, alluding to his recent resignation and subsequent announcement that he does not plan to retake his House seat. “Trump nominated me to be US Attorney General (that didn’t work out). Once I fired the House Speaker.”
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The speaker he "fired" hints at his feud with Kevin McCarthy, whom he played a pivotal role in ousting last year when Gaetz forced a House vote that led to McCarthy's removal from office.
A representative for Gaetz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gaetz announced Thursday his decision to take himself out of the running for attorney general, writing on X, “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.”
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His potential appointment was overshadowed by several allegations of sexual misconduct, including allegations that he had sex with a 17-year-old at a party in 2017. He was also investigated by the Justice Department — which he would have led had he been confirmed — related to allegations of sex trafficking and sex with a minor. Gaetz has vehemently denied allegations of sexual misconduct, and the investigation ended with no charges against him.
Gaetz’s resignation last week also effectively ended a House Ethics Committee investigation into the allegations against him, which had been ongoing intermittently since 2021.
From Capitol Hill to Cameo
Cameo, the celebrity video message app, which launched in 2017, allows users to purchase custom shoutouts from famous figures who join the app. Fans on Cameo commonly request these videos, priced by the celebrities themselves, for special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries and graduations.
Despite facing some financial trouble in recent years, Cameo has remained a fixture for some public figures seeking an extra source of income. It’s become a notorious marketplace for fan-requested videos from pop culture’s most dramatic and villainized personalities, which often go viral when posted to social media platforms like TikTok and X.
In one video, Gaetz, a Republican, filmed himself congratulating a recipient for making partner at their law firm while acknowledging their political differences.
“Look, I know your politics and mine may not align specifically, but you know, our career trajectories might not be either. I mean, here you are making partner, and my legal career took a little bit of a different turn this last week,” Gaetz said. “But you know what? Work hard, get paid a lot of money, do a lot of great things as a practitioner and counselor at law, and you know, you never know. You could be an attorney general nominee, too.”
Other videos feature Gaetz thanking his recipients for “backing President Trump and all of our efforts to save the country” and being “there for MAGA.” He also roasted one recipient for “betting on things like… Kamala Harris to be the President of the United States. You got to get better habits for that — bet on Trump.”
Gaetz is following in the footsteps of other embattled politicians such as former Rep. George Santos, who turned to the platform after he was ousted from the House late last year amid allegations of wire fraud and identity theft. Earlier this year, Santos made his drag queen persona available on the app as well. He has since pleaded guilty to a pair of felony fraud charges.
Also on Cameo are Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor who was removed from office and incarcerated on charges of public corruption, and Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who was indicted on charges related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
Giuliani has pleaded not guilty to the charges in the Georgia election interference case. He was also found liable for defaming two Georgia election workers.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former attorney who pleaded guilty to and served time in prison for federal crimes, is also active on the app. Other political figures on Cameo include former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and Fox News commentator Tomi Lahren.
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