Gaetz joins Cameo after withdrawing from Cabinet nomination

Gaetz's move mirrors fellow House Ethics probe subject and former congressman George Santos

By Griffin Eckstein

News Fellow

Published November 22, 2024 7:35PM (EST)

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) leaves the Speakers office where the House Freedom Caucus is meeting with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) at the U.S. Capitol on January 11, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) leaves the Speakers office where the House Freedom Caucus is meeting with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) at the U.S. Capitol on January 11, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

Matt Gaetz is going to have quite a notable gap in his resume, but he's finding new ways to fill his days. The enterprising former congressman from Florida is now selling personalized video messages on Cameo for several hundred dollars apiece.

Donald Trump's first choice to lead the Department of Justice launched his side hustle this week, asking $250 per video. That jumped within an hour to more than $500 for a roughly 60-second clip.

In an interview on Friday, Gaetz announced he didn’t intend to return to Congress. The long-time representative from the Florida Panhandle told podcast host Charlie Kirk that “eight years is enough.”

“I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” Gaetz said. “I've got some other goals in life that I'm eager to pursue.”

Gaetz summarized his time in Congress — and its quick end — in a pithy bio on Cameo.

“I served in Congress. Trump nominated me to be US Attorney General (that didn’t work out). Once I fired the House Speaker,” he wrote.

Gaetz gave up his seat in Congress earlier this month after President-elect Trump tagged him to serve as attorney general. The short-lived nomination was overshadowed by an unreleased report from the House Ethics Committee. That report details the results of a multi-year probe into Gaetz's alleged sexual misconduct.

In the days since his resignation, Republicans in Congress have moved to block the release of the Gaetz report.  Gaetz's trajectory from Congress to Cameo mirrors former New York Rep. George Santos, whose own House Ethics probe led to his ouster and Cameo stardom last year. Santos called Gaetz's nomination "phenomenal" last week.


MORE FROM Griffin Eckstein