Former Rep. Matt Gaetz made his debut as a talk show host on One America News Network on Thursday, the first appearance in the Florida Republican’s new gig after his recent political implosion.
The first episode of “The Matt Gaetz Show” on the conservative network centered on Rep. Mike Johnson’s re-election battle for House speaker on Friday. On-air, Gaetz interviewed three of his former GOP colleagues who were opposed to or noncommitted on backing the Louisiana Republican for the leadership role: Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Victoria Spartz of Indiana.
Massie told Gaetz: “You can pull all my fingernails out, you can shove bamboo up in them, you can start cutting off my fingers — I am not voting for Mike Johnson tomorrow. And you can take that to the bank.”
On Friday, Johnson narrowly prevailed to win re-election as House speaker. Massie was the lone Republican to vote against him.
In its recent announcement about the show, OAN praised Gaetz’s “knack for connecting with grassroots Americans and shaking up the status quo.” But the debut episode of the show, which is scheduled to air every weeknight, appeared to make few waves.
Gaetz’s new job comes on the heels of an abrupt end to his time in Congress. He resigned from the House shortly after his selection by President-elect Donald Trump for attorney general, sparking intense debate about a House ethics report on Gaetz’s alleged behavior. As pressure increased for the report to be released, Gaetz withdrew from consideration for attorney general and said he would not join the new Congress. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
The House Ethics Committee released its report on Gaetz last week after a secret vote early in December. It’s unclear what impact the report may have on Gaetz’s political future. Since leaving Congress, he has toyed with potentially running for Florida governor and even for a Florida seat in the Senate. But Gaetz is seemingly focused on raising his public profile for now; in addition to the OAN gig, he is also selling personalized videos on the Cameo platform.
