Florida Republican Matt Gaetz has taken his first big step since stepping down as Donald Trump’s attorney general — by opening an account on Cameo, the website that lets regular people pay for video messages from celebrities, questionable and otherwise.
Related: How Trump’s nomination of Matt Gaetz unfolded in just eight days
The news website Semafor first reported the move on Friday. The revelation came a day after Gaetz withdrew from the confirmation process, under fire over a House of Representatives Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of misconduct, including allegedly paying an underage girl for sex — all of which Gaetz vehemently denies.
“I served in Congress,” the page read, with the past tense referring to Gaetz’s resignation last week ahead of the ethics report’s release and Friday’s announcement that he would not seek to return next year turn.
“Trump nominated me as US Attorney General (that didn’t work out),” the page said. “I once fired the Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
That was a reference to the events of last October, when Gaetz initiated the historic removal of Kevin McCarthy, a fellow Republican and the first speaker ever removed by his own party. Ostensibly, Gaetz was angry about McCarthy’s stance on spending issues and keeping the government open. McCarthy accused Gaetz of being outraged by the speaker’s refusal to quash the ethics investigation.
Cameo offers users the chance to pay for messages to mark holidays, say happy birthday, send a pep talk, get advice, ask a question or, perhaps appealing to Gaetz fans, to “roast someone” with targeted swear words.
Gaetz himself has been the target of many targeted insults, not least because of his antics in Congress. In January 2023, months before Gaetz ran against McCarthy, Brendan Buck, a Republican aide turned commentator, said Gaetz should “set up a Cameo where he would vote for you for Speaker of the House for $50.”
On Friday, Gaetz started charging $250 per video, but soon increased that price to $500. One social media user noted that Gaetz was therefore “charging about the same rate as George Santos” — the serial fabulist, known fraudster and elected Republican who turned to Cameo amid the scandal that got him expelled from Congress last year.
Other disgraced political figures who have turned to Cameo include Rod Blagojevich, the former Illinois governor who was jailed for trying to sell Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat, a sentence commuted by Trump, and Rudy Giuliani , the New York mayor who became Trump’s lawyer and is now facing financial problems. and legal ruin.
A spokesperson for Gaetz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cameo said users would “be given the opportunity to customize their $500 request for Gaetz,” as questions [him] to mention inside jokes, share words of wisdom or use their signature catchphrase.
“Don’t be afraid to be creative with your request, especially at parties like weddings, retirements, or bachelorette parties that call for a good laugh.”