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 on Friday, a day after withdrawing his name from consideration to serve as newly elected President Donald Trump’s attorney general amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
There he hands out paid holiday wishes, wedding congratulations and career pep talks. As of Sunday evening, Gaetz is charging a minimum of $550 per video, which so far has averaged about a minute and a half.
“I served in Congress,” his Cameo page reads, referring to his recent resignation and subsequent announcement that he does not plan to retake his seat in the House of Representatives. “Trump nominated me as US Attorney General (that didn’t work out). I once fired the Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
The speaker he “fired” refers to his feud with Kevin McCarthy, who he said played a crucial role in ousting Gaetz last year when Gaetz forced a vote in the House of Representatives that led to McCarthy’s removal from office.
A representative for Gaetz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Gaetz announced his decision to withdraw from the race for attorney general on Thursday, writing on work of the Trump/Vance transition.”
His possible appointment was overshadowed by several allegations of sexual misconduct, including accusations 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 the allegations of sexual misconduct and the investigation ended without 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 on and off since 2021.
From Capitol Hill to Cameo
Celebrity video messaging app Cameo, which launched in 2017, allows users to purchase custom shoutouts from famous figures who join the app. Fans on Cameo often request these videos, priced by the celebrities themselves, for special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries and graduations.
Despite facing some financial troubles in recent years, Cameo has remained a go-to for some public figures looking for an additional source of income. It has become a notorious marketplace for fan-requested videos of pop culture’s most dramatic and villainous 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 becoming a partner at their law firm while acknowledging their political differences.
“Look, I know your politics and mine may not be specifically aligned, but you know, our career paths may not be either. I mean, this is where you become a partner, and my legal career has taken a little bit of a different turn this past 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 legal advisor, and you never know. You could also be a candidate for attorney general.”
Other videos show Gaetz thanking his recipients for “supporting President Trump and all our efforts to save the country” and “being there for MAGA.” He also singled out one recipient for “betting on things like…Kamala Harris to be President of the United States.” For that you have to learn better habits – betting on Trump.”
Gaetz follows in the footsteps of other controversial politicians, such as former Rep. George Santos, who turned to the podium after being expelled from the House of Representatives late last year amid allegations of fraud and identity theft. Earlier this year, Santos also made his drag queen persona available on the app. He has since pleaded guilty to a pair of fraud charges.
Also appearing on Cameo are Rod Blagojevich, the former governor of Illinois who was removed from office and imprisoned on charges of government corruption, and Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City who was indicted on charges related to alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. in Georgia.
Giuliani has denied pleading guilty to charges in the Georgia election interference case. He was also found liable for defaming two election workers in Georgia.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer who pleaded guilty 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.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
