Matt Gaetz debuts new show on OAN

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., debuted his new show and a new look on the right-wing One America News Network Thursday night.

The MAGA representative launched the eponymously named program with a visit from Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

But the OAN gig wasn’t Gaetz’s first job choice to start 2025. The president-elect nominated the right-wing firebrand to serve as the U.S. attorney general in the second Trump administration. After much ado, the 42-year-old Floridian withdrew his nomination ahead of a House Ethics Committee report that accused Gaetz of soliciting sex from an underage girl. He denies any wrongdoing.

In 2021, Axios reported that Gaetz told confidants he was considering leaving Congress to work for conservative outlet Newsmax as reports of his alleged indiscretions arose. Newsmax told Reuters at the time that the network had “no plans” to hire the embattled lawmaker.

Some viewers were surprised by Gaetz’s appearance under the bright lights of OAN. One Democratic strategist commented on the former politician’s makeup. Others wondered if he’d had some kind of cosmetic work done since leaving Congress.

Gaetz brings a familiar face to OAN viewers who seem to favor his bombastic brand of MAGA advocacy. The Trump-supporting outlet saw a spike in ratings during the president-elect’s first term in office and breathlessly reported conspiracy theories about fraud in the 2020 election when President Joe Biden defeated the Republican incumbent.

OAN settled a lawsuit with the Smartmatic voting technologies company in April over the network’s reporting on their part in the election. OAN also settled a defamation suit with Dominion Voting Systems in 2023.

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