Florida Republican Congressman (and Johnny Bravo cosplayer) Matt Gaetz has been blackballed from appearing on Fox News after the disclosure of a federal investigation into child sex trafficking allegations and Gaetz’s own erratic behavior on air, Business Insider reports.
On the night the allegations first became public, Gaetz appeared on Tucker Carlson’s show where he renewed discussion about a sexual assault charge once levied against Carlson, which obviously irked the show host. Gaetz also referred to a dinner Gaetz claimed he and a girlfriend went on with Carlson and his wife; Carlson claimed he didn’t remember what Gaetz was talking about.
Since that March 31st interview, Gaetz hasn’t appeared on Carlson’s program, nor has he appeared on any other program on the network. After appearing on Fox News 19 times in March, he hasn’t appeared on the network in April, May or June, to date. Fox News has also scaled back its coverage of Gaetz: the network barely covered an Arizona anti-election rally Gaetz and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (Q-Lunacy) hosted.
Gaetz has made appearances on other conservative networks, including OAN and Newsmax. He’s trying to make use of a television studio he constructed in his father’s house in Niceville, Florida. Gaetz was even rumored to be trying to secure an on-camera job at Newsmax as the news of his alleged involvement in child sex trafficking unfolded. Newsmax has since said it will not be offering him a position.
As the banishment continues, the length of it remains a mystery. If Gaetz is cleared of the child sex trafficking charges, the network may never ask him back at the same pace as before, simply due to the taint of the accusation. It’s unlikely Carlson will ever have him on his program again, given Gaetz trying to drag Carlson through the mud.
“I don’t know how Tucker ever has him back on,” a Republican familiar with how Fox operates told Insider this week. “What Matt did to Tucker, he might as well have hooked up with his wife. That was horrible.”