Amid the rampant speculation about what’s next for Matt Gaetz after the MAGA firebrand abruptly and dramatically withdrew his nomination for attorney general, one right-wing cable channel is making it abundantly clear they’d like him to join their lineup.
Hours after the former Florida congressman pulled his name from consideration to be the nation’s top prosecutor amid sexual misconduct allegations, Newsmax host Greg Kelly told his viewers that there was a job waiting for Gaetz at the network if he wanted it.
“Hey, he’s got a couple of fallback plans,” the Trump-boosting host declared. “He could always come and work here at Newsmax, as he has done quite a bit over the past couple of years, like filling in as an anchor on this program.”
Airing a clip of Gaetz guest-anchoring his primetime program in May 2023, which occurred while Gaetz was a sitting U.S. congressman, Kelly went on to praise the ex-lawmaker as a “great guy with a big future.” Besides Kelly’s show, Gaetz has also sat in the anchor’s chair to spell Newsmax star Rob Schmitt in the past.
“Greg is a great friend,” Gaetz told The Independent of Kelly’s offer. “I really look up to him. It’s very kind that he said something to lift my spirits.”
According to multiple Newsmax insiders and staffers who spoke with The Independent, Kelly’s segment was part of a concerted effort to both appeal to Gaetz directly while also planting the idea in viewers’ minds that the former congressman may bring his services to the network’s airwaves.
One source familiar with the situation told The Independent that Newsmax vice president of programming Chris Knowles mandated Kelly’s monologue alongside the clip of Gaetz’s past hosting performances on the network.
The source added that the appeal to Gaetz was similar to when Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy pressed the network’s lineup to run multiple segments a day on Fox News firing its top-rated host Tucker Carlson last year. With conservatives furious at Fox for terminating Carlson, the source added, Ruddy hoped to convince the former Fox News star to come to Newsmax.
Even before Gaetz dropped his bid to become attorney general, multiple staffers said Knowles had long made it clear behind the scenes that he wanted to make Gaetz a permanent fixture at the network.
Knowles “has wanted Matt Gaetz to bring his firebrand personality to the network full-time for a long time,” one current Newsmax employee stated.
“Knowles has said several times in the past he wants Gaetz on the air with a show one day, and he has recently said there’s a spot for him on the network if he isn’t confirmed,” another staffer stated prior to Gaetz’s withdrawing his nomination.
Network executives also felt that Fox News growing increasingly squeamish over Gaetz’s nomination amid the drip-drip of more sexual misconduct allegations would only help Newsmax in building trust with the MAGA base, one source added. Newsmax gave Gaetz nothing but positive coverage throughout the nomination while repeatedly brushing off the allegations, noting that the Justice Department has not charged Gaetz with a crime.
In a statement, a Newsmax spokesperson said the network “is not planning any lineup changes and has no plans to offer Rep. Gaetz a position at the network.” Gaetz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While the network is denying there have been any discussions between the two parties, Gaetz did acknowledge in 2021 that he held numerous conversations with several conservative media outlets about potential post-Congress gigs — including Newsmax. Gaetz’s initial exploration for a “soft landing in right-wing media” took place shortly before it was announced he was under federal investigation for possible sex trafficking.
Gaetz, meanwhile, has remained vague about what his plans are now that his dreams of being attorney general have flamed out. In a Friday interview with conservative pundit Charlie Kirk, Gaetz confirmed that he won’t return to Congress while pledging to keep fighting for the president-elect in other ways. He also slammed the allegations against him as a “smear” campaign.
The former congressman took to social media on Friday morning, claiming he’d soon tell the “stories of corruption, treason and betrayal” regarding members of Congress trading stocks.
So will Gaetz do that as a member of Trump’s White House — or within the world of right-wing media? Stay tuned.
