Former Congressman Matt Gaetz found himself in the hot seat as he addressed controversy surrounding his alleged behavior with prostitutes.
In a rollercoaster interview on Bill Maher's Podcast Club Random, Gaetz tried to deflect his scandal accusations with a mix of denial, deflection and a somewhat “awkward explanation” that left both Maher and listeners puzzled.
From the hour-long podcast, the segment that attracted the most attention involved a text message that allegedly referred to Gaetz and his “wingman” during what was described as a “customer appreciation week.”
The text, reportedly from a woman associated with Gaetz, claimed that “the guys are a little short this week” and implied that some sort of payment was expected.
Maher, never one to shy away from uncomfortable questions, pressed Gaetz for an explanation.
“Were there any coupons involved?” Maher joked.
Gaetz's response was a firm denial of being directly involved, claiming, “This is a text message that I did not send or receive.” Another person sends this message, presumably about me, to tell other women not to ask for money. '
Gaetz went on to claim that the lyrics were taken out of context and framed to make him guilty.
Former Congressman Matt Gaetz found himself in the hot seat as he addressed the controversies surrounding his alleged behavior with women
In a rollercoaster interview on Bill Maher's Podcast Club Random, Gaetz, who is no stranger to scandal, tried to deflect accusations with a mix of denial, deflection and a somewhat “awkward explanation”
“The person who sent that message really wanted to be the big recipient of some generosity and didn't want her friends to also be the recipient of that generosity,” he said, adding, “You're telling me that kind of makes me makes criminal? '
But the controversy didn't end there with Maher bringing allegations that Gaetz was meeting women on platforms like seeking arrangements, a site known for facilitating “sugar dating.”
Gaetz rejected the claims outright, citing a statement from the settlement search itself, which he claimed confirmed he never had a profile on the site.
“The media reported that I was meeting with women about seeking arrangements,” Gaetz said, adding that the platform publicly denied his involvement.
“If the search settlements themselves say this is false, I have to fight these things in the media that are not true.”
However, Maher pushed back on Gaetz's complaints about media coverage, noting that “cherry-picking” and “lying by omission” are common issues on both sides of the political spectrum.
The most eyebrow-raising moment of the discussion came when Maher and Gaetz delved into the broader definition of prostitution.
Drawing comparisons, Maher said, “The Beverly Hills housewife who really hates her husband but sticks around and f****s him a few times a year because she doesn't want to give up the big house… for me, that's a lot more prostitution. '
Maher, known for his blunt style, seemed unconvinced at the end of their exchange but viewed the podcast episode as a rare opportunity for open and honest dialogue
Gaetz was once embroiled in a sex trafficking investigation by the Justice Department and had come under scrutiny by the House Ethics Committee over allegations including sexual misconduct
Gaetz agreed with the sentiment, calling it textbook such schemes that do something you hate for money. '
But he pushed back on attempts to label his relationships as “transactional,” pointing out that a Washington Post report referenced two women, ages 25 and 27, who said they did not consider their relationships with him transactional.
“Sounded outrageous, me dating a 25-year-old woman and a 27-year-old woman and having a non-transactional relationship,” he joked.
Gaetz was once embroiled in a sex trafficking investigation by the Justice Department and had come under scrutiny by the House Ethics Committee over allegations including sexual misconduct.
That probe effectively ended in November when he resigned from Congress after Donald Trump picked him for attorney general — a move that backfired, leading to Gaetz withdrawing his nomination.
Gaetz has vehemently denied wrongdoing and said in 2023 that the Justice Department's investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended without federal charges against him.
Gaetz has consistently denied wrongdoing and said in 2023 that the Justice Department's investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended without federal charges against him
In November, Matt Gaetz had been Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, alongside then-Vice President-elect J.D. Vance
Adding fuel to the fire, Maher highlighted the fact that the House Ethics Committee's findings were made public despite Gaetz's resignation from Congress — a move that broke with tradition.
Gaetz seemed uneducated and dismissed the importance of the release, causing it to be framed as part of a political vendetta.
“I have a lot of enemies on the Republican side, more so than most Republican members,” he said, accusing former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of orchestrating the leaks through allies on the committee.
'I wasn't exactly judged by a non-biased referee. These were people with an ax to grind against me. '
Maher, known for his blunt style, seemed unconvinced by the end of their exchange, but viewed the podcast episode as a rare opportunity for open and honest dialogue.
Despite their clashes, the conversation ended on an amicable note, with Gaetz inviting Maher to appear on his upcoming podcast.
The federal sex trafficking investigation into Gaetz began under Attorney General Bill Barr during Trump's first term and focused on allegations that he and one-time political ally Joel Greenberg paid underage girls and escorts or offered them gifts in exchange for sex.
Greenberg, a fellow Republican who served as a tax collector in Florida's Seminole County, admitted as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men.
The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty. Greenberg was sentenced to 11 years in prison in late 2022.
Gaetz appeared uncommitted and dismissed the importance of the House Ethics Committee report despite resigning from Congress, framing it as part of a political vendetta
Gaetz had categorically denied all allegations presented before the House Ethics Committee
Federal investigators are scrutinizing a trip Gaetz took to the Bahamas with a group of women and a doctor who donated to his campaign, and whether the women were paid or received gifts to have sex with the men, according to people familiar with the matter with the case who were who were who were not allowed to discuss the investigation publicly.
Prosecutors also looked into whether Gaetz and his associates tried to secure government jobs for some women, and scrutinized Gaetz's connections to the medical marijuana industry, including whether his associates sought to influence legislation, the people have said .
All the while, Gaetz had been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations that he was part of a scheme that led to the sex trafficking of a 17-year-old girl.
The committee began its review of Gaetz in April 2021, delaying its work in response to a Justice Department request and renewing its work shortly after Gaetz announced that the Justice Department had ended a sex trafficking investigation.
Last summer, the commission provided an unusual public update to its long-running investigation, saying the review included whether Gaetz engaged in sexual misconduct and illegal drug use, accepted improper gifts and obstructed government investigations into his conduct.
Gaetz had categorically denied all allegations before the committee.
In other parts of the hour-long podcast, Maher pushed Gaetz on topics including Trump's post-election behavior, saying: 'Your side flirted with authoritarianism'
In other parts of the hour-long podcast, Maher pushed Gaetz on topics including Trump's post-election behavior, saying, “Your side has flirted with authoritarianism.”
Gaetz countered by claiming that Democrats were weaponizing the system in their own way, though he conceded that such cycles of partisan retaliation were harmful.
The pair also veered into lighter but no less provocative topics, including alone fans and the so-called “loneliness economy.”
Gaetz shared a story about an Onlyfans creator using AI chatbots to engage subscribers, highlighting what he described as an epidemic of isolation.
On the lighter side, Maher and Gaetz sparred about generational differences in romantic and social media habits.
Maher recalled memories of his own struggles as a late bloomer on the dating scene and contrasted them with the virtual relationships of today's youth.
Despite their ideological clashes, the conversation ended on an amicable note, with Gaetz inviting Maher on his upcoming podcast, 'Over the Line With Matt Gaetz.' Ever the provocateur, Maher teased that the pair's open and unfiltered exchange was a rarity in modern media.
Their exchange underscored a broader point about the value of honest, unscripted conversations in a polarized age. Whether discussing policy or trading anecdotes, Maher and Gaetz have shown that even those on opposing sides can find moments of mutual respect and humor — if not agreement.
