Matt Gaetz to host primetime show for OAN

Former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz has officially signed on to host on the the ultra-conservative commentary channel OAN.

Word that Gaetz might join the network first surfaced Dec. 10, 2024, and OAN confirmed the hire and show Dec. 11, 2024.

Gaetz will host “The Matt Gaetz Show” at 9 p.m. eastern. That slot is currently occupied by “Fine Point with Chanel Rion.” 

OAN’s announcement did not indicate what would happen to that show.

“Matt Gaetz has earned a reputation as a relentless champion of conservative values, taking on entrenched Washington bureaucrats and exposing government overreach,” said OAN in a statement.

In addition to hosting a daily show during one of the key hours of primetime, Gaetz will also co-host a new weekly video podcast with OAN host Dan Ball that the network says is geared at Gen Xers. 

Both shows are slated to debut in January 2025.

Advertisement

For its official announcement, OAN also began showing a logo for the show featuring Gaetz’s name set in what appears to be Futura (a common typeface used by rival right-leaning Fox) in a red box with the words “The” and “Show” in white boxes above and below, respectively. 

OAN and its hosts are known for spreading false information, conspiracy theories and for carrying a continuing line of racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic and xenophobic commentary.

The network settled two defamation lawsuits, one with voting technology company Smartmatic and the other with an exec of rival Dominion Voting Systems, over false claims it aired about the 2020 election.

Gaetz was previously Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general despite little experience with federal legal issues, was removed from consideration after it became clear he would be unlikely to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He has also been the target of misconduct allegations and an alleged role in a sex trafficking ring. 

He has denied all of those allegations and has never faced formal charges for them. A separate ethics investigation was conducted by the U.S. House but its release was blocked, largely along party lines.

After it became clear he would not become AG, he announced he would leave Congress. 

Gaetz has no professional broadcasting experience, though it’s not uncommon for former government officials, attorneys and judges to make the transition to television. Many of those in these types of roles excel at public speaking and connecting with audience members, making them ideal candidates for broadcasting.

Once Gaetz’s show launches, he will be one of the biggest names at the struggling OAN.

The network has little carriage among major providers and relies heavily on streaming, although in the announcement of Gaetz’s show it wrote that “Going into 2025, OAN is deep in discussions with multiple major United States MVPDs with announcements expected early next year.”

There are also little clear data showing how many people watch the network, though Nielsen at one point estimated it to be around 16,000 people on average (OAN, for its part, suggests a much higher figure over around 150,000 to 200,000). 

Streaming is typically not tracked the same way as linear TV and there is little public insight into how many people might access the network that way.

After the Dec. 23, 2024, release of a Congressional ethics report on Gaetz, it was not immediately clear if his employment with OAN would be affected.

Advertisement

The report alleges “substantial evidence” that Gaetz allegedly violated Florida laws on prostitution and statutory rape.

Gaetz has denied the accusations in the report and has not been charged with any crimes. He attempted to block the report’s release through an injunction but that effort ultimately failed.