Matt Gaetz is now on Cameo. Meet the other politicos selling selfie videos
Former Florida House Republican Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration to serve as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general on Thursday as more allegations about his misconduct were made public.
In preparation to take on the key role in Trump’s incoming administration, Gaetz resigned from the House, effectively leaving him unemployed. He also said he wouldn’t attempt to join the 119th Congress despite winning re-election earlier that month.
Just a day after he withdrew his name, Gaetz unexpectedly showed up on Cameo, the website launched in 2017 to allow fans of celebrities to send them information — and payment, of course — and receive a personalized video message in return.
According to his profile, Gaetz charges a minimum of $500 for birthday wishes, wedding congratulations, pep talks, and roasts of people doing “ very strange, utterly German things.”
And he’s not the only one. According to Cameo, more than 30,000 people are available for short personalized videos, including everyone from the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger to New York City’s Naked Cowboy.
Political influencers are no different, with dozens of seasoned — and some not-so-seasoned — politicos looking to make a quick buck on the platform. Here are 10 of Gaetz’s new “colleagues.”
George Santos (X2)
Former New York Congressman George Santos may not have been the first politico to join Cameo, but he — by far — made the biggest splash. It immediately drew the attention of major news organizations, social media goers, and anyone with even a passing interest in what seemed to be a never-ending scandal.
Santos — a Republican expelled from Congress who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft charges in August, and admitted to other misconduct — describes himself on Cameo as a “former Congressional ‘Icon,’” charging $250 per video. That’s down from his old fee of $400 per video.
According to Mark Chiusano’s The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos, Santos broke Cameo’s record for the biggest first day, week, and month on the platform.
Santos also charges $600 for Cameos under his “Kitara Ravache” drag queen persona. In an introductory video, Santos states that “Kitara is coming out of the closet after 18 years” and that proceeds will support the Tunnel to Towers foundation. That account last posted a video in August.
Rod Blagojevich
Like Santos, Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is another politician who ran into some trouble with the law.
The Democratic governor was arrested more than a decade ago on charges that he tried to sell then-Senator Barack Obama’s seat to the highest bidder when he left to become president. Lawmakers impeached and removed Blagojevich from his post. He was later convicted of 18 charges and sentenced to 14 years in prison, although five of the convictions were struck down later on.
Before then-President Trump left office in 2020, he commuted Blagojevich’s sentence. While awaiting trial in 2009, Blagojevich went on a media spree, including appearing on Trump’s NBC (CMCSA) show, “The Celebrity Apprentice.”
Nowadays, Blagoveich makes occasional appearances on television, at the Republican National Convention, and as a band frontman at street festivals. On Cameo, the former governor charges $100 for personalized videos and has racked up almost 850 reviews, almost entirely positive.
Sarah Palin
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is another big earner on Cameo. Palin — who also ran for Congress and was on the late Senator John McCain’s vice presidential ticket — charges $199 per video and has netted almost 600 positive reviews.
Palin has gone to bat for Gaetz as he moved to Cameo, writing on Instagram that “Connecting with people all around the globe with edifying, illuminating shout-outs?! Couldn’t be better distraction from negativity in today’s toxic world.”
Earlier this month, Palin posted a photo at the U.S. Capitol just days after her supporters began naming her the “mother of MAGA,” referring to Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan, teasing a potential return to Washington, D.C. In October, Palin was in attendance at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.
Lee Greenwood
Grammy Award-winner Lee Greenwood is another major figure on Cameo, and once with deep ties to the president-elect. Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” has been a Republican staple since it came out in 1984, and gained further prominence in 1988.
As a supporter of Trump, Greenwood’s songs have made appearances at rallies across his 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential campaigns as his rally introduction track.
In March, Trump began hawking the “God Bless the USA Bible,” a $60 Bible “inspired by” Greenwood’s song. Besides being a copy of the King James version of the Bible, it includes a handwritten chorus to Greenwood’s song, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance, according to its website. A “limited edition” $1,000 copy of the Bible that includes Trump’s signature is still up for sale.
According to financial disclosures made public over the summer, Trump made $300,000 in royalties from sales of the Bibles. A $70 “Inauguration Day
Edition Bible” also went on sale this week.
On Cameo, Greenwood offers videos for $500 apiece. Although he’s been on the platform for more than four years, he’s only received 28 reviews, with his last completed video coming out two months ago.
Lauren Boebert
Colorado Republican Congresswoman Lauren Boebert was one of the latest additions to Cameo, having followed her political ally Gaetz onto the platform before abruptly closing down her account just days later.
Before she shut down the account entirely, it cost $2.99 to send her a message. On Monday, before she stopped offering to make videos, Semafor noted she had named a $250 starting fee for videos.
In her profile, Boebert neglected to mention that she is an active congresswoman; instead, she wrote, “Not your typical Colorado Republican politician. Jesus loving, Constitutionalist, America first, freedom fighter.” Her tagline states that she is “2A, Freedom, Mom.”
“I am so excited to be joining another platform where I can connect with supporters from all over the world,” Boebert says in an introductory video.
The account was shuttered as ethics concerns were raised over whether Boebert — or any member of the House of Representatives — could make money off a platform charging people for access to an elected official.
As The New Republic notes, there are rules against House members making income from outside Congress above a $31,815 threshold. Members are also prohibited from accepting honoraria, which is defined as being paid for or given something of value for “an appearance, speech, or article.”
Anthony Scaramucci
Anthony Scaramucci has the distinction of being one of the people with the shortest tenure in Trump’s first administration, having served just 10 days as the White House’s director of communications.
Scaramucci, the founder of investment firm SkyBridge Capital, is a managing partner at the firm, a podcaster, and often opines on politics, especially where his former boss is concerned. During the 2024 presidential campaign, “the Mooch” worked with other pro-crypto advocates and entrepreneurs advising Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Your boy Anthony Scramucci is back,” reads his Cameo profile, where he has delivered at least hundreds of personalized videos since he joined the platform in 2019. He’s also one of the cheaper influencers on the platform, selling videos for a minimum of $59 a pop.
Caitlyn Jenner
Caitlyn Jenner, an Olympic gold-medal-winning athlete and former California gubernatorial candidate, also has the distinction of being the priciest person on Cameo.
Jenner charges at least $2,500 for each video she delivers on the platform, although the last time a video was completed was in April 2022. According to her profile, there are only five videos left available to book.
Besides Jenner, just a handful of other people charge a minimum of $1,500 per video. That includes rapper Boozie Badazz, “Shark Tank’s” Kevin O’Leary, and celebrity chef Shipra Khanna.
Jenner runs Fairness First PAC and is eyeing another run to become California’s governor, just three years after she won 1% of the vote — about 75,000 ballots‚ in California’s recall election. She claims she would “destroy” Vice President Kamala Harris in a hypothetical 2026 gubernatorial election.
If elected, she wrote on X that she would establish a state-level Department of Government Efficiency, referring to Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk’s “outside of government” group tasked by Trump with slashing regulations and federal spending.
Roger Stone
Republican political consultant Roger Stone has been a prolific politico, working on the presidential campaigns of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole, and George W. Bush. But he’s best known for his decades-long ties to Trump.
Stone’s first attempt at getting Trump into politics was in 1987 when he tried to get Trump to run for New York governor against Mario Cuomo. In 2020, Trump commuted Stone’s sentence to a 40-month term for seven felony crimes, which immediately drew criticism and claims of corruption. Stone was convicted of obstructing a congressional investigation into Trump’s 2016 campaign and possible ties to Russia.
On Cameo, Stone has delivered at least 200 videos since joining the platform in March 2020, a few months before he was set to report to federal prison to serve out his sentence.
He charges $100 per video, according to his profile, which states that “whether it’s wishing someone a happy birthday or giving them an epic political takedown, these personalized clips from the legendary dirty trickster himself are sure to be a hit!”
Corey Lewandowski
Corey Lewandowski’s big claim to fame came in 2016 when he became Trump’s first campaign manager. He was later fired after clashing with the then-presidential candidate’s children, only to return in 2021 as the leader of a pro-Trump Super PAC.
However, he was later ousted from that group over allegations that he had made unwanted sexual advances toward Trashelle Odam, the wife of a major GOP donor and construction executive, during a Las Vegas charity event. She claimed that Lewandowski “stalked” her throughout the hotel where the event took place and threw a drink at her, according to Politico. He later cut a deal with prosecutors to dismiss charges of misdemeanor battery.
Lewandowski also briefly had a major role in Trump’s 2024 campaign before he squandered his goodwill with the president-elect and campaign staff, according to The Guardian.
On Cameo, he advertises his videos as “a treat for die-hard MAGA fans!”. He charges at least $50 per video and has delivered less than 200 over the roughly five years since he joined the platform.
Larry Elder
Former Republican presidential candidate and conservative radio host Larry Elder joined Cameo in November 2021, about two months after he unsuccessfully attempted to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom in the state’s recall election.
Elder, who has been an attorney and radio talk show host, has been a controversial figure, often making remarks that can be described as “off-color” at best. His 2024 presidential campaign failed to get much traction and he was the fourth GOP candidate to suspend his bid, behind a former Texas congressman, Miami’s mayor, and businessman Perry Johnson.
On Cameo, Elder hasn’t been very popular, mirroring his past runs for office. Since 2021, he’s received a single review. That reviewer gave him two stars out of five and criticized Elder for failing to read any of the backgrounds provided, “especially” for the $150 starting price.
