Matt Gaetz, Ridiculed Online for Selling Personalized Video Messages, Receives Support From a Fellow Cameo User — Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin is coming to the defense of former congressman, Matt Gaetz, after he was ridiculed online for selling personalized video messages on Cameo, an online sharing platform, for more than $500 a pop. The Alaska governor shared a supportive message over the weekend via several posts on her Instagram story: “Omgoodness folks giving @repmattgaetz hard time for working with @cameo?? Connecting with people all around the globe with edifying, illuminating shout-outs?! Couldn’t be better distraction from negativity in today’s toxic world,” she wrote. Ms. Palin, in the same post, added a link to her own Cameo account, and expressed how much she loves “taking a minute out of my day — away from work — for day-in-the-life real-world greetings and Q&A’s with amazing people.” In a second post, she cited a bible verse to suggest that “perhaps more should join in and build up instead of tearing down.” Mr. Gaetz opened an account on Cameo just one day after he withdrew his name from consideration to serve as attorney general under President-elect Trump amid mounting scrutiny over allegations against him of sexual assault. Given that Mr. Gaetz had resigned from Congress shortly after being tapped by Trump, the incident put the former House representative out of a job on the Hill altogether. The chronicle is detailed on Mr. Gaetz’s Cameo page in a comedically blunt biography: “I served in Congress. Trump nominated me to be US Attorney General (that didn’t work out). Once I fired the House Speaker.” Ms. Palin, for her part, has run a widely successful account on Cameo since she joined in 2020. Her videos, which start at $199 apiece, are, according to a description from Cameo, a “hilarious and heartwarming mix of requests from her biggest fans. From wishing conservative friends a happy birthday to roasting their political rivals, Palin brings her signature wit and charm to every personalized video.” Her customers seem to think pretty highly of her videos. The former governor boasts a near perfect user rating of 4.94 out of 5, based on 588 customer reviews. According to financial records Ms. Palin disclosed while plotting a political comeback in the House in 2022, the lawmaker raked in a whopping $211,529 from the app in 2021 alone — nearly 22 percent higher than the $174,000 she would have made as a member of Congress. Other former politicians have been cashing in on the video sharing platform, including disgraced New York Congressman, George Santos, who made an account after he was kicked out of the House last year for his involvement in several federal crimes, including wire fraud and identity theft. Santos, whose videos go for $500 a piece, told CBS News back in 2023 that “I will have made more money in seven days than I would have made an entire year in Congress.” It’s not just former members of Congress who are getting in on the action. A current representative for Colorado, Lauren Boebert, appears to have made a Cameo account over the weekend. “Hey Cameo, it’s your girl from Colorado, Lauren Boebert,” the Congresswoman is recorded saying in an intro video for her page. “I am so excited to be joining anothe platform where I can connect directly with supporters from all over the world.” Her account, however, seems to have been put on pause for the time being. Ms. Boebert, unlike her Cameo counterparts who are no longer working on the Hill, faces restrictions on the amount of outside income she can generate while on the House payroll, which maxes out at $31,815. Though it’s possible that she will run into an even larger issue given that the House prohibits its members from receiving honoraria, which is defined as “payment of money or thing of value for an appearance, speech, or article.” Should Ms. Boebert direct her Cameo earnings to her campaign efforts, she might be able to stay in line with the House rules. However, such a move appears to be prohibited by the video platform. Ms. Boebert has not yet responded to the Sun’s request for comment.

Matt Gaetz, Ridiculed Online for Selling Personalized Video Messages, Receives Support From a Fellow Cameo User — Sarah Palin

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