He’s the Botox of jokes.
Rep. Matt Gaetz’s seemingly altered appearance at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night prompted plenty of jokes and questions about what the Florida firebrand had done to his face.
Mr. Gaetz, 42, appeared in Milwaukee with a noticeably firmer, more motionless complexion and plump cheekbones.
“What on earth has Gaetz done to his face,” Meidas Touch editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski wrote to X, alongside a particularly nasty screenshot of Gaetz mid-speech.
“Matt Gates is in life with two white tigers who perform in a show in Las Vegas,” one observer teased, alluding to famous animal trainers and magicians Siegfried and Roy.
Some compared him to another Las Vegas legend.
“Oh my goodness Matt Gaetz is turning into Wayne Newton. Stop with the Botox and cheek fillers,” commented Instagram user travisjakers.
“Looks like Matt Gaetz is wearing a mask of his own face. Going to be of great use to the lizard man conspiracy theorists,” another person chimed in.
Some onlookers speculated that the representative’s new look was the result of cosmetic surgery.
“Matt Gaetz (Republican, Botox),” joked journalist Pete Hamby.
“Wow. Fresh Botox and fillers,” one commented, while another posted side-by-side photos of Gaetz on Wednesday with those from years ago, comparing the bizarre transformation to the “Real Housewives” star’s evolution.
“Botox. That’s what happens when you date a high school girl,” one X user quipped, referring to the ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations that Gaetz had sexual relations with a minor.
Gaetz’s office quickly denied the speculation.
“He looks exactly the same in both photos, the only difference is he’s not wearing makeup and the lighting is different,” a spokesperson for the congressman told The Post on Thursday.
Gaetz also made headlines at the convention when he interrupted a CNN interview with former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“What night are you talking? Tonight?” Gaetz asked, mocking McCarthy during a conversation with host Caitlin Collins.
“[The] “The guy who brought this up has an ethics complaint about paying to sleep with a 17-year-old girl, and that’s the way they’re going to do it, so that’s the biggest challenge we have,” McCarthy continued, referring to Gaetz but ignoring his extraneous comment.
In 2020, the Department of Justice began investigating Gaetz for allegations that he trafficked teenage girls. He was not charged, but the investigation by the House Ethics Committee was reopened in 2023 and continues to this day.
Gaetz famously led the push to remove McCarthy from his position as speaker last fall, questioning his stance on staunchly conservative principles.
“I think this really says a lot about who Matt Gaetz is,” McCarthy told NBC late Wednesday about the junior politician’s stonewalling.
