He’s the Botox of the joke.
Rep. Matt Gaetz’ seemingly altered appearance at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night drew a flood of jokes – as well as questions about what the Florida firebrand may have had done to his face.
Gaetz, 42, stepped out in Milwaukee with a noticeably tauter, unmoving complexion and plumper cheekbones.
“WTF did Gaetz do to his face,” Meidas Touch editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski wrote on X, alongside a particularly unflattering screengrab Gaetz mid-speech.
“Matt Gaetz is two white tigers and a life partner from having a Vegas act,” ribbed one observer, in an apparent reference the famous animal trainers/magicians Siegfried & Roy.
Others compared him to yet another Las Vegas legend.
“Good lord. Matt Gaetz is transforming into Wayne Newton. He needs to lay off the Botox and cheek fillers,” said user travisjakers on Instagram.
“Matt gaetz looks like he’s wearing a mask of his own face – gonna give the lizard ppl conspiracy theorists a lot to work with,” another chimed in.
Several onlookers speculated that the representative’s new look was the result of cosmetic intervention.
“Matt Gaetz (R-Botox),” joked journalist Pete Hamby.
“Wow. That Botox and filler is FRESH,” one commenter wrote, while another posted side-by-side photos of Gaetz on Wednesday versus a few years ago, and compared the bizarre changes to the evolution of a “Real Housewives” star.
“Botox. This is what happens when you hang with high school girls,” ribbed one X user, referring to the ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations that Gaetz had sexual relationships with minors.
Gaetz’ office quickly shut down the speculation.
“He looks exactly the same in both photos. Only difference is no makeup and different lighting,” spokesperson for the congressman told The Post Thursday.
Gaetz also made headlines at the convention for butting in on former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s CNN interview.
“What night are you speaking? Are you speaking tonight?” Gaetz mockingly asked McCarthy while he was mid-conversation with anchor Kaitlan Collins.
“[The] person who raised the issue, he‘s got an ethics complaint about paying, sleeping with a 17-year-old. That‘s the way they would go, so that‘s the biggest challenge we have,” McCarthy continued, referring to Gaetz while ignoring his side comments.
In 2020, the Justice Department opened an investigation into allegations that Gaetz sex trafficked a teenage girl. He was not charged, but a probe by the House Ethics Committee as reopened in 2023 and remains ongoing.
Gaetz famously spearheaded McCarthy’s ouster from the Speaker position last fall, and questioned his commitment to die-hard conservative principles.
“I think it shows exactly who Matt Gaetz is,” McCarthy told NBC later on Wednesday of the younger politician’s interruption.
