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Has Fox News 'canceled' Matt Gaetz? GOP rep absent from network after 'weirdest' interview with Tucker Carlson

Fox News hosts have chosen not to cover the investigation surrounding Gaetz, which has been one of the most trending topics in the last few days

For more than 48 hours after Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL) tried to drag Fox News host Tucker Carlson into allegations of sex trafficking against him in a federal investigation over an alleged relationship he had with a minor girl, the right-leaning network has maintained radio silence on the congressman.

Vox reporter Aaron Rupar pointed out the strange absence of Gaetz's name from the different Fox News segments. "Since Wednesday afternoon, Fox News/Fox Business programming has mentioned Hunter Biden at least 16 times. Matt Gaetz has not been mentioned once," Rupar tweeted. In another updated tweet, he added, "Fox News and Fox Business did not mention Matt Gaetz a single time on Thursday."

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Rupar then pointed out how some of the major Fox News hosts chose not to cover the investigation surrounding Gaetz, which has been one of the most trending topics in the last few days.

"Matt Gaetz's bestie Jim Jordan was just on Hannity, but of course Hannity didn't ask him about Gaetz (Gaetz hasn't been mentioned a single time on Fox News all day)" Rupar wrote, adding in another tweet, "Lindsey Graham was just on Ingraham's show. No mention of Matt Gaetz." Rupar jokingly summarized the network's treatment of Gaetz, saying, "Fox News is giving Matt Gaetz the Soviet treatment. #canceled."

The absence of Gaetz's name from the Fox network came after the accused Florida Rep appeared on Carlson's show and tried to rope in the news host into his allegations on national TV.

Appearing on 'Tucker Carlson Tonight', Gaetz tried to drag Carlson into something which the host admitted "he didn't understand." The talk show host was quick to clarify that he had no clue about what the lawmaker was talking about and noted that it was the "weirdest interview" he had ever conducted. Carlson did not find the answer to whether Gaetz was in any sort of relationship with the teenage girl but found himself being dragged into an unexpected story by the Republican.

“I’m not the only person on screen right now who’s been falsely accused of a terrible sex act,” Gaetz said to the Fox News host, bringing up a false rape accusation against the host. “You were accused of something you did not do, so you know what this feels like," he added and the energy between the two turned visibly weird. “You just referred to a mentally ill viewer who accused me of a sex crime 20 years ago. And of course, it was not true. I never met the person," Carlson said looking very confused the whole time. 

Things became even more strange as Gaetz further revealed that the FBI was investigating a woman in the case who they both knew. He tried to get Carlson to admit that he knew the woman, but the host flatly declined. “You and I went to dinner about two years ago, your wife was there, and I brought a friend of mine, you’ll remember her,” Gaetz said. “And she was actually threatened by the FBI, told that if she wouldn’t cop to the fact that somehow I was involved in some pay-for-play scheme that she could face trouble.”

A shocked Carlson continued to listen as Gaetz as he once again blamed the DOJ for running a smear campaign against him. "Providing for flights and hotel rooms for people that you’re dating who are of legal age is not a crime. And I’m just troubled that lack of any sort of legitimate investigation into me… would then convert into this extortion attempt.”

Carlson then said, “I don’t remember the woman you are speaking of or the context at all, honestly.” 

After wrapping up the interview, Carlson's show went into a commercial break. After coming back from the break, the host called the interview one of the oddest in his career. “If you just saw our Matt Gaetz interview, that was one of the weirdest interviews I have ever conducted,” Carlson said to his viewers. “That story just appeared in the news a couple of hours ago, and on the certainty that there is always more than you read in the newspaper, we immediately called Matt Gaetz and asked him to come on and tell us more, which, as you saw, he did. I don’t think that clarified much, but it certainly showed this is a deeply interesting story, and we will be following it. Don’t quite understand it, but we will bring you more when we find out.”