‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson Blasts Former Classmate Matt Gaetz: ‘That Motherf***er’
Reacher star Alan Ritchson isn’t mincing words when it comes to his former classmate, Congressman Matt Gaetz.
Ritchson spoke to GQ ahead of the season 3 premiere of his Prime Video action-drama series. He touched on crossing paths with the controversial Republican politician in Niceville, Florida, where both attended school when they were growing up. It’s clear Gaetz did not leave a favorable impression on Ritchson.
Alan Ritchson on Matt Gaetz: ‘Not a good dude’
On Reacher, Ritchson plays Jack Reacher, a former military police officer turned vigilante drifter. In the show, Reacher doesn’t hesitate to use violence to take out criminals and other assorted bad guys. In real life, he admits to feuding with Gaetz and says he’s considering taking him and similar politicians on – at the ballot box.
“That motherf***er. We are adversaries,” Ritchson said. “It’s shocking to me that the panhandle of Florida continues to vote for somebody – knowing everything we know about him and the promises that he’s made behind closed doors about pardoning certain criminals – he’s just not a good dude!”
“There’s part of me that wants to get into politics to outdo somebody like him for good, and there’s part of me that’s like, I’m not duplicitous enough to succeed in politics,” Ritchson went on to say. “There are certain people that do a good job of staying true to who they are, but they’re ineffective. I think Bernie Sanders is a hero. But it’s like, what has he accomplished?”
Gaetz has represented Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2016. He’s been embroiled in various scandals over the years, including being accused of paying for sex with an underage girl. A House Ethics Committee report released in December 2024 found “substantial evidence” that Gaetz had paid “tens of thousands of dollars” to women, including a 17-year-old, “likely in connection with sexual activity and/or drug use,” the BBC reported. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing.
The ‘Reacher’ star says he’s not the character he plays on TV
It’s not unusual for audiences to draw parallels between actors and the characters they play. But Ritchson stressed that he and Jack Reacher are not the same, whatever people might assume.
“People have this weird relationship with fictional characters, and sort of equate that to the real human being,” the actor, who is Christian and posts videos about his faith on his YouTube channel, said. “I don’t have that problem, making that distinction. I get criticized a lot by Christians who are like, ‘How dare you have an unmarried sex scene on TV and then talk about Jesus?’ I’m sorry — I doubt that’s going to be part of the conversation when I’m standing at the pearly gates!”
Reacher Season 3 premieres Feb. 20 on Prime Video.
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