WASHINGTON — It appears President-elect Donald Trump is looking to fill his Cabinet with some fellow former TV stars.
It's common knowledge that the former president became a household name as the star of "The Apprentice," which ran for 15 seasons on NBC. But he's hardly the only TV personality who has found a place in the U.S. political landscape — and in the forthcoming Trump administration.
Sean Duffy, MTV star turned politician
On Tuesday, Trump announced Sean Duffy as his nominee for transportation secretary.
You may know Duffy now as co-host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. But his first foray into TV dates back to 1997 when he appeared on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston."
Just a year later in 1998, he appeared on a spin-off called "Road Rules: All Stars" — the very first iteration of what is now the MTV reality game show "The Challenge."
Duffy not only won $50,000 from the final mission of "Road Rules: All Stars," he also met his wife, fellow contestant Rachel Campos. Campos-Duffy originally appeared on "The Real World: San Francisco" but is now the host of "Fox Noticias" and co-host of "Fox & Friends Weekend." The two have nine children.
Duffy went on to compete and win "Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons" in 2002. The couple also appeared together on the "Real World Awards Bash" in 2008.
Duffy was in the U.S. House of Representatives for nearly nine years, serving as a member of the Financial Services Committee and chairman of the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019.
Dr. Mehmet Oz, TV doctor
Trump on Tuesday tapped Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former television talk show host and heart surgeon, to be the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Dr. Oz rose to television fame as a mainstay on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," before starring in his own series, “The Dr. Oz Show," starting in 2009. The health and wellness program, which sometimes included celebrity interviews, ran for 13 seasons until 2022.
Trump even appeared on "The Dr. Oz Show" in 2016 and claimed his wife was "a big fan."
Oz ran for U.S. Senate as a Republican in 2022, earning Trump's endorsement but ultimately losing to Democrat John Fetterman.
Linda McMahon, WWE mogul
On Tuesday, Trump announced billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon as his pick for education secretary.
Linda McMahon is married to Vince McMahon, whose father was a prominent professional wrestling promoter. They followed him into the business, founding their own company, the cultural juggernaut that's now known as World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE.
When Trump was the star of “The Apprentice,” he made an appearance at Wrestlemania in 2007. Linda McMahon participated in an elaborately scripted feud that ended with Trump shaving off Vince McMahon's hair in the middle of the ring.
Linda McMahon stepped down from her position as WWE's chief executive to enter politics. She ran twice for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut but lost in 2010 to Richard Blumenthal and in 2012 to Chris Murphy.
After financially supporting Trump's presidential campaigns, Linda McMahon served as the leader of the Small Business Administration during his first presidency.
Pete Hegseth, Fox News host
Last week, Trump nominated Fox News host Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense.
Hegseth joined Fox News as a contributor in 2014. He went on to become the co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend."
Hegseth served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011. He has two Bronze Stars.
Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year.
As far as political experience, Hegseth made an unsuccessful run for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota back in 2012. His focus since then has largely been on conservative activism and political commentary.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
