Strange Things About Matt Gaetz's Marriage With Ginger Luckey

Disgraced congressman and failed pick for Attorney General Matt Gaetz has never been one to shy away from controversy. Naturally, his marriage is no exception. From a whirlwind romance to a sudden elopement, a billionaire brother to a very vocal sister-in-law (not to mention a laundry list of scandals Gaetz would probably rather forget), you've got a marriage that's anything but ordinary.

Gaetz and his younger wife, Ginger Luckey, first met at a fundraiser at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort back in March 2020. (Luckey was 26 years old at the time, while Gaetz, already an established politician, was turning 38.) Despite their age gap and the chaotic onset of the COVID-19 pandemic mere days after they got to know each other, their relationship progressed at a rapid pace throughout the year.

By December, Gaetz had proposed to Luckey at another Mar-a-Lago event. (The engagement did not come as a shock to Luckey, who told the Daily Mail, "I had sort of seen it coming.") Their wedding, originally teased for 2024, instead took place in August 2021. Rather than hosting a grand affair, they eloped in a small ceremony on Catalina Island off the coast of Southern California. Needless to say, the sudden change of plans raised some eyebrows in an already side-eyed pairing.

Of course, marrying Matt Gaetz means fostering a relationship with Nestor Galban, a Cuban immigrant whom Gaetz has confusingly described as his son. While Gaetz has clarified that he never legally adopted Galban, he flat-out called him his son, saying he took him in as a mentor figure when Galban was just 12 years old. By the time Ginger Luckey entered the picture, Galban was already an adult, making his dynamic with Gaetz's new wife somewhat unclear.

Gaetz has frequently spoken about Galban with deep affection, telling People, "My work with Nestor, our family — no element of my public service could compare to the joy that our family has brought me." But, given Gaetz's long history of exaggerations and outright fabrications, many have speculated that his claim about raising Nestor was just another one of his tall tales designed to boost his public image. After all, there was no mention of this supposed father-son relationship during Gaetz's early political career — it only came out once he needed a personal anecdote to counter accusations of racism.

Luckey has largely remained silent about her husband's unusual parental arrangement, leaving many wondering about her perspective on it (and if Galban is even in the picture anymore). It's a weird situation that was made even weirder with Luckey entering the equation.

Matt Gaetz has been at the center of several high-profile investigations throughout his time as a congressman — Most notably a three-year-long Justice Department probe into allegations of sex trafficking. Additionally, the House Ethics Committee has continued to investigate alleged sexual misconduct and drug use by Gaetz, causing even more damage to his already tarnished political career.

But, despite the widespread media coverage of these allegations, Ginger Luckey has never publicly addressed them. Instead, she has remained steadfastly supportive of her husband. (She posted "Attorney General will look good on you my love" to her followers on X, formerly Twitter, after Gaetz's nomination for Attorney General. But she had little to say when a tsunami of backlash pushed him out of the running and destroyed her dream of being a Mar-a-Lago housewife.

Luckey's unwavering loyalty in the face of these very serious allegations has left many questioning her stance on it all. Either she's the most trusting spouse on the planet, or she's mastered the art of ignoring red flags at Gaetz's insistence. Whatever it takes to protect the microscopic levels of respect that remain for Gaetz in certain extremist circles, right?

While Ginger Luckey has chosen to stay silent on Gaetz's scandals, her sister Roxanne has had no such reservations. Luckey's sister has been incredibly vocal about her distrust and disdain for Gaetz, calling him "weird and creepy" and even going so far as to label him "a literal pedophile" in a series of heated TikTok videos (via Newsweek). The family feud played out in a very public way, adding yet another layer of drama to the already bizarre Gaetz-Luckey union. (If holiday dinners weren't awkward before, they certainly are now.)

In response to Roxanne's accusations, Ginger dismissed her sister's claims, telling the Daily Beast that "Matt and I ... are deeply in love. My estranged sister is mentally unwell." She went on to imply that Roxanne had a history of mental health struggles, rudely airing out her sister's alleged personal struggles in her response: "[Roxanne] has been in therapy for years, and our family hopes that after receiving in-patient mental health treatment, she will overcome the tendency she has repeatedly shown to engage in destructive behavior."

Ginger Luckey comes from a very wealthy background: her older brother, Palmer Luckey, is a tech billionaire best known for founding Oculus VR. He sold the virtual reality company to Facebook for $2 billion in 2014 when Ginger was around 20. Palmer is also a staunch Trump supporter, having hosted multiple fundraising events for the president in his 2020 run and most recent 2024 campaign. It's unclear if Gaetz hit the jackpot with Ginger or if he's just along for the billionaire-adjacent ride.

Given Gaetz's political career and the financial scrutiny that often accompanies public figures, it's worth speculating about the extent to which Palmer's fortune might intersect with Gaetz and Ginger's financial situation. (Especially now that Gaetz is more unemployed than he's been in years.) While there is no concrete evidence of financial ties between them, Palmer's vast wealth definitely raises questions about Ginger's economic influence in the marriage and whether it plays a role in their controversial public image.

Though Ginger has stayed largely silent on Gaetz's scandals, she has used their marriage as a key element of her social media presence. She frequently posts about their relationship, often framing herself as a supportive and devoted wife — even going as far as to share in an Instagram Reel that they're inexplicably home for just 45 days out of the year.

With posts like these, it's not a stretch to say her online persona often leans more toward strategic branding than genuine affection. Whether this is a carefully curated image or just another example of politics and personal branding blending together is up for debate. Either way, their social media presence sometimes feels more like a political campaign than a marriage.

With Ginger remaining unwaveringly supportive through scandal after scandal, it's fair to ask what truly keeps this marriage together. Is it genuine love, shared political ambitions, or a mutual understanding of the benefits that come with being a high-profile couple that brushes shoulders with billionaires? While only they know the real answer, the public perception of their relationship is anything but straightforward. For now, Matt and Ginger Gaetz continue to present a united front — No matter where it goes from here, there's never a dull moment with these two.