Reacher star Alan Ritchson says he and Matt Gaetz are ‘adversaries’

Reacher star Alan Ritchson says he and Matt Gaetz are ‘adversaries’

Reacher star Alan Ritchson says he and Matt Gaetz are ‘adversaries’ ByArya Vaishnavi Feb 20, 2025 04:28 PM IST Share Via Copy Link Alan Ritchson admitted that he has often thought about getting into politics to reverse the damage done by politicians like Matt Gaetz.

Alan Ritchson recently got candid about his troubled relationship with his high school classmate, Matt Gaetz. In an interview with GQ published Wednesday, the Reacher star confessed that he and the former Florida representative are “adversaries.”

Alan Ritchson gets about his high school classmate, Matt Gaetz Alan Ritchson gets candid about rivalry with Matt Gaetz

“That motherf**ker. We are adversaries,” Ritchson said of Gaetz, who was accused of “prostitution, statutory rape, and illicit drug use” in the House Ethics Committee report released last year. The Smallville star went on to criticise the residents of the Sunshine State for voting in favour of the 42-year-old politician.

“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!” the Ordinary Angels star added.

According to the outlet, Ritchson's family briefly moved to Illinois during his childhood prior to settling in Niceville, Florida, where he and Gaetz became classmates. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare actor admitted that he has often thought about getting into politics to reverse the damage done by politicians like Gaetz.

“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 said, adding, “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?”

Elsewhere in the interview, Ritchson discussed his role as the titular character of the action TV series Reacher. “Reacher and I are most similar in this way,” he said of his character, adding, “Reacher leans in, right? He leans in to violence, he leans in to trouble, and I'm the same way. But in real life, it's hard to walk away unscathed.”