Who is Sean Duffy, Trump's new secretary of transportation? From starring in a viral striptease clip from 90s reality TV, to being a dad of 9, and dealing with a recent spate of plane crashes
Sean Duffy and his wife Rachel Campos-Duffy in November 2023. Photo: @rcamposduffy/Instagram
All eyes are on Duffy over several major aviation accidents that have occurred in recent weeks: a passenger plane crash involving an Army helicopter in Washington in January, in which more than 60 people died; a small medical jet carrying a child patient, which crashed in Philadelphia, killing seven; and the Delta Air Lines jet that crashed and flipped over when landing in Toronto.
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All this attention on the politician has meanwhile brought his past back to haunt him. According to the Daily Mail, footage of Duffy performing a striptease in the late 90s, on reality show The Real World: Boston, shows him getting naked and having his nipple licked.
So what else do we know about Sean Duffy? Meet the transport secretary who is full of surprises.
From reality TV to Fox News
USA Today reports that Duffy was studying at William Mitchell College of Law when he joined the cast of MTV's The Real World: Boston during its sixth season. He also appeared in Road Rules: All Stars and Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons between 1998 and 2002.
His television career switched gears in 2020 when he joined Fox News as a contributor, later scoring a gig as the co-host of the Fox Business programme The Bottom Line.
But it's his first stint on The Real World: Boston that's drawing attention, with a video clip of Duffy doing a striptease and ending up naked going viral. Per the Daily Mail, Duffy was positioned on the show as an aspiring 20-something lawyer who also took part in lumberjack competitions. In the clip, he ends up completely naked, with just a strategically placed towel to preserve his modesty.
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