Sean Duffy: Inside His 'Real World' Past Before He Became Trump's Pick for Secretary of Transportation

Who is Sean Duffy, President-elect Donald Trump's newly revealed Cabinet pick for U.S. Secretary of Transportation? You may be surprised that Duffy, a Fox Business alum and former U.S. representative, first gained fame as part of MTV's lineup of reality shows in the late 1990s, including The Real World: Boston and Road Rules: All Stars.

This week, former Wisconsin Rep. Duffy was announced by Trump as his nomination for Secretary of Transportation, as the International Business Times reported, making the multi-faceted politician and TV personality the latest in Trump's much-discussed Cabinet appointments, which includes former Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general.

In his Monday announcement, Trump called Duffy a "tremendous and well-liked public servant, starting his career as a District Attorney for Ashland, Wisconsin, and later elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District."

The former and incoming president added that the 53-year-old Duffy "will use his experience and the relationships he has built over many years in Congress to maintain and rebuild our Nation's Infrastructure," according to The New York Times.

So what do we really know about Sean Duffy, the reality TV participant who became a politician and commentator only to be appointed to Trump's Cabinet? Keep in mind, however, that most of Trump's picks would still need to be confirmed by the Senate.

Sean Duffy first found fame on reality TV

Before entering politics, Sean Duffy gained early recognition through reality television. He appeared on MTV's The Real World: Boston (1997) before participating in Road Rules: All Stars in 1998 and Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons in 2002.

Those reality TV appearances on the music television zeitgeist of the time helped introduce him to a national audience long before his political career began. Duffy subsequently showcased his skills as a TV sports commentator, lending his expertise to ESPN.

And in 2003, Duffy not only competed on but also provided commentary for ESPN's Great Outdoor Games, further solidifying his presence in the sports broadcasting world.

He's married to a fellow former reality TV star

Sean Duffy is married to Rachel Campos-Duffy, a fellow conservative TV personality who also started out as an MTV reality player in the 1990s. Talk about a match made in heaven, right? Campos-Duffy also contributed as guest host on The View before ending up on Fox News' Outnumbered, subsequently moving on to Fox & Friends Weekend.

But before all that, she was a cast member on 1994's The Real World: San Francisco. She then met Duffy as a fellow competitor on Road Rules: All Stars in 1998, as the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Duffy and Campos-Duffy have nine children together — Evita, Jack, Lucia-Belen, John-Paul, Paloma, Maria Victoria, Margarita, Patrick and Valentina, according to Distractify, with the latest of the Campos-Duffy clan being born in 2019.

He's the second Fox News personality to be picked

Duffy isn't the only Fox News-related personality that Trump has chosen for his potential second-term Cabinet in 2025. Trump also selected Pete Hegseth, co-host of Fox & Friends Weekend, to serve as Secretary of Defense, as The Hill reported.

Duffy, a Fox News contributor from 2020, began co-hosting Fox Business Network's The Bottom Line in January 2023. A consistent defender of Trump during his time on the network, Duffy left the show Monday after his selection for the post.

Naturally, Trump's choices of Duffy and Hegseth reflect his continued ties to personalities from the conservative media sphere. Both have used their platforms to support Trump, a factor that may have influenced their Cabinet appointments.

Tags

Donald trump, 2024 Presidential election, Politics, Reality TV, Tv shows, The Real World, MTV, Fox news