Gaetz calls Fox hosts 'childish' for joking about romance with AOC

GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz called Fox News Channel co-hosts "childish" for recent, on-air jokes about a hypothetical romance between him and fellow House member Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

The comments were made last week on the late-afternoon show "The Five" and came mostly from Greg Gutfeld, who also hosts the satirical Fox late-night show "Gutfeld!," while the co-hosts were discussing how Gaetz and Ocasio-Cortez introduced bipartisan legislation last week to ban members of Congress and their families from trading stocks while in office.

Gaetz, of Florida, is among the chamber's most conservative members, and Ocasio-Cortez is among the most liberal, or progressive. 

"I smell a romantic comedy," Gutfeld said before turning to poke fun of how Ocasio-Cortez is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and how Gaetz was investigated but cleared this year in a sex trafficking probe.

"A beautiful left-wing communist in Congress," Gutfeld said jokingly. "A dashing right-wing male. Fresh off a wrongful accusation of sexual misconduct. They come together to fight one of the most corrupt practices in politics and they fall in love."

Co-hosts Jesse Waters and Judge Jeanine Pirro pointed out to Gutfeld that Gaetz is married and Ocasio-Cortez is engaged. However, Pirro asked at the end of the segment whether she could officiate a hypothetical marriage between the two members of Congress. 

"It does seem a little childish to me that the media always has to over-sexualize everything that AOC is involved with," Gaetz said Tuesday during an episode of his "Firebrand with Matt Gaetz" podcast. "They wouldn't do that to men and two people can engage in serious legislation that's not renaming some post office but trying to make our Congress more honest and more ethical without that type of, I think, very childish and immature commentary."

Gaetz also said Pirro was sitting at his table with him at Mar-a-Lago the night he proposed.

"So shame on you Judge Jeanine," he said. "You know better than that. You were there for my engagement."

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.