“There’s part of me that wants to get into politics to outdo somebody like him for good.”

Alan Ritchson grew up in Florida, but he wants no association with one of the state’s most prominent politicians.

The Reacher actor slammed former congressman Matt Gaetz, who he went to school with in Niceville, in an interview with GQ. “That motherf—er. We are adversaries,” Ritchson said. “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!”

Ritchson’s comments about Gaetz’s support for pardons probably referred to the incident when the politician recommended that President Donald Trump should pardon Michael Flynn, as well as “the Thanksgiving turkey” and “everyone from himself to his administration officials to Joe Exotic if he has to” on Fox News in 2020. The Washington Post also reported that Gaetz promised Roger Stone a pardon behind closed doors.

Gaetz began his political career as a member of Florida’s state legislature from 2010 to 2016. He then became the congressional representative for the state’s 1st district, which is located in the western panhandle, in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016, and was re-elected four times.

Alan Ritchson in 2024.Craig Barritt/Getty

Gaetz vacated his post when President-elect Trump said he’d nominate the congressman for U.S. Attorney General in November, but withdrew himself from consideration a week later.

Shortly thereafter, the House Ethics Committee released a report on Gaetz, which said that there was “substantial evidence” that he “violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress.” (Gaetz denied the allegations.)

Ritchson said that his disdain for Gaetz tempted him to run for office himself. “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,” he said. “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?”

Season 3 of Reacher premieres on Prime Video on Thursday.