Who is Sean Duffy: Wife and children of Donald Trump nominee for Transportation Secretary after MTV stardom

A reality TV star who has risen to the top of American politics? No, it's not Donald Trump, but his nominee for Transportation Secretary; Sean Duffy. While Duffy has been praised by President Trump as "a tremendous and well-liked public servant", what he failed to mention was a trait the pair share - careers in reality television.

For, prior to his political career, 53-year-old Duffy was pursuing a rather different path - that of celebrity. He was selected for the sixth series of MTV reality show, The Real World, a real forerunner in the genre, when it was set in Boston.

While on the show, Duffy struck up a romance with fellow participant, Rachel Campos, and in a break from reality TV tradition, the pair stayed together and have been married for more than 25 years, parenting nine children.

While on the show, Duffy was studying for a law degree from the William Mitchell College of Law in Minnesota but, after his six months in The Real World came to an end, he continued a quest for TV stardom.

He went on to appear in other MTV shows, including Road Rules: All Stars and Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons between 1997 and 2002, being described as "a typical Midwestern boy" in PR documents. Then, in 2003, Duffy competed in ESPN's Great Outdoor Games, at the same time he began realising his political ambitions.

He was district attorney in Ashland County, Wisconsin, in 2002, before being elected congressman for the state's 7th congressional district in 2011, where he stayed until 2019. In 2020, in a move many believe was made as an application for a job with Donald Trump, he joined right-wing outlet, Fox News, as a contributor.

His application was bolstered in 2022 when he became a co-host of the Murdoch-owned channel's Fox Business program and then The Bottom Line, also on Fox Business.

During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation earlier this month, Duffy said: "I would take a moment I'd like to introduce my family − my wife, Rachel and nine children. Rachel and I met on a reality TV show. Kind of unique, not most people have that."