US President Donald Trump appointed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as NASA’s interim administrator on July 9, praising his “TREMENDOUS job” rebuilding infrastructure. Duffy, 53, accepted the role enthusiastically, tweeting: “🚀 Honored to accept this mission. Time to take over space. Let’s launch”.
The move came after Trump abruptly withdrew billionaire Jared Isaacman’s nomination in May, calling his Democratic ties “inappropriate” given Elon Musk’s SpaceX contracts with NASA.
Who is Sean Duffy?
Duffy, a former Wisconsin congressman and star of MTV’s The Real World: Boston (1997), will lead NASA while keeping his transportation post amid 24% budget cuts threatening scientific missions.
1990s hotel striptease video sparks backlash
A resurfaced MTV clip shows Duffy in his 20s performing a raunchy striptease in a towel, dancing over a castmate, along with obscene activities. The footage, filmed for a 1998 Real World spin-off, went viral in February 2025.
Duffy’s former co-star Montana McGlynn defended it: “We were in our early 20s… looking to have fun”. Social media reactions to this issue were scathing.
Critics questioned Duffy’s judgment as he prepares to oversee NASA’s $18.8 billion budget.
Meanwhile, NASA faces a talent crisis as over 2,100 senior employees, including Mars and asteroid scientists, exit amid Trump’s downsizing push. The cuts align with Duffy’s focus at Transportation: rolling back “woke DEI policies” and environmental rules. Former NASA science chiefs warn that the staff exodus and budget slashes threaten planetary defense projects like OSIRIS-APEX, which studies Earth-threatening asteroids.
Duffy, a father of nine with no space background, now leads an agency where 85% of departing staff handle “mission-critical” work. Isaacman, Musk’s original pick, endorsed Duffy, but skeptics ask: Can a reality TV star navigate a space emergency?