President-elect Donald Trump named former Wisconsin Representative Sean Duffy as the next transportation secretary on Monday. An ex-congressman and reality TV star, Sean Duffy is also an absolute family man. In his announcement, Trump also spoke about the family values Duffy holds, “The husband of a wonderful woman, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a STAR on Fox News, and the father of nine incredible children, Sean knows how important it is for families to be able to travel safely, and with peace of mind.”
From stepping down from Congress in 2019 to turning down the offer to run for governor of Wisconsin, despite Donald Trump’s encouragement, Duffy has time and again chosen his family over everything else. Let’s take a look at Sean Duffy’s lovely family of 11.
Who is Rachel Campos-Duffy?
Rachel, who pursued a degree in Economics, from Arizona State University, later transferred to the University of California and earned a Master’s degree in International Affairs. She ventured into television in 1994 with the MTV series ‘The Real World: San Francisco’. Later, she became a guest host on ABC’s ‘The View’ and Fox’s ‘Outnumbered’. In 2021, she became the permanent host of ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ on the Fox network.
When Sean met Rachel
(Pic courtesy: Instagram/ Sean Duffy)
Sean Duffy met his wife Rachel Campos-Duffy, on the set of MTV’s ‘Road Rules: All Stars’ in 1998. Rachel Campos-Duffy has spoken about how she found ‘true love’ and ‘a happy marriage’ on ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ last year. She spoke about how she and her husband, Sean, first crossed paths in the ‘most 90s way possible’, through an MTV reality show called “The Real World’, where they each had their lives documented and edited into 23 episodes, all set to the tunes of bands like The Smashing Pumpkins and The Counting Crows. Rachel was on the third season filmed in San Francisco and Sean Duffy was on the sixth season shot in a Boston firehouse. After Duffy’s season, MTV took the opportunity to bring one cast member from each of the first five seasons together for a spin-off travel show titled ‘Road Rules All-Stars’.
Both of them were cast in the show and interestingly, the very first moment we laid eyes on each other was captured on tape! Though it sounds straight out of a telenovela, Rachel states that ‘it wasn’t love at first sight’. She recalled how “Sean invested a lot of his time flirting” with her for the next month when they traveled together along with other castmates throughout the US and New Zealand. She remembered how Duffy kept pursuing her after the show, racking up long-distance phone bills and finding excuses to visit L.A. just to see her.
After five months, when Duffy thought he was stuck in the friend zone, they went out for breakfast. Duffy and Rachel spent three hours laughing their hearts out and enjoying each other’s company, and that’s when she realized that he was exactly what she wanted for the rest of her life.
When the waitress poured them the last cup of coffee, leaving everyone surprised, she declared to Duffy that she was going to marry him. And they tied the knot in 1999!
9 children and a happy family
Sean Duffy met his wife Rachel Campos-Duffy have 9 children – Evita Pilar, Xavier Jack, Lucia-Belen, John-Paul, Paloma Pilar, MariaVictoria Margarita, Margarita Pilar, Patrick Miguel, and Valentina StellaMaris.
Talking to National Review in 2019, Rachel Campos-Duffy has opened up about having 9 children with Sean Duffy. She stated that they never had a number in mind, or planned any of the kinds, ‘they just kind of happened’. She added that they take each one as a ‘blessing sent to me by God’. Duffy is a practicing Roman Catholic, and the couple have deep-rooted family values. She also spoke about how their ninth child was a surprise. “I thought I was getting a little old. But apparently not!” she shared with the publication.
Sean Duffy and his wife Rachel’s ninth child Valentina StellaMaris Duffy has Down syndrome, a heart defect, and the couple have been prioritizing her well-being over everything else.
In 2022, Duffy declined to run for Wisconsin governor, despite encouragement from Trump to enter the race. He explained that his decision was driven by the need to focus on his family, particularly caring for his youngest child, who had a heart condition.
Family and faith
Both Sean Duffy and his wife Rachel Campos-Duffy have prioritized family over everything. In 2019, when Duffy voluntarily quit Congress, he cited that he wanted to support his wife and their growing family. “Recently, we’ve learned that our baby, due in late October, will need even more love, time, and attention due to complications, including a heart condition. I have always been open to signs from God when it comes to balancing my desire to serve both my family and my country. With much prayer, I have decided that this is the right time for me to take a break from public service in order to be the support my wife, baby and family need right now. I will miss being your Congressman, but I am also looking forward to having more time with my family, being home for more birthdays and hockey games, and having time to enjoy and care for our new baby girl, who is already so loved by our family,” Duffy wrote in his announcement.
Rachel Campos-Duffy told National Review in 2019 that their family is only as strong as their marriage. She pointed out how faith plays a key role in their family life. She spoke about how they pray together, and go to mass together, despite their crazy schedules. Both being Catholic have only deepened their bond. Earlier while talking to Fox News, she stated that Marriage is tough enough, and having the same faith takes away a lot of potential disagreements and keeps them grounded. Their faith and moral values are some of the common things that bind them together. Despite their busy schedule, they all stick to the idea that they all are in it together and part of it. Parenting isn’t easy either, but Sean Duffy and his wife Rachel Campos-Duffy make it all work.
(Pic courtesy: Instagram/ Sean Duffy)
