TMZ, the celebrity gossip outlet, has opened a Washington D.C. bureau to cover Congress in its trademark irreverent style, marking a notable expansion from Hollywood entertainment news into political reporting. The two-person team, launched in April 2026, blends casual and often humorous exchanges with lawmakers with more serious exclusive reporting, reflecting broader questions about how audiences increasingly encounter political news through non-traditional and entertainment-oriented outlets.

The bureau is staffed by longtime TMZ producer Charlie Cotton and Jacob Wasserman, who previously covered the Sean Combs trial. The venture grew out of a viral moment during a partial government shutdown, when TMZ founder Harvey Levin solicited photos of vacationing members of Congress, including one of the late Senator Lindsey Graham at Disney World, prompting him to greenlight a permanent D.C. presence. Reactions from lawmakers have varied: Republican Representative Lauren Boebert has engaged freely on policy, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer declined to answer an off-colour question. Syracuse University media professor Robert Thompson said the move is significant given declining trust in traditional media, arguing TMZ's political coverage should be taken seriously despite its entertainment framing.