Jeff Flake Reclaims Senate Rug in Five-Figure Auction Win After Late-Night Bit
Former senator Jeff Flake returned to a late-night stage this week to reclaim a Senate office rug that had been taken during a comedic remote years earlier, paying $10, 100. 99 in a charity auction. The surprise bid closed a long-running gag while contributing to a larger fundraising effort that has raised more than $300, 000.
Jeff Flake Reclaims Rug: The Bid and the Backstory
The rug traces its public life to a remote segment recorded years earlier when a late-night host spirited it away from a Senate office as part of a joke. The segment resurfaced in the host’s ongoing memorabilia auction, where the rug drew a winning bid from someone listed as "Jeff F. from Arizona. " The bidder stepped onstage to confirm his identity, and that attendee was the former senator himself.
Flake paid $10, 100. 99 to reclaim the rug, a sum described on air as a five-figure check. His onstage appearance marked a brief return to the theater where the program is taped; it was noted as his third visit to that venue and his first appearance there since he left office in early 2019. During the segment, Flake characterized reclaiming the rug as a necessity and offered a lighthearted aside about the relief of being less focused on a particular political figure in retirement.
Auction Impact and Fundraising Totals
The memorabilia auction that featured the rug has been presented as a fundraising initiative benefiting a humanitarian food relief organization. Prior to the rug’s final sale, the auction total stood at $304, 411. 85; additional items were added afterward, expanding the roster of lots available to bidders.
- Winning bid for the rug: $10, 100. 99
- Fundraising total at time of segment: $304, 411. 85
- Notable additional items listed: several suits and a full-size costume tied to a branded ice cream flavor
What This Moment Means and What’s Next
The episode tied together a long-running joke and a charitable effort, turning a playful appropriation of office décor into a fundraising moment. The former senator’s participation added a personal coda to the bit, returning the item to its original owner while also drawing attention to the larger auction.
The auction continued after the rug sale with more memorabilia available to bidders. Observers should treat the schedule of lot closings and totals as subject to change as the fundraising drive proceeds.
Recent updates indicate the rug’s sale concluded the onstage exchange for now; details around final auction tallies and subsequent lots will evolve as the auction progresses.
