Former congressman George Santos filed a lawsuit against late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, for using Cameo videos to troll him in a skit.
Santos was ousted from the House of Representatives last year after he was charged with stealing from campaign donors and on multiple counts of fraud.
The ex-lawmaker may have lost his job and $174,000 federal salary, but the Long Island liar quickly figured out how to spin his new notoriety into a dollar bills.
Days after he was expelled from Congress on Dec. 1, when a House Ethics Committee discovered “substantial evidence” of his criminal schemes, Santos turned to the internet make some quick cash.
JUST IN: Expelled Rep. George Santos is suing left-wing 'comedian' Jimmy Kimmel for misusing his Cameo clips.
The complaint was filed in Manhattan federal court.
After getting booted from the House, Santos took to Cameo to make personalized videos.
Kimmel allegedly purchased… pic.twitter.com/Frvup5JtYY
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 17, 2024
Following in the footsteps of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and a slew of lesser celebrities, Santos began making personalized videos on the Cameo app.
The less-than-law abiding lawmaker became an instant success on the video platform and charged a hefty $500 a pop… A number he was quick to brag about.
“How much money have you made and are you going to surpass the amount of money you could’ve made in Congress in a whole year?” he was asked during a Dec. 10 interview with CBS New York.
“I can tell you that by the end of this week, that is actually factual. I will have made more money in seven days than I would’ve made in an entire year in Congress,” Santos replied.
While the disgraced politician was laughing all the way to the bank, he didn’t find it so funny when “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” caught wind of his new business venture and decided to make a skit out of it.
Kimmel’s staffers reportedly sent Santos a minimum of 14 requests for odd personal messages intended to mock him for a segment called “Will Santos Say It?”
If you don’t stand up for yourself you will always lose! That’s what I’m doing with this lawsuit. I’m standing my ground and fighting to uphold my legal rights. Jimmy boy thought he could use fraudulent means to violate my copyrights and now he’s going to face the consequences.…
— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) February 18, 2024
The Cameo clips were aired on the show in December. They included getting Santos to congratulate a blind woman for passing her driver’s test, and a follow-up wishing her well after getting into a car accident.
In another ridiculous request, Santos commended a Florida man for “eating six pounds of loose ground beef in under 30 minutes.”
“Congratulations for the win, I know you’re feeling a little under the weather but a hear from a great source that the doctors said you’ll be released from the hospital soon and recover well,” he remarked in the video.
In a different request from Kimmel’s team, Santos was tricked into praising a woman who had cloned her dog named Adolf.
Shortly after, the late night host said that Santos had contacted the show and demanded to be paid a “commercial rate” of 20,000 for the videos.
“Could you imagine if I get sued by George Santos for fraud?” He joked. “I mean how good would that be? It would be like a dream come true.”
Santos’ attorney, Andrew Mancilla, sent a “cease and desist” letter to Kimmel, ABC and executive producer Doug Deluca on Dec. 12.
“We are writing to congratulate you — your ‘dream’ of being sued by Mr. Santos may indeed come true,” Mancilla wrote.
“While your comedic efforts are much appreciated, you should have obtained Mr. Santos’ consent, as he is not camera shy, nor is he blind to the comedic irony of suing you for fraud,” the letter continued.
Santos followed through on the threat and filed a lawsuit against Kimmel, ABC and Walt Disney Co., in the U.S. district court for the southern district of New York on Saturday.
The complaint accuses Kimmel of misrepresented himself by using fake names and narratives in the personalized video requests, both “capitalizing on and ridiculing” Santos for his “gregarious personality.”
The lawsuit is seeking $750,000 in damages for fraud, unjust enrichment, breach of contract, and copyright infringement for purchasing the videos through a “personal use” license on the application.
“Frankly, Kimmel’s fake requests were funny, but what he did was clear violation of copyright law,” another Santos attorney told APNews.
Santos took a jab at the comedian in a statement to the New York Post.
“Jimmy, sorry that my Christmas gift to you came late, but here’s to making wishes come true,” he remarked.
“I hope you enjoy reading your lawsuit for fraud that you’ve been looking forward to.”