Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) has filed a lawsuit against Jimmy Kimmel accusing the ABC late-night talk show host of tricking him into making videos that made him the subject of ridicule on national television.
In a suit filed Saturday in U.S. district court for the southern district of New York, Santos accuses ABC, Walt Disney Co., and Kimmel, of copyright infringement, fraudulent inducement, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment, POLITICO reported.
In the suit, Santos alleged Kimmel misrepresented himself in order to get Santos to create videos on the Cameo app “capitalizing on and ridiculing” his “gregarious personality.” Cameo connects famous people with fans who can request personalized video messages.
The ex-rep claimed he received at least 14 “fake requests” from Kimmel’s show under “phony names” used to deceive Santos.
Unbeknownst to Santos, the videos started being broadcast in December on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in a segment called “Will Santos Say It?,” the suit said.
One such clip included Santos congratulating a fake winner of a beef-eating contest, calling the purported feat of consuming six pounds of loose ground beef in less than 30 minutes “amazing and impressive.”
Santos’ attorney, Robert Fantone, admitted in an email to POLITICO that the fake requests were funny, but were still a “clear violation of copyright law.”
In the suit, the ex-rep is seeking damages totaling $750,000 for the five special Cameo videos he made that ended up being broadcast on Kimmel’s late-night show and were also played on various social media platforms.
Santos was expelled from Congress in December after a House ethics report accused him of criminal activity. He faces 23 federal charges related to allegations of fraud, misusing campaign funds, and lying about his personal finances on House disclosure reports. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. The House Ethics Committee released a report in November that was heavily critical of the then-congressman’s conduct, saying that a “review of the allegations and charges” showed “overwhelming evidence of his misconduct.”
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