George Santos, the controversial former congressman, is threatening legal action against late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel and the ABC network.
The dispute centers around Kimmel’s use of Santos’ Cameo clips on his show without Santos’ explicit consent.
Santos, who was recently ousted from Congress, has turned to Cameo, a platform where people pay for personalized videos from celebrities, as a new source of income.
Charging $500 per video, Santos claims to have earned more in a week on Cameo than in a year in Congress. Jimmy Kimmel, the host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” discovered Santos’ Cameo activities and began submitting anonymous requests for videos, later using these clips in a segment titled “Will Santos Say It?” on his show.
Kimmel’s segment involved Santos unknowingly participating in humorous and sometimes absurd scenarios. For example, in one video, Santos congratulated a legally blind niece on passing her driver’s test and recovering from a subsequent car accident, a story fabricated by Kimmel. In another, Santos was asked to address a man who had just revealed himself as a furry (an enthusiast of animal characters that possess human characteristics), a request to which Santos complied.
The humor turned to contention when Santos demanded $20,000 from Kimmel, citing this as a commercial rate for the usage of his videos. Kimmel responded on air, joking about the irony of being sued by Santos for fraud and stating that Santos should be grateful, as his Cameo rates had increased following the segment’s airing.
Andrew Mancilla, Santos’ attorney, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Kimmel, ABC, and the show’s executive producer Doug DeLuca. The letter alleges that Kimmel’s actions could be interpreted as fraud, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment, in violation of New York State’s Civil Rights Law. Furthermore, the letter claims Kimmel also breached Cameo’s Terms of Service.
Santos’ lawyer told Jimmy Kimmel and ABC that the ex-Congress representative might get the last laugh – in court.