Former Rep. George Santos Sues Jimmy Kimmel Over Cameo Video Prank

Following an appearance in a fresh segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Rep. George Santos is taking legal action against the late-night host, accusing him of misusing his Cameo videos. Santos, who faced expulsion from Congress in December, initiated a business venture offering personalized video messages, priced at $500 each, through the online platform Cameo. This initiative catalyzed a light-hearted prank on Kimmel's talk show, as detailed by HuffPost. During a December episode, Kimmel amusingly poked fun at the former congressman in a segment called "Will Santos Say It?"

In this segment, Kimmel orchestrated a series of pranks by commissioning Cameo videos under false identities and asking Santos to read outlandish messages. The requests included fictitious scenarios, such as a woman requesting Santos to congratulate her on cloning her dog named Adolf.

The lawsuit claims that Kimmel employed 'deceptive strategies' and fabricated profiles to submit a minimum of 14 requests for Cameo videos. Furthermore, the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, names Kimmel, ABC, and the Walt Disney Co. as defendants.

The lawsuit also accuses the defendants of copyright infringement, fraud, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment, according to Entertainment Weekly. Robert Fantone, an attorney from the legal firm representing Santos, also gave a statement regarding the matter. He said, “Comedy is wonderful until you violate someone’s rights, then you get sued." Additionally, Santos is seeking at least $750,000 in damages.

The suit specifically cites the decision to employ the personal use license on Cameo despite the show's intention to broadcast the videos on television. “Frankly, Kimmel’s fake requests were funny, but what he did was clear violation of copyright law,” Fantone said. Nonetheless, many pointed out that Cameo is a platform where both individuals and businesses can commission personalized video messages from a variety of celebrities.

When their legal dispute began in December, Santos initially threatened to sue Kimmel. However, Kimmel responded by airing additional videos that he had persuaded Santos to record and dismissed the demand for payment with laughter. In one of his episodes in December, Kimmel said, “Can you imagine if I get sued by George Santos for fraud? I mean, how good would that be? It would be like a dream come true.” The following day, Santos' attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Kimmel, insisting that the videos be taken down from the talk show's affiliated social media accounts.

In contrast, Santos, a former congressman from New York, faced expulsion from the House of Representatives last year following allegations that he had committed a series of offenses, including fraud, money laundering, and theft. Additionally, Santos has openly confessed to falsifying information on his resume on multiple occasions, as well as disseminating other false narratives about himself. Notably, Santos also took to X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday to share updates about the ongoing lawsuit.