Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel is facing a lawsuit from former Rep. George Santos, who claims that Kimmel tricked him into making videos on the platform Cameo that were later used to ridicule him on his talk show. Santos alleges that Kimmel misrepresented himself to induce Santos into creating personalized videos that capitalized on and ridiculed his “gregarious personality.” The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, seeks at least $750,000 in damages for fraud, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and copyright infringement. Walt Disney Co. and ABC are also named as defendants in the suit.
According to the complaint, Kimmel submitted at least 14 video requests to Santos using fake identities. Five of these videos appeared on episodes of “Jimmy Kimmel! Live” on a segment called “Will Santos Say It?” and were also shared on the show’s social media platforms. The lawsuit alleges that Kimmel intentionally violated the personal use licenses for the Cameo videos by broadcasting and commercially exploiting them on national television.
One specific request from Kimmel asked Santos to congratulate someone on winning a beef-eating contest. Santos obliged and his response, where he praised the feat of consuming six pounds of loose ground beef in under 30 minutes, aired on the December 7 episode of “Jimmy Kimmel! Live.” It’s worth noting that Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives in early December 2023 following allegations of fraud and an ethics report.
Santos began selling videos of himself on Cameo shortly after being ousted from Congress. Initially priced at $75, he quickly increased the price to $150 and then to $500. As of February 2024, Santos is still operating on the platform, with his videos now priced at $277. During a December 11 episode of his ABC show, Kimmel joked about being sued by Santos, stating, “Could you imagine if I get sued by George Santos for a fraud? I mean, how good would that be? It would be like a dream come true. So since I started buying his videos, his rates went way up to $500 a piece. He should be thanking me for buying these videos.”
Representatives for Santos, Kimmel, Walt Disney Co., and ABC have not responded to requests for comment.
This lawsuit raises important questions about the use of personal videos obtained through platforms like Cameo and how they can be exploited for entertainment purposes. Santos alleges that Kimmel intentionally deceived him, misrepresenting himself to obtain videos that were later used to mock him on national television. The lawsuit seeks significant damages, highlighting the potential harm caused by such actions.
It remains to be seen how this legal battle will unfold and what impact it may have on the use of personalized videos obtained through platforms like Cameo. As the case progresses, it will likely shed light on the boundaries of consent and the responsibility of content creators when using personal videos for entertainment purposes.