Expelled ex-Rep. George Santos has filed a lawsuit against television host Jimmy Kimmel, alleging that Kimmel misused his Cameo clips on his late-night talk show. Santos claims that Kimmel deceived him into creating personalized videos through the video platform, which were then featured on the show. The complaint was filed in Manhattan federal court.
Santos, who was expelled from the House of Representatives following fraud charges and a damning report from the House Ethics Committee, turned to the app Cameo to promote his image. Unknowingly, Santos made at least 14 clips for Kimmel under fake aliases, receiving $500 for each video.
Among the scripts provided by Kimmel were videos congratulating a woman for cloning her schnauzer named Adolf and a man for winning a ground beef eating contest. The lawsuit alleges that Kimmel violated Cameo’s terms of service and Santos’ copyright. Furthermore, it claims that Kimmel committed fraud by using fake aliases to solicit videos from Santos for the purpose of ridiculing his personality. Kimmel even boasted about his actions on his show, jokingly stating that being sued by Santos would be a “dream come true.”
This lawsuit is the latest development in the ongoing feud between Kimmel and Santos, who gained notoriety for fabricating his background during his congressional run. After several of the videos were played on Kimmel’s show in a segment titled “Will Santos Say It?,” Santos’ attorney sent a cease and desist letter to Kimmel and threatened legal action.
Santos is seeking at least $750,000 in damages, and the complaint also names ABC and Disney as defendants. When asked for comment, Kimmel, ABC, and Disney did not respond to requests.
In conclusion, this legal battle between George Santos and Jimmy Kimmel highlights the potential misuse of personalized videos on platforms like Cameo. Santos claims that Kimmel deceived him into creating videos that were then used to ridicule him on national television. As the lawsuit unfolds, it remains to be seen how the court will rule on this matter and whether Santos will receive the damages he seeks.