George Santos Sues Jimmy Kimmel for Allegedly Tricking Him Into Making Cameo Videos

Santos is seeking at least $750,000 in damages.

February 19, 2024

Side-by-side images of two men smiling, one in a dark suit with a bow tie, the other in a traditional suit with a tie — (Photo by Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images), (Randy Holmes / Disney via Getty Images)

George Santos is suing Jimmy Kimmel for allegedly tricking him into making Cameo videos.

On Saturday, the former congressman filed a lawsuit accusing the late-night TV host of using fake names and getting him to record videos on Cameo that were used to make fun of the politician during a segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Santos claimed Kimmel's actions violated Cameo's terms of service, were copyright infringement, fraudulent inducement, a breach of contract, and unjust enrichment. He's seeking at least $750,000 in damages.

The lawsuit was filed in U.S. district court for the southern district of New York, and Kimmel, ABC, and Walt Disney Co. were named as defendants. According to the lawsuit, Kimmel misrepresented himself in order for Santos to create videos "capitalizing on and ridiculing" his "gregarious personality." Kimmel had allegedly sent 14 requests under different monikers on Cameo.

The lawsuit also stated that Kimmel aired five different videos in a segment titled "Will Santos Say It?" in December that poked fun at Santos.

Santos was booted from his House of Representatives seat after he was charged with multiple federal offenses, including fraud, money laundering, and theft. He spent 11 months in his seat in the House but was initially met with controversy.

The violations include lying about his mother dying in the September 11 attacks, stealing $3,000 from the GoFundMe page of a disabled veteran's dying service dog, playing college volleyball, and more. In October, Santos pled not guilty to revised charges accusing him of even more fraud.