George Santos Sues Jimmy Kimmel For $750K Over Late-Night Prank
Former Republican lawmaker George Santos (NY) sued Jimmy Kimmel for $750,000 - alleging copyright infringement and fraud after the late-night television host allegedly tricked Santos into making videos that were later used to mock him on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," AP reports.
If you don’t stand up for yourself you will always lose! That’s what I’m doing with this lawsuit. I’m standing my ground and fighting to uphold my legal rights. Jimmy boy thought he could use fraudulent means to violate my copyrights and now he’s going to face the consequences.…
— George Santos (@MrSantosNY) February 18, 2024
Santos had signed up for paid video speeches on Cameo, a website where (usually former) celebrities will record customized messages for a fee.
Kimmel, ABC and the Walt Disney Company are named in the suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The comedian (Kimmel) is accused of concealing his identity to obtain personalized Cameo videos for a segment titled "Will Santos Say It" which aired in December 2023. Kimmel used fake names and narratives to submit at least 14 requests for "capitalizing on and ridiculing" Santos' "gregarious personality," accrding to the lawsuit.
Jimmy pranks George Santos with crazy Cameo requests… pic.twitter.com/nV9ASocQz7
— Jimmy Kimmel Live (@JimmyKimmelLive) December 8, 2023
Five of those videos aired, one of which features Santos congratulating the winner of a meat-eating contest for the "amazing and impressive" feat of consuming six pounds of ground beef in less than 30 minutes.
"Frankly, Kimmel’s fake requests were funny, but what he did was clear violation of copyright law," Santos' attorney, Robert Fantone, told AP.
Santos, meanwhile, faces a slew of criminal charges for allegedly defrauding campaign donors, lying to Congress about his wealth, and receiving unemployment benefits while employed.
So - essentially jaywalking tickets in the context of DC politics.