Former Congressman George Santos (R-N.Y.) sued Jimmy Kimmel on Saturday over alleged misuse of Cameo videos the lawmaker has made since his expulsion from the House of Representatives.
The former New York congressman filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, suing the late-night TV host for fraud, breach of contract, unjust enrichment and copyright infringement. ABC and Disney were also named as defendants in the lawsuit.
Kimmel requested at least 14 videos from Santos on Cameo, a video-sharing website where celebrities sell personalized videos.
Kimmel filed motions citing “false names and narratives.” According to the lawsuit, these requests were sent from “fake user profiles” that Kimmel created as part of a “scam.”
The late-night show “misrepresented itself as a multi-user” when it requested Santos' cameos, says the lawsuit, first reported by the New York Post. Santos is seeking at least $750,000 in damages.
“Kimmel selected the personal use licenses for all of the Cameo Videos with the intent to violate those licenses by broadcasting and commercially exploiting the Cameo Videos on national television,” the filing states.
Santos' cameo videos were first shown on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in December, the lawsuit says. It is also said that Kimmel joked about being sued by Santos during a December 11 episode of his late night show.
“Could you imagine George Santos suing me for fraud,” Kimmel said at the time. “I mean, how good would that be? It would be like a dream come true. Since I started buying his videos, his prices have increased to as much as $500 each. He should thank me for buying these videos.”
Santos' attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Kimmel on Dec. 12, demanding the videos be removed from TikTok and YouTube accounts associated with the late-night show.
Santos on Saturday saidin connection with the lawsuit filed: “Fuck around and find out.”
The Hill has reached out to Disney, ABC and Kimmel.
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