Former United States Rep. George Santos is suing television host Jimmy Kimmel over jokes he made on his late-night show.
In the lawsuit filed in New York district court, Santos alleges that Kimmel deceived him into making videos on the video-sharing app Cameo that were later used to ridicule him on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Santos accuses Kimmel of using phony names to submit at least 14 requests to obtain personalized videos from the former New York congressman.
In one of the clips, which aired on a segment of Kimmel's show titled "Will Santos Say It?" you can hear Santos congratulating the supposed winner of a fictional beef-eating contest, calling the feat "amazing and impressive."
The lawsuit, which also names ABC and the network's parent company, Disney, alleges copyright infringement, fraudulent inducement, breach of contract and unjust enrichment. Santos is seeking at least $750,000 in damages.
Former staffer for Rep. George Santos indicted on federal charges
The former Congressional employee was charged for reportedly impersonating an aide to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Santos was elected to the House of Representatives in 2022, and soon after, it was alleged that he had lied about much of his background and resume. It was later alleged that he had stolen the identity of campaign contributors and charged their credit cards without authorization> Last spring, federal prosecutors charged Santos with 13 counts including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress.
The House of Representatives voted 311-114 to expel Santos in December following a high-profile ethics probe that found "overwhelming evidence" that he had broken the law. He is just the sixth person in U.S. history to be expelled from Congress.
