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Jimmy Kimmel is currently feuding with former Congressman George Santos over personalized video service Cameo, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The host of the upcoming Oscars asked his audience Tuesday night, “Did anyone else get sued by George Santos this weekend?”
“I am currently embroiled in what may be the most preposterous lawsuit of all time,” he continued.
Kimmel is reportedly being sued by Santos for $750,000 and damages for fraud.
Jimmy Kimmel v George Santos: Cameo battle
He said that the ex-congressman filed a lawsuit against him, his company as well as Walt Disney because “we did a nice thing, because we supported him by ordering his Cameo videos.”
Ever since Santos was removed from the US House of Representatives, he has taken to making Cameo videos. These video have been making their rounds of social media. In December 2023, Kimmel anonymously requested videos from Santos' account, and has asked personalized videos of the ex-congressman reading fake stories. He then aired some of these as part of “Will Santos Say It?” a new segment on his show.
The way Cameo works, according to its website, is in four steps: look for a celebrity, write what you want them to say, and they have seven days to record a video with your message and it will be sent to you, then you can either share the video or keep it for yourself.
On Tuesday, Kimmel said that Santos accused him of deceiving him to get the Cameo videos and then using these on his show.
“He says we deceived him under the guise of fandom soliciting personalized videos, only to then broadcast these on national television,” he stated.
“And if there's one thing George Santos will not stand for, it's using a fake name under false pretenses,” the host continued.
Kimmel dismissed the former congressman's claim that he was duped by the late night show's messages.
He jokingly continued, “This is like getting sued for paternity by Nick Cannon,” and mentioned Santos' legal representation “by the prestigious law firm of Pot, Kettle and Black.”
Since the ex-congressman is currently facing several criminal charges which include reportedly defrauding campaign donors, using campaign contributions for personal expenses as well as lying to Congress about his financial standing.
Methinks Santos should refrain from throwing stones since he's living inside a glass house. Maybe he should just stick to doing Cameos. If you go on his page, his bio reads: “Former congressional ‘Icon'!” with the painted nail emoji and “The Expelled member of Congress from New York City.” His messages go for $20 and personalized videos for $350.
The question is, does Santos have legal grounds to sue Kimmel? According to the site's community guidelines on the use of the videos, users are asked not to “do things that are deceptive or misleading to others.” Lawyers will have to argue on what's considered “deceptive” or “misleading” since this seems wide open to interpretation.
The guidelines further state, “This includes making requests that you know (or should know) would embarrass talent, compromise their integrity, or otherwise tricking, deceiving, or misleading them.”
Knowing what almost everyone in the US knows, would starring in Kimmel via Cameo videos embarrass Santos? With everything he's done in Congress, would these videos “compromise” his integrity?
