Key Takeaways:
– Disgraced former NY Representative George Santos files a lawsuit against talk show host Jimmy Kimmel
– Santos accuses Kimmel of fooling him into personalized video production through Cameo, later aired on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
– Santos is alleging copyright infringement, fraud, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment
– The sum of $150,000 is being sought for each alleged infringement, totaling $750,000 for five videos
– Santos demands that all related content be removed from platforms such as YouTube and TikTok
Ex-New York Congressman, George Santos, is suing comedian Jimmy Kimmel. The lawsuit filed this past weekend in Manhattan federal court claims that Kimmel tricked Santos into creating personalized videos which were then broadcasted on Kimmel’s talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
The lawsuit stems from a sketch on the show titled “Will Santos Say It?”, where Kimmel revealed that since being ousted from Congress on fraud and campaign finance charges, Santos switched careers. He now creates personalized videos for fans on the Cameo, a platform that facilitates customized video production by celebrities and notable figures.
The lawsuit, according to documents obtained from the Daily news, accuses Kimmel and his production team of deception. It alleges that they used fictitious names and stories, requesting a total of 14 clips via the Cameo app. It also claims the show’s staff deliberately chose “personal use licenses” for the videos, with full intent to breach the license by broadcasting the content on national television.
In some of the clips shown on “Will Santos Say It?”, Santos is seen congratulating a supposed fan for winning a meat-eating competition as well as praising another for cloning her dog. These were all scripted under false pretenses, as stated in the suit.
Kimmel’s remarks during his show aired on December 11 form part of the suit, “Could you imagine if I get sued by George Santos for fraud? It would be like a dream come true,” Kimmel said. “Since I started buying his videos, his rates went way up to $500 a piece. He should be thanking me for buying these videos.”
In response to these comments, Santos served Kimmel with a cease-and-desist letter the next day. Santos’s attorney, Andrew Mancilla told the Daily News, “Kimmel committed copyright infringement and fraud against George in the name of ‘comedy’ and then asked us to sue him, all on national television. So we did.”
The suit includes ABC and Disney and alleges copyright infringement, fraud, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment. Santos is seeking $150,000 in statutory damages for each case of alleged infringement. This totals to $750,000 over the course of five videos. In addition to financial compensation, Santos is demanding the removal of these videos from social sharing platforms, YouTube and TikTok, that are associated with the show.
At this time, representatives from either party have not issued any formal statements about the lawsuit. The case remains pending in the Manhattan federal court.