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Former Congressman George Santos (R-N.Y.) sued Jimmy Kimmel on Saturday for alleged misuse of Cameo videos the lawmaker has been making since he was expelled from the House.
The former New York congressman filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, suing the late-night television 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 of Santos on Cameo, a video-sharing website where celebrities sell personalized videos.
Kimmel submitted applications giving “false names and narratives.” Those requests were sent from “false user profiles” made by Kimmel as part of a “fraud,” according to the lawsuit.
The late-night show “falsely represented” itself as multiple users by soliciting cameos from Santos, according to the lawsuit that was first reported by The New York Post. Santos is seeking at least $750,000 in damages.
“Kimmel chose personal use licenses for all Cameo videos with the intent to violate such licenses by broadcasting and commercially exploiting the Cameo videos on national television,” according to the document.
Santos’ cameo videos first appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in December, according to demand. It also says Kimmel joked about being sued by Santos during a Dec. 11 episode of his late-night show.
“Can you imagine if George Santos sued me for fraud?” Kimmel said at the time. “I mean, how cool would that be? It would be like a dream come true. So, since I started buying his videos, his rates went up to $500 a piece. You should thank me for purchasing these videos.”
Santos’ attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to Kimmel on Dec. 12, demanding that the videos be removed from TikTok and YouTube accounts connected to the late-night show.
Saints on Saturday sayingrelated to the filed lawsuit, “Fuck you and find out.”
The Hill has contacted Disney, ABC and Kimmel.
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