George Santos sues late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for tricking him into making videos to ridicule him

NEW YORK — Former U.S. Rep. George Santos alleged in a lawsuit filed Saturday in New York that late-night host Jimmy Kimmel tricked him into making videos on the Cameo app that were used to ridicule the show’s disgraced lawmaker.

The lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York names Kimmel, ABC and Walt Disney Co. as defendants. A Disney representative listed as a media contact for the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Santos, a New York Republican who was expelled from the House of Representatives last year, is suing for alleged copyright infringement, fraudulent inducement, breach of contract and unjust enrichment.

Kimmel misrepresented himself to induce Santos to create personalized videos that capitalized on and ridiculed his “fun personality,” the lawsuit alleges.

Through Cameo, Santos received requests from individuals and companies looking for personalized video messages. Unbeknownst to Santos, Kimmel submitted at least fourteen requests using false names and stories, according to the complaint.

Starting in December, the videos started playing in the segment “Will Santos Say It?” says the suit.

“Frankly, Kimmel’s false requests were funny, but what he did was a clear violation of copyright law,” Santos’ attorney Robert Fantone said in an email.

Santos is seeking statutory damages totaling $750,000 for the five videos he created that were played on the show and on various social media platforms. He also requests that other damages be assessed at trial.

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