Former Rep. George Santos filed a civil suit against Jimmy Kimmel on Saturday accusing the late-night TV host of using fake names to request Cameo videos from the former lawmaker and then misusing them on his show.
Santos sued Kimmel for copyright infringement, fraud, breach of contract and unjust enrichment. He seeks compensation of no less than $750,000.
Kimmel made at least 14 requests for clips on the site Cameo, where celebrities sell short, personalized video messages, Santos said in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The lawsuit says Kimmel provided “false names and narratives,” and sent “fake requests…from fake user profiles created by Kimmel as part of the scam.” The lawsuit was first reported by New York Post.
It says Kimmel “selected personal use licenses for all Cameo videos with the intent to violate those licenses by broadcasting and commercially exploiting the Cameo videos on national television.”
Representatives for Kimmel did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday. NBC News has also reached out to ABC and Disney, both defendants, for comment.
The suit says Kimmel began using the videos on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” In December, he told his fans that Santos had a “new gig making videos on Cameo for $400 a pop” and that Kimmel couldn't resist sending him “ridiculous requests.” Some video clips played during a segment titled “Would Santos Say That?”
During a Dec. 11 episode of the show, Kimmel joked about the possibility of a lawsuit against Santos, according to the lawsuit.
“Can you imagine if George Santos sued me for fraud? I mean how good would that be? It would be a dream come true,” Kimmel said, according to the lawsuit. “So since I started buying his videos, his prices have gone up to $500 apiece. He should be thanking me for buying these videos.”
Kimmel then played two more videos, the suit says.
Santos' attorney sent Kimmel a cease and desist letter on December 12 and demanded that the videos be removed from the YouTube and TikTok accounts associated with the show.
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