Topline
Ousted former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) is on track to rake in more money in a matter of days from custom videos on the celebrity video platform Cameo than he earned in an entire year as a member of Congress, its CEO told Semafor—a gambit Santos is openly describing as a revenge after he was booted from the House last week for allegedly stealing from donors.
Former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., leaves the U.S. Capitol after the House voted to expel him from … [+]
Key Facts
Santos’ bookings on the platform—which lets users pay celebrities to record customized videos—have surpassed his $174,000 congressional salary, Cameo CEO Steven Galanis told Semafor.
Predicting Santos will be “an absolute whale,” Galanis said he is one of the platform’s top performers, comparing his demand with Sarah Jessica Parker’s and Bon Jovi’s.
As of Wednesday morning, Santos was listed on Cameo as the most popular celebrity, with a bio that describes him as a “former congressional ‘Icon!’💅🏼”
Santos, who had made 150 videos on the platform as of Tuesday and told Semafor he planned to “crush another 60-70” later that evening, said he views his Cameo success as payback and a way to “remind” his former colleagues, calling them as “a**holes who think they’re holier-than-thou,” that he “will live forever, period,” while they’re “forgotten in history.”
Santos, who has reportedly hired an agent, Evan Silverberg of Entertainment 360, is charging up to $400 for the videos, which average 34 seconds.
Crucial Quote
“This platform was built for him and he was built for it,” Galanis told Semafor.
Key Background
Santos became the sixth member of Congress, and the first since the Civil War without a formal conviction, to be booted from Congress Friday in a 311-114 vote. The House successfully ousted him on a third try following a damning report by the House Ethics Committee alleging he “blatantly stole” from his campaign and used the money on a high-flying lifestyle, including purchases on Botox, at Hermes and OnlyFans and trips to Atlantic City and the Hamptons. Santos’ Cameos often make light of his situation—in one spot commissioned by Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) as a tongue-in-cheek jab at indicted Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Santos offers advice and encouragement to “Bobby.” In a video for a New York University student, Santos called the school “you know, my not-so-real MBA,” referencing one of his own admitted lies. Santos’ web of deceit will also be chronicled in what’s being described as a “forensic and darkly comic” HBO film, a representative previously told Forbes.
What To Watch For
Santos has pleaded not guilty to 23 federal fraud related charges accusing him of stealing his donors’ identities and making unauthorized purchases on their credit cards, defrauding the national Republican party by lying about how much money his campaign brought in and making false statements on his campaign finance reports. The accusations could send him to prison for decades if convicted.
