George Santos, Republican ex-congressman, licensed grifter and unlikely homosexual icon, is now on Cameo.
Santos’ stint in Congress — checkered with a slew of criminal fraud charges, a House ethics committee probe and allegations of misspending marketing campaign funds on bills like Botox and OnlyFans subscriptions — ended final week when fellow representatives voted to expel him from the Home in a 311-114 vote.
The previous New York consultant is now pivoting to Cameo as a self-proclaimed “Former congressional Icon,” charging $200 per personalised video. The vary of doable content material contains recommendation, gossip, pep talks, roasts and answering questions. On the time of writing, Santos already bought 100 movies on Cameo, and briefly suspended future gross sales.
If $200 is just too steep for a 30 to 60 second video, you may also message Santos straight for simply $9.99 – although Cameo notes that “you are not guaranteed a response” even if you happen to pay the charge.
Picture Credit: Screenshot through Cameo
When Santos initially debuted the Cameo account on Monday morning, the price of a single video was $75, as Wired first reported. He has remodeled a dozen public Cameos since launching his account, including one addressed to Nebraska State Senator Megan Hunt, wherein he inspired her to face by her convictions as she faces “tough heat in the press.”
“So this is about you, Megan,” Santos mentioned. “Be yourself unapologetically. Just make sure that you don’t buy into the hate and stand your ground and don’t let them force you out.”
Hunt, who left the Democratic celebration earlier this yr and is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has been a staunch advocate in opposition to banning gender affirming care, and has been harassed by conservative teams over her assist of her trans son. Her political stances are diametrically against these of Santos’, who has endorsed legislation that would restrict LGBTQ+ rights regardless of being homosexual himself.
On X (previously Twitter), Hunt clarified that the Cameo was a present from a pal, and advised against truly shopping for the movies from Santos.
“To be clear, George Santos is a transphobic fool who has defrauded and harmed people, who says what he has to say to get attention and probably doesn’t hold any personal moral convictions, and also I agree with the advice in this video,” Hunt posted.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) claimed that he commissioned a Cameo from Santos, addressed to his “ethically-challenged colleague” Sen. Bob Menendez (R-NJ).
Regardless of his serial lying and record of anti-LGBTQ+ stances, Santos has develop into a popular culture icon as a result of he’s entertaining. His flagrant disregard for political etiquette and flamboyant public persona are best meme fodder; when he was expelled from Congress, the phrase “DIVA DOWN” trended on X.
Whether or not or not his followers would truly need him to carry any legislative energy is debatable. His Cameo launch is his newest scheme to get the general public’s consideration in an obvious pivot to being an influencer. Now that his congressional profession is over, Santos is milking his web recognition by deriding different New York representatives as “clowns” and “pompous assholes” on X. He additionally teased a collaboration with comic Ziwe, who floated a pay-per-view look on her satirical interview sequence.
Will he leverage his memeability to additional his political profession? Unclear. However getting expelled from Congress isn’t sufficient to eliminate him – the net fascination with Santos solely bolsters his try at a redemption arc.
It helps that popular culture has a soft spot for scam narratives. Convicted grifters like Anna “Delvey” Sorokin and Elizabeth Holmes have rebranded themselves as girlboss people heroes who flew too near the solar. Fictionalized retellings of their tales on Netflix and Hulu painting the ladies as sympathetically formidable, as an alternative of criminals who defrauded buyers with lofty guarantees.
Following within the footsteps of those that grifted earlier than him, Santos can be making strikes to memorialize himself as congressional diva, quite than a corrupt politician going through prices of identification theft and bank card fraud. HBO already optioned the rights to the e book “The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos,” which printed final week.
Cultural relevance is priceless, and on-line platforms like Cameo supply even essentially the most egregious public figures a gentle touchdown of their fall from grace. Santos is the sixth ever consultant to be expelled from the Home, and the primary to be ousted with out supporting the Confederacy or being convicted of a federal crime. Earlier than the creator financial system was a viable trade, a redemption arc like this is able to have been unthinkable. However with sassy Cameo movies and strategic appearances on viral speak reveals, Santos will keep within the highlight slightly longer.
