By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
George Santos is capitalizing on his notoriety, drawing an astonishingly eager crowd willing to finance the accused grifter.
George Santos, the gay former New York congressman expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives, has transitioned his notoriety into a lucrative endeavor on Cameo, a popular platform for personalized video messages.
The Republican, known for his series of fabrications and falsehoods that helped lead to his political downfall, is now capitalizing on his infamous reputation by selling video messages at a steep price of $400 each.
After losing his congressional salary due to his historic expulsion last Friday, on Monday, Santos initially offered his Cameo videos at a lower rate, quickly escalating the fees as demand surged.
Santos, who once earned $174,000 as a member of Congress, is reportedly making a significant sum through his Cameo appearances. According to Semafor, Santos has lined up more than his annual congressional salary in just 48 hours on the platform. Initially, he underpriced his videos at $75, a mistake he quickly rectified, progressively increasing his fees due to high demand.
Within a few days, he had more than quintupled his rate from $75 to $150 to $200 and now a staggering $400, showcasing a brazen approach to leveraging his scandalous fame. The rapid price increase did not deter customers; by Thursday morning, Santos had completely sold out of available video slots.
However, Santos had opened up more slots for purchase by Thursday afternoon, continuing to cash in on his newfound role as a controversial yet sought-after figure on the platform.
Cameo's founder and CEO, Steven Galanis, told Semafor that Santos “is going to be an absolute whale.” He added that the disgraced lawmaker's launch was in the same league as “Sarah Jessica Parker, Bon Jovi — he’s putting numbers up like that.”
Critics have lambasted Santos for what they perceive as shamelessly profiting from his deceptive past.
“Controversial opinion but I feel like giving George Santos money and attention is actually unnecessary and bad,” Aaron Fritschner, deputy chief of staff to Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia, posted on X Monday, Semafor reports.
Despite the backlash, Santos shows no signs of slowing down, with his Cameo venture proving to be a randomly profitable post-Congress gig.
