Former New York Republican Representative George Santos was roasted after announcing that fans can now book his drag persona Kitara Ravache to film personalized videos on Cameo for a "limited time" after previously claiming that reports he'd performed in drag were "categorically false."
Santos made headlines several months ago for joining Cameo, a site that allows fans to send a video request to celebrities to send personalized video messages to fans' friends, loved ones, or to the fans themselves.
But he's long denied he was a drag queen under the name "Kitara Ravache" while living in Brazil, calling it an "outrageous claim" he alleged was made up by the media.
His drag past came back to haunt him after a Brazilian drag queen named Eula Rochard, who knew Santos under the name "Anthony," told reporters that Santos was a "poor" drag queen who could only afford a simple black dress when he started but was nonetheless "always a liar" and a "dreamer" who wanted to be Miss Gay Rio de Janeiro.
In 2008, the drag queen said, Santos competed in a pageant and lost.
There is nothing wrong with drag, but Santos is aligned with homophobes and transphobes who target LGBTQ+ people and specifically drag performers for violence. And now, just days after dropping his bid to return to Congress, he's attempting to capitalize on his past despite his previous denials.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Santos announced he'd officially resurrected his drag persona:
"Y'all weren't ready for this drop? I've decided to bring Kitara out of the closet after 18 years!"
Santos added that he would donate 10 percent of the proceeds to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, which provides mortgage-free homes to families of injured and fallen first responders.
Another 10 percent will go to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, a nonprofit organization focused on fostering Jewish-Christian relations and assisting Jews in returning to their biblical homeland.
He concluded:
"Book your Kitara [Cameo] on the link below!"
You can see his post below.
No one was impressed by Santos' latest grift.
Santos, who has been mired in scandal since New York Times reporters unearthed multiple lies he'd told about his life story, recently made headlines for alleging that talk show host Jimmy Kimmel had committed fraud over several Cameo videos that aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
In February, he filed a lawsuit against Kimmel and ABC, alleging the use of "deceitful tactics." He claims that Kimmel paid him to record video messages, which were then played on Kimmel's show without proper consent.
In a December segment titled "Will Santos Say It?" Kimmel used pseudonyms to purchase videos from Santos on Cameo. The videos featured Santos reading outlandish messages, such as wishing a friend well after winning a beef-eating contest.
Santos is pursuing legal action against Kimmel for copyright infringement, fraud, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment, seeking $750,000 in damages.
Santos has nonetheless coasted on his notoriety to profit on Cameo. He announced he'd joined the platform last year, appearing during the holiday season as "Santos Claus"—donning a Santa Claus-inspired hat and beard—and promising content to those "looking for a sassy, awesome Christmas message from yours truly."
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