Drag queen and RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars winner Trixie Mattel called out New York Republican Representative George Santos after he complained about "terrible" impressions from actors who've impersonated him on television.
Indeed, quite a few comedians, including Saturday Night Live alumnus Jon Lovitz, have taken on the role of Santos on different programs since he admitted to "embellishing" his résumé following a New York Times investigation into lies he told about his life.
Instead of focusing on investigations into his possible financial crimes, Santos complained he's "now been enshrined in late night TV history with all these impersonations," calling them “all TERRIBLE.”
He added:
“Jon Lovitz is supposed to be one of the greatest comedians of all time and that was embarrassing— for him not me! These comedians need to step their game up.”
You can see Santos' tweet below.
Santos' tweet soon caught the attention of Trixie Mattell—who appeared on the seventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race and won the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars before starring in DIY/reality/talk show Trixie Motel.
If all of these impersonations were indeed as "TERRIBLE" as Santos says, Mattel suggested, it might be because "the source material was weak."
Santos responded a short time later to knock Mattel's "acting skills" during her time on Drag Race.
“I am not an actor! I was young and I had fun at a festival!” Mattel replied, a reference to Santos’ response to a report in which former acquaintances said he was a drag queen performing under the name "Kitara Ravache" while living in Brazil.
Many appreciated Mattel's comeback.
Although Santos tried to distance himself from the story of his drag performer past, video footage and photos show he did at one point have aspirations about pursuing a drag career.
The story is particularly striking because Santos is aligned with homophobes and transphobes who have targeted drag performers for violence—an extension of the "groomer" rhetoric that has gripped the right-wing as of late.
