There are liars and then there's George Santos,
who's been the target of many hilarious jokes and sketches on Jimmy Kimmel Live! But Kimmel's
audience thought one joke about the fabulist New York Congressman went too far. Here's why.
What's a fact and what's a lie? This is the ultimate question that comes
up when dissecting the behavior of New York Congressman George Santos,
who has fabricated dozens of stories that range from where he went to high school
to his religion to his past work. Yup, Santos has been known to be shady, to say the least.
While Santos' claims have wreaked havoc in the political sphere, notable comedians have
capitalized on the Congressman's unbelievable tales. One such comic is Jimmy Kimmel,
who frequently throws digs at various political figures. As is typical in stand-up comedy,
some jokes go over well and others, perhaps, should've required deeper probing beforehand.
Well, let's just say that Kimmel's recent joke about Santos didn't quite land.
First, a little backstory. About five years ago, George Santos found himself in hot water
for a puppy-related incident in Pennsylvania. According to CNN, the Congressman was charged
with "theft by deception" for writing a string of bad checks to dog breeders,
which included an Amish farmer. The whopping total of checks that
bounced came out to more than $15,000. The farmer recalled the event, telling the CNN,
"He says, 'We are going to take that puppy and that puppy.' And his assistant
grabs the two puppies, takes them out the door, and he pulls out a check."
"I was like, 'Oh no, is this guy going to pay me with a check?' By then I was very suspicious."
Despite the evidence presented, however, charges against Santos were eventually expunged in 2021.
But in Jimmy Kimmel's mind, these unfortunate circumstances made for a perfect comedic set-up.
During his monologue on a February 15, 2023 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel joked:
"Stealing puppies from the Amish? This could be the crime of the century. The 18th century."
The audience burst into laughter,
but not for long. After a series of Santos quips, Kimmel added,
"And the big question is, what did he do with the puppies? I mean,
is this what his sweater vests are made out of?"
The crowd collectively whimpered, clearly upset by the thought of dead
puppies donning Santos' torso. Kimmel caught on fast, saying,
"Don't worry. It's just a joke, guys."
His most recent might have been a miss, but this is not Jimmy Kimmel's first time
taking a swing at George Santos and his many lies. In January, Santos' former roommate,
Gregory Morey-Parker spoke to CNN, accusing the Congressman of wearing a Burberry scarf
he stole from him to the January 6, 2021 Stop The Steal rally. Not one to pass up a good joke,
Kimmel took a jab at Santos during a January 18, 2023 episode of his show, quipping,
"Hey, what's the problem? Stealing was the theme
of the rally! Of course you're gonna… The Burberry bandit is on the loose."
During his interview with CNN host Anderson Cooper,
Morey-Parker also reiterated previous claims that Santos embezzled thousands of dollars
paid in donations for a sick service dog. Kimmel joked about the allegation:
"He's literally a Scooby-Doo villain at this point."
Taking things up a notch, the show used parody in another episode, with actor Nelson
Franklin playing Santos in what turned out to be a hilarious skit. As a nod to the theft allegations,
the skit sees Santos steal a wallet from a man's pocket and a scarf from a woman's neck.
Whereas it's difficult to keep track of all of Santos' lies, the deeper you dig,
the bolder his fabrications become. For instance, during his 2022 Congressional bid, Santos took
credit for helping produce the 2011 rock musical Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. However, the timing
just didn't add up, as Santos reportedly attended Baruch College then. In addition,
the actual producers of the musical noted that he didn't play a part in the process at all.
The Congressman has also lied about his mother, Fatima Devolder, being one of the survivors of
the 9/11 attack before dying of cancer a few years later. According to NBC News,
Devolder was living in Brazil at the time of the attacks and did not come
to the United States until 2003. In fact, as a report in the New York Post confirms,
Santos' mother actually died "more than 15 years and 3 months after the attacks."