George Santos' Cameo lawsuit against Jimmy Kimmel thrown out by judge

The disgraced former Republican congressman from New York took issue with the "Will Santos Say It?" segment on "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

George Santos, the disgraced former Republican congressman from New York, has lost his legal battle against late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, whom he had accused of infringing his copyright by airing Cameo videos of Santos on Jimmy Kimmel Live without permission.

U.S. District Judge Denise Cote dismissed Santos' lawsuit Monday, ruling that "the videos were used for political commentary and criticism," and were therefore allowed under fair use.

Kimmel had obtained the videos by creating fake profiles on Cameo, a platform that allows people to pay for personalized videos from celebrities, after Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives under a cloud of scandal. Kimmel then aired the videos in a segment called "Will Santos Say It?" For the bit, Kimmel's team asked Santos to, for example, congratulate someone for cloning their dog, a schnauzer named Adolf, or for winning a beef-eating contest.

Related: George Santos sues Jimmy Kimmel over Cameo prank, seeks $750,000 for alleged fraud

Judge Cote wrote in her ruling that "a reasonable observer would understand that Jimmy Kimmel Live showed the videos to comment on the willingness of Santos — a public figure who had recently been expelled from Congress for allegedly fraudulent activity including enriching himself through a fraudulent contribution scheme — to say absurd things for money."

An attorney for Santos told Entertainment Weekly on Tuesday, "We've already filed our notice of appeal."

The dismissal of the lawsuit wasn't Santos' only legal setback Monday. He also pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft, allegations of which had spurred his expulsion from the House in December.

Related: Jimmy Kimmel explains why he 'didn't want to deal with' hosting the 2025 Oscars: 'I figured I’d take a break'

The Department of Justice said in a statement that with his plea, Santos admitted that "he filed fraudulent FEC reports, embezzled funds from campaign donors, charged credit cards without authorization, stole identities, obtained unemployment benefits through fraud, and lied in reports to the House of Representatives."

Santos is scheduled to be sentenced in the criminal case Feb. 7. He faces a mandatory minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of 22 years behind bars, as well as $373,749.97 in restitution to victims.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.