Who could have possibly guessed that sitting down with Ziwe would be a disaster for disgraced former congressman George Santos? Everyone. Literally, everyone.
The interview between "one jokester and a national joke" is finally here — and it didn't disappoint.
Comedian and late-night talk show host Ziwe recently sat down with disgraced congressman George Santos to ask hard-hitting questions, such as "What could we do to get you to go away?" and "What excites you most about going to prison?"
In the interview, broadcast to her YouTube channel Monday, Ziwe noted that "No congressmen were paid in the making of this interview. Even though Santos asked. Three times."
She began by testing the out Republican on his knowledge of LGBTQ+ history, including some of the most famous advocates for gay liberation. Santos did not appear to know of Marsha P. Johnson, as he was unable to name anything she did, instead saying she was honorable for "all the stances and all the work." Santos admitted he had "no idea" who Harvey Milk was.
Ziwe then asked Santos about his recent historic expulsion from the House of Representatives. The New Yorker became the sixth person to ever be expelled from Congress earlier this month after an ethics investigation revealed, among other things, he had misused campaign funds for personal expenses — including luxury goods and OnlyFans subscriptions.
Santos is now facing 23 federal charges but repeatedly insisted to Ziwe that all politicians are corrupt in some way. When she questioned if that also makes him corrupt, Santos responded: "I'm not a politician. I never was."
Santos has repeatedly said that he has evidence of corruption among other members of Congress, but would not share it when pressed by Ziwe. Still, he continued to insist: "If you were to put [other lawmakers] under the same scrutiny I was under, you'd have to vacate the whole fucking building."
Santos also revealed that he has no plans to retire from politics, and may even run again "not now, but in the future." He said that he would most likely switch to an Independant for his next campaign. He expects to be successful because he is younger than the vast majority of Congress, and will "outlive" them.
Ziwe poked fun at Santos' financial allegations several times, including by asking him "How many stolen credit cards did you use to pay for this look?" Santos had bragged about his suit coming from a Black-owned business just minutes after he claimed "I don't see color."
Santos admitted that he has been paying to have cosmetic procedures, such as Botox and injectable fillers since he was 25 years old. Now 35, the former lawmaker also claimed to have lost over 100lbs in the last year by taking Ozempic. He insisted that he paid for everything with "my own money."
When Santos claimed "I don't do petty crimes," Ziwe shot back: "White collar."
She then questioned the congressman's long history of lying about his personal life. Santos denied saying that 9/11 claimed his mother's life (even though he did) and that his grandparents survived the Holocaust (again, he definitely did). When Ziwe asked about a photo that shows 18-year-old Santos in drag, he confirmed its authenticity.
"[I was a drag queen] for a day, when I was 18 years old," he said, adding, "I wear far more makeup today than I did in that picture."
Santos seemed to keep offering information to his own detriment. Upon being asked, he confessed, "Maybe I can't define empathy." He also answered "No" when asked if he believes in pronouns, and at one point, bizarrely blurted: "I like paying taxes." Santos also referred to former president Donald Trump as an "icon," and claimed that he is beloved by Gen Z.
Santos took issue with some of Ziwe's questions, at one point talking down to her by responding: "You're cute. You're really cute. She's so cute."
The interviewer didn't relent, asking Santos: "What excites you most about going to prison?"
"That's below the belt," Santos responded.
Ziwe insisted: "Do you like the color orange?"
