After teasing it on social media over the last few weeks, Ziwe – the comedian known for her barbed interviews with un-self-aware figures from all walks of life – took on George Santos, the former New York representative expelled from Congress on December 1 after being charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, identity theft, and credit card fraud among other things. Santos’s wayward ways (and immediate transition to Cameo) have made him into a bit of a meme, especially among Gen Z and millennials, despite his transphobic views and support for anti-LGBTQ+ laws, or his seemingly pathological lying about things like his mother working in the World Trade Center on 9/11. So an interview with Ziwe, who is known for baiting her guests into admitting their faults, shortcomings, and biases, felt like kind of an internet no-brainer.
The day after Santos was kicked out of Congress, Ziwe tweeted at him, saying he’d be an “iconic guest” and it only took the former congressman until the next day to respond, “Let’s do it.” We still haven’t decided if these two are a match made in hell or heaven, but regardless, here’s what you missed on the Ziwe x Santos showdown.
- When asked to identify a list of Civil Rights era leaders: “Who the hell is James Baldwin? [Harvey Milk?] I have no clue who that is.”
- “Republicans and Democrats alike are swampy, slimy people selling this country down a river,” insisted Santos. Following this proclamation, Ziwe asked if he could name specific people in Congress who are frauds, to which Santos replied, “They’re all frauds.” Ziwe then pushed him to name names and he demurred before she listed a group of people for him to weigh in on, fraud-wise. According to Santos, Marjorie Taylor Green, and Matt Gates are not frauds, and Kevin McCarthy, Lindsey Graham, Bob Menendez, and Dan Goldman are. Take that as you will.
- In response to a question about how many Black friends he has: “I have plenty [of Black friends]. I have too many to count. Seriously,… I don’t see color. I grew up in Queens.”
- Santos apparently thinks the country needs more independent thinkers. Ziwe asked, “Like Jill Stein?”
Santos: “[Jill Stein] is a Russian asset, according to Hillary Clinton, and I believe Hillary on that one. [I’m an asset] of no one.” - Ziwe asked how many people in Congress Santos could beat in a lip sync battle. He said all of them. If he had to choose a song, he’d choose, "'I Will Survive' because it’s cliché. Why not?”
- “[Gen Z] progressives are the future and they need to slay the boots house down.”
- “If a politician’s mouth is moving on Capitol Hill, they’re lying to you. I’m not a politician. Never was, never will be.” (Yes, he certainly was a politician.)
- When asked if he supported a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War, Santos said, “I hate war. Peace is the way to go.” He went on to say he does not support a ceasefire.
- Ziwe asked Santos if he would rather shoplift from Sephora or Ulta and he responded, “Neither. I don’t do petty crimes.” In her trademark quick fashion, she quipped, “White collar!” He looked stumped.
- In a moment that immediately set off internet chatter, Santos reversed Ziwe’s footing somewhat when she asked him if he was like Tinkerbell: Would he disappear if people stopped clapping? He said he wouldn’t. “What could we do to get you to go away?” Ziwe asked. He answered for all of us: “Stop inviting me to your gigs.” Which, like, good point.
“The lesson is stop inviting you places,” Ziwe said and he answered quickly, “But you can’t. People want the content.” - Finally, Santos: “I think I do [have empathy]. I believe I do. I couldn’t define it.”
You can watch the whole interview on Ziwe's Youtube channel.
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