Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Ziwe drops sneak peek of ‘explosive’ George Santos interview - with his off-camera pleas

The interview is billed as what happens ‘when a jokester and a national joke’ sit across from one another

Mike Bedigan
Los Angeles
Sunday 17 December 2023 13:13 EST
Comments
Ziwe drops trailer for George Santos interview

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A new trailer for the highly anticipated interview with disgraced former congressman George Santos and internet comedian Ziwe has been released.

The “bombshell” interview is billed as what happens “when a jokester and a national joke” sit across from one another, and promises tough questions.

The interview was arranged shortly after Mr Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives earlier this month. More than a hundred Republicans joined almost all Democrats in voting to remove him from the chamber.

He was approached by Ziwe on X, who wrote: “would you be interested in a pay-per-view interview? you’d be an iconic guest”. “Let’s do it,” Mr Santos replied.

In the trailer released on Sunday, Ziwe is heard posing questions to the former New York representative including “What can we do to get you to go away?”, as well as addressing accusations of racism and transphobia.

The clip also shows Mr Santos asking the comedian to be “mindful with the DOJ stuff” in reference to investigations into his conduct.

The interview is set to be released on Monday at 11am ET.

Mr Santos is one of only a handful of lawmakers ever to be ousted from such a role, following a damning 56-page report from the House Ethics Committee which outlined “substantial evidence” that he violated federal law.

In total, 311 members voted to remove him from the House, easily crossing the two-thirds threshold of 290 – 114 members voted against his removal, two voted present, and eight didn’t vote.

Mr Santos was mercilessly parodied on Saturday Night Live
Mr Santos was mercilessly parodied on Saturday Night Live (SNL)

Prior to the apparently tongue-and-cheek interview, Mr Santos has already become a figure of ridicule in popular culture, having been mercilessly parodied on Saturday Night Live.

He has also reportedly made thousands of dollars on celebrity video message platform Cameo.

Ziwe’s talk show, Ziwe, debuted on Showtime in 2021 and ran for two seasons before its cancellation in April this year.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in