Ziwe interviews George Santos: ‘What could we do to get you to go away?’
The viral writer and comedian once again interviewed an infamous public figure, this time sitting down with the infamous former congressman.
George Santos just got the Ziwe treatment.
The writer and comedian interviewed the former congressman and covered his expulsion from Congress, controversial stances on civil rights, his political future, and more.
Released on YouTube, the interview is referred to as a “ZNN” (Ziwe News Network) interview, clearly a spoof of CNN. Consisting of her signature hosting style, Ziwe’s interview is light in tone and filled with razor-sharp edits, cuts to the camera and audio and visual effects as she grills Santos right from the start.
After an on-screen message that reads, “No congressmen were paid in the making of this interview even though George asked three times,” the host dives right into asking Santos about various civil rights icons and what they mean to him, including figures like Rosa Parks, Marsha P. Johnson and James Baldwin, the latter of whom Santos revealed he did not know.
As theGrio previously reported, Santos was expelled from Congress earlier this month after facing 13 criminal charges, including wire fraud, theft of public funds, and money laundering. His tenure made headlines, as he reportedly used campaign funds for OnlyFans, Botox, makeup and more, all topics Ziwe addressed with him.
“I’ve always worked, Ziwe, so yeah, my own money,” Santos responded when Ziwe asked how he paid for his Botox and lavish lifestyle. “Like everything else I own.”
Ziwe asked him about other politicians, many of whom he called “frauds,” including Kevin McCarthy, Lindsey Graham, Bob Menendez, and Dan Goldman. “They’re all frauds. If you were to put them all under the same scrutiny I was under, you’d f—ing vacate the whole g–damn building.”
One moment already going viral on the internet is an exchange where Ziwe gets Santos to say the word, “Icon” repeatedly. After obliging, Ziwe then chimes in, saying, “You, con,” referring of course, to his recent expulsion and various lies to the public. Ziwe even asked Santos, “What could we do to get you to go away?” He replied, “Stop inviting me to your gigs.”
Entertainment
The interview resembles many interviews fans have come to know Ziwe for years now, as she worked on her own YouTube series “Baited With Ziwe” before going viral in 2020 for conducting Instagram Live interviews with various celebrities. Her success led to her own show on Showtime, “Ziwe,” which ran for two seasons. Earlier this year, Ziwe released her first book of essays, “Black Friend.”
Days after Santos’ expulsion, Ziwe took to X (formerly Twitter) to ask Santos if he would agree to an interview with her, writing, “.@MrSantosNY would you be interested in a pay-per-view interview? you’d be an iconic guest.”
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