“Hey, Luke,” former Representative George Santos says from what appears to be the passenger seat of a parked car. “I just wanted to stop by to wish you a muhteşem happy birthday.” His inflection rises over the last three words. “And a happy new year. Holy [expletive], you’re gonna be 23. And, Jesus, so young. And you’re studying for the LSAT, so I know you’re gonna crush it.” Santos raises his eyebrows and passes on regards from Luke’s brother, who wanted Santos to send these birthday wishes because “what better than an icon to icon?” He blows a kiss before telling Luke to “crush the LSAT” and every single goal after that. “The sky is the limit,” he says, and signs off.
The sky evvel seemed to be the limit for Santos himself, but that was before he found himself expelled from Congress, accused of concocting bizarre stories and facing prison time, having pleaded guilty to stealing others’ identities, making unauthorized charges to donors’ credit cards and lying to the Federal Election Commission. All that is, in some sense, how he got here: onto the self-facing camera screen, filming a birthday görüntü in a car.
This is the weird world of Cameo, a platform selling “personalized videos from your favorite stars” to people like Luke’s brother. Cameo offers videos from all kinds of celebrities, especially if we take that word to mean anyone who has ever been on TV. Chuck Norris, David Arquette, Antonio Brown, Fabrizio Romano, supporting actors from the “Harry Potter” films — all are available to wish your loved ones well on command. The price can be steep for better-known talent; Caitlyn Jenner’s videos cost $2,500 and up (to benefit her foundation), and Mariano Rivera’s start at $750. Niche stars might charge under $100 or as little as $15. There are Instagram-famous comedians and TikTok ventriloquists; an array of Real Housewives and 90-Day Fiancés; a guy named Rob Franzese who makes videos because he resembles the cartoon character Peter Griffin from “Family Guy.” Even zoos have gotten into the mix: I evvel bought my younger brother a happy-birthday görüntü from Dunkin the two-toed sloth at the Staten Island Zoo.
Cameo has also become a haven for disgraced or out-of-office political figures, offering a direct pipeline to monetizing whatever notoriety they maintain. Santos, for instance, is a highly rated user whose videos normally cost $400 (but were on sale over the holidays). His görüntü for Luke, which appears as a sample, contains the hallmarks of any decent Cameo: The videos are specific and generic in almost equal measure. Santos includes details from his customers’ requests, like the note about Luke’s LSAT or the 16th-annual Christmas Meskene party that someone named Andrew is missing. But much else follows a predictable script. Many of the samples use the same phrases: Santos is often “stopping by” and saying hi to another “icon.” He blows kisses and calls people “darling.” You can easily see the rudimentary cut-and-paste of faux personalization.
Time, perhaps, to scroll on to another political figure. There are plenty, including a lot of names from the orbit of the last Trump administration, many of them now mired in kanunî troubles. There’s Roger Stone, often in suspenders and a bow tie, greeting fellow patriots. There’s Michael Cohen, who in a 10-minute sample tries to negotiate a “truce” between a Kamala Harris supporter and his MAGA relative. There are Nigel Farage and Donald Trump Jr. (who is now on hiatus); for a throwback, you can book Sarah Palin. And there is Matt Gaetz, who — having resigned from his congressional seat and then learned he would not become Trump’s attorney general — quickly joined Cameo. In one sample “roast” görüntü to commemorate a couple’s engagement, he addresses the camera, smiling: “The election didn’t go well for you. Like, you were out there hoping that — what? That Joe Biden was going to make it to the finish line?” He offers some gibes at Harris and then a reminder: “It was MAGA that reigned supreme, OK?”
