Former New York Representative George Santos is a “Barb” (the affectionate nickname given to Nicki Minaj fans), and he just proved it by rapping “Monster.”
After Santos, 35, called Minaj a “queen” in a YouTube interview with comedian Ziwe Fumudoh — who goes by her first name only — he was asked if he was a fan of the Grammy-nominated rapper. After he responded affirmatively, Ziwe, 31, asked the former congressman to prove it.
“Pull up in the monster automobile … ,” Ziwe began, prompting Santos with lyrics to Minaj’s verse on Kanye West’s 2010 song “Monster.”
While he initially refused to participate, saying “I’m not spitting verses for you,” Santos gave in. “Gangster with a bad bitch that came from Sri Lanka,” he rapped, finishing the Minaj lyric before breaking into a laughing fit.
Santos sat down with Ziwe days after he was expelled from the House of Representatives on December 1 when a House Ethics Committee report found “substantial evidence” that he broke several laws. Santos has been indicted on 23 federal charges, allegedly committing identity theft, wire fraud and lying about his campaign finances.
The former congressman allegedly used campaign funds to make purchases at Hermès and OnlyFans, as well as on personal travel and Botox. In a 2022 New York Post interview, he admitted to lying about his background — from being a volleyball star at Baruch College (he never attended college) to his previous employment record.
“I’m embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my résumé,” Santos told the New York Post. “I own up to that.”
Since his expulsion, Santos has taken to Cameo — a video sharing website where celebrities create personalized videos for a fee — to supplement his income. While he lost his $174,000 salary as a representative, he claimed earlier this month in a CBS interview that he has made more money in a week on Cameo than he did in a year of Congress.
His Cameos — which have repeatedly gone viral on TikTok — include everything from Santos singing Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” discussing his Botox and describing his story as a “rise to congressman to fallen diva.”
Ziwe, known for her blunt interviewing style, didn’t hold back in her questioning of Santos. Just 30 seconds into the 17-minute interview, she proclaimed, “Tonight, one jokester and a national joker sit across from each other in a bombshell interview.”
In addition to testing his rapping skills, Ziwe quizzed Santos on famous civil rights leaders, prompted him to name the “frauds” in Congress and asked him, “What can we do to get you to go away?”
To the latter question, Santos replied, “Stop inviting me to your gigs.”
