Disgraced former congressman George Santos says he's bringing his drag-queen alter ego 'out of the closet' on Cameo
- George Santos says he's going to make Cameo videos as his drag persona, Kitara Ravache.
- Santos previously denied having been a drag queen despite evidence of him dressed in drag.
The disgraced former congressman George Santos announced on Monday that he was bringing his drag persona, Kitara Ravache, "out of the closet" for a limited time.
Santos, who was expelled from the House in December after a brief scandal-ridden stint representing New York's 3rd District, said in an X post that he'd be offering personalized Cameo videos as his drag persona.
Kitara Ravache's Cameo page says 20% of the money earned from the videos, which cost $350 each, will go to charitable causes.
The page's message to "you messy bitches" says 10% of the money will support the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which helps the families of 9/11 victims, while another 10% will go to the pro-Israel philanthropic organization the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
"It's going to be super limited to a couple of days," he said in a video on the page.
While Santos was still in Congress, images of him dressed in drag emerged. He eventually confirmed the authenticity of the photos but denied having performed as a drag queen.
Santos told reporters at the time: "I was young, and I had fun at a festival."
But comments from Eula Rochard, a drag performer from Brazil, appeared to contradict this.
Rochard said that she'd known Santos as a drag queen and that he'd competed in drag in a beauty pageant as Kitara Ravache in 2008.
A series of videos also suggested Santos had dressed as his drag persona over a period of at least three years, casting doubt on his claim that it was a one-off occurrence.
In January 2023, the "RuPaul's Drag Race" star Jan Sport said that Kitara Ravache's drag was pretty good but that Santos might be hypocritical for aligning himself with far-right lawmakers, some of whom have demonized drag queens and shows.
Several states, such as Montana, Texas, and Florida, have attempted to enact legislation prohibiting drag shows in certain public venues, with varying levels of success.
These efforts are part of a broader campaign within the Republican Party against drag culture.
Last week, Santos suspended his campaign to return to Congress.
His political career has been marred by controversy, starting with reports emerging while he was a Congressman-elect, accusing him of fabricating aspects of his life story and details of his résumé.
He's also been facing legal troubles, having pleaded not guilty to 23 fraud-related charges. He's accused of identity theft, stealing donors' credit-card details, and lying to the Federal Election Commission, and is awaiting trial.
Following his expulsion from Congress, Santos turned to Cameo as a source of income.
Semafor reported that Santos made more on the platform in 48 hours than during his entire time in Congress, where he was on a salary of $174,000.
Santos didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.