In a must-watch, cringe-filled encounter, comedian Ziwe sits down with scandal-plagued former Congressman George Santos for an 18-minute interview packed with sharp wit, awkward moments, and surprising revelations – from drag queens and Botox to prison and politics. Watch as Santos dodges tough questions with humor and audacity, promising, “I’ll be back,” while Ziwe expertly probes the man who has become a national spectacle.
This was a pairing the internet asked for, and Ziwe – who started in 2017 with a show on YouTube (and later Instagram Live) called Baited with Ziwe before moving the program to Showtime – Twitter.
Ziwe’s interviews are sort of gonzo cringe, designed to make guests embarrass themselves and stumble their way through questions. Grilling a former House member who has just been dismissed for lying seems like a match made in heaven.
They finally came together sometime in early December (per Ziwe’s Instagram promo of the interview, at least). And with the conversation now live on the internet, here’s the best way to watch George Santos’ first sit-down interview after getting expelled from Congress.
How to watch the Ziwe/George Santos interview
To watch the highly anticipated interview between Ziwe and George Santos, you can stream the full conversation on Ziwe’s official YouTube channel. The interview was released on December 18, 2023, and is available to watch for free starting at 11 a.m. EST that day. In this nearly 18-minute video, Ziwe engages Santos with sharp, satirical questions about his time in Congress, controversies, and future plans. The interview is notable for its candid and humorous tone, with fact-checks and on-screen graphics adding context throughout. Fans can find it by searching “Ziwe Interview – George Santos Is an Iconic Guest” on YouTube or by visiting Ziwe’s channel directly.
While Ziwe was an internet phenomenon, Showtime actually canceled the program earlier this year. Luckily for fans of hers, that means her interview is just streaming on YouTube, as of 11 a.m. EST on Monday.
Although Ziwe asked Santos for a “pay-per-view” interview, the video is available on YouTube for free.
How long is George Santos’ interview with Ziwe?
The interview between George Santos and Ziwe lasts approximately 17 to 18 minutes. During this time, Ziwe engages Santos with her signature confrontational style, covering topics from his political career and controversies to lighter subjects like Drag Race and LGBTQ icons, while mostly avoiding direct discussion of his federal criminal charges. The interview was released on YouTube and has been described as a mix of unfiltered questions, roundabout answers, and awkward moments, highlighting Santos’ ongoing presence in the public eye despite his recent expulsion from Congress.
The interview is about 17 minutes long. In it, Ziwe puts Santos in the hot seat as she always does, asking him how many Black friends he has, who else in Congress is lying or committing fraud, and whether he plans to run for office again (he’s not ruling it out).
Santos’ expulsion came after several reports of him lying about his record, a damning investigation from the House Ethics Committee into those reports, and an indictment by federal prosecutors in May for allegedly defrauding his donors and embezzling campaign funds. It’s a remarkably rare thing for the House of Representatives to do; Santos is just the third congressman since the Civil War to be voted out by their colleagues (and the sixth overall). Seventeen minutes is not quite enough minutes to get into all that, but Ziwe does address a few of his scandals.
How did Ziwe manage to get George Santos to reveal his true thoughts
Ziwe managed to get George Santos to reveal his true thoughts by using her trademark satirical, straight-faced interview style that combined awkward pauses, sharp humor, and playful but pointed provocations. She employed subtle traps, such as asking him to say the word “icon” repeatedly to highlight the pun “I con,” and posed uncomfortable questions that Santos tried to sidestep but occasionally responded to with revealing confidence or deflection. Despite Santos’ attempts to dodge the most serious topics, Ziwe’s approach exposed his shamelessness and audacity, making the interview feel less like a traditional Q&A and more like a performance art piece where Santos inadvertently revealed his true character. The chilling moments came when Santos met Ziwe’s gaze directly, showing that her comedic manipulations were ineffective because he already embodied the caricature she aimed to create.
How did Ziwe use her satirical style to challenge Santos’s honesty
Ziwe used her satirical style to challenge George Santos’s honesty by employing straight-faced, sharp humor and deliberate awkwardness that trapped him with his own words while he tried to explain himself. She used playful but pointed provocations, such as making Santos say the word “icon” repeatedly to highlight the pun “I con,” which mocked him subtly but effectively. Her approach combined long, uncomfortable pauses and politically incorrect questions that exposed contradictions and forced Santos into revealing moments, even as he attempted to dodge the toughest inquiries. This method transformed the interview into a performance where Santos’s shamelessness and audacity were laid bare, showing that Ziwe’s satire was not just comedic but a tool to dissect and expose his character.
