"How do you fit this guy into the culture? Because we need him," Michael Hirschorn, former head of programming at VH1, who oversaw Flavor of Love, Rock of Love, and I Love the '80s, tells me with a laugh when I ask about Santos's prospects. "He's like Anthony Weiner times ten, in terms of the narcissistic aspect of it, but there's just so much pleasure in watching him-the fashion, the cockiness, the unearned swag."
As any Housewife or fallen televangelist will tell you, camp shamelessness can get you far. No wonder Santos is already a star on Cameo, charging $500 a pop. I've had a few in-person run-ins with him, the most recent of which occurred after he was expelled from Congress, but never a proper on-the-record interview. I came away thinking about Trump and how he has merged politics, infamy, and brazenness in a way that gave us Santos.
Back in 2016, it was said that Trump couldn't win because he was an unserious reality-TV showboat. But running for president is the greatest reality-TV show in the world-what are the debates if not rose ceremonies?-so, as we have found out, Trump had the relevant experience for the job. In his wake, the world belongs to the beefers, the livestreamers, and the stunt queens: Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, and, yes, AOC. And then came Santos.
He had no constituency, policy goals, or résumé. But he is, in his way, a star. "Of course Santos can do something in show business," says Bill Maher. "It's the only other business besides politics where there are no rules or qualifications, just whether you can get people to support you."
This story is from the December 18, 2023 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 18, 2023 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE BEST ART SHOWS OF THE YEAR
IN NOVEMBER, Sotheby's made history when it sold for a million bucks a painting made by artificial intelligence. Ai-Da, \"the first humanoid robot artist to have an artwork auctioned by a major auction house,\" created a portrait of Alan Turing that resembles nothing more than a bad Francis Bacon rip-off. Still, the auction house described the sale as \"a new frontier in the global art market.\"
THE BIGGEST PODCAST MOMENTS OF THE YEAR
A STRANGE THING happened with podcasts in 2024: The industry was repeatedly thrust into the spotlight owing to a preponderance of head-turning events and a presidential-election cycle that radically foregrounded the medium's consequential nature. To reflect this, we've carved out a list of ten big moments from the year as refracted through podcasting.
THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
THE YEAR IN CULTURE - BEST BOOKS
THE BEST THEATER OF THE YEAR
IT'S BEEN a year of successful straight plays, even measured by a metric at which they usually do poorly: ticket sales. Partially that's owed to Hollywood stars: Jeremy Strong, Jim Parsons, Rachel Zegler, Rachel McAdams (to my mind, the most compelling).
THE BEST ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
2024 WAS one big stress test that presented artists with a choice: Face uncomfortable realities or serve distractions to the audience. Pop music turned inward while hip-hop weathered court cases and incalculable losses. Country struggled to reconcile conservative interests with a much wider base of artists. But the year's best music offered a reprieve.
THE BEST TELEVISION OF THE YEAR
IT WAS SURPRISING how much 2024 felt like an uneventful wake for the Peak TV era. There was still great television, but there was much more mid or meh television and far fewer moments when a critical mass of viewers seemed equally excited about the same series.
THE BEST COMEDY SPECIALS OF THE YEAR
THE YEAR IN CULTURE - COMEDY SPECIALS
THE BEST MOVIES OF THE YEAR
PEOPLE LOVED Megalopolis, hated it, puzzled over it, clipped it into memes, and tried to astroturf it into a camp classic, but, most important, they cared about it even though it featured none of the qualities you'd expect of a breakthrough work in these noisy times.
A Truly Great Time
This was the year our city's new restaurants loosened up.
The Art of the Well-Stuffed Stocking
THE CHRISTMAS ENTHUSIASTS on the Strategist team gathered to discuss the oversize socks they drape on their couches and what they put inside them.
