George Santos: Fox reality show was harder than prison

George Santos, the disgraced former New York Republican congressman, says the physical and psychological demands of Fox’s “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” outmatched his time behind bars.

“You know, prison was hard. This was harder,” Mr. Santos, 38, told Us Weekly ahead of the show’s fifth-season premiere.

Mr. Santos pleaded guilty in 2024 to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges stemming from campaign-finance and other fraud schemes and was sentenced in April 2025 to 87 months in prison. He served about 84 days before President Trump commuted his sentence in October, leading to his immediate release. He described the demands of the reality competition, unlike what he called a “broken” prison system that treats inmates as disposable, as requiring him to show up and perform continuously.

Mr. Santos said his prison experience left him prepared for communal barracks living during the show’s training, recalling to Us Weekly that the sleeping arrangements reminded him of his time in custody.

The competition series, which puts celebrities through military-style training modeled on special-operations selection courses, also features Candace Cameron Bure, Oliver Hudson, Ruby Rose, Collin Gosselin, Hannah Stocking and the father-daughter duo of Mauricio and Alexia Umansky. Season 5 premieres Thursday on Fox.

Mr. Santos also renewed his push, in comments attributed directly to Us Weekly, for Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican who resigned her House seat in January after a public falling-out with Mr. Trump, to join a future season — telling the outlet she’d be “an insane casting” who could handle the physical demands given her CrossFit routine.