Evil genius at work
After releasing video of former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney autographing a waterboard (with a grin, no less), Sacha Baron Cohen has been basking in the glow of viral promotion for his new satirical comedy series for Showtime. Following the video’s release, we’ve since learned that Cohen also managed to dupe Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska, in a separate interview for the show. The series, Who Is America?, holds discussions with political figures – and has some fun at their expense.
At least this is the revelation Palin came to upon seeing the video of Cheney. On her Facebook page, she explained that she had travelled to Washington, D.C. with one of her daughters for the interview. She just didn’t know she was being interviewed by Cohen, who had “heavily disguised himself as a disabled U.S. veteran, fake wheelchair and all.”
She wrote that she believed it was a “legit opportunity” to honour American Vets and contribute to a “legit Showtime historical documentary.”
Palin added, “I sat through a long ‘interview’ full of Hollywoodism’s disrespect and sarcasm – but finally had enough and literally, physically removed my mic and walked out, much to Cohen’s chagrin. The disrespect of our U.S. military and middle-class Americans via Cohen’s foreign commentaries under the guise of interview questions was perverse.”
To make matters worse, she claims, Cohen and Showtime’s production team “purposefully” dropped her and her daughter off at the wrong airport, well aware they would miss their flight back to Alaska, and then refused to take her calls and help them find their way home.
Palin concluded that Cohen’s humour is not only “evil, exploitative and sick” but that her daughter now finds him to be a “piece of s--t.”
As for Showtime? David Nevins, the network president and CEO, had this to say in a statement: “Sacha is a comedic genius . ... He is the premier provocateur of our time, but not for the sake of ‘gotcha’ moments. Behind the elaborate setup is a genuine quest for the truth about people, places and politics.”
Who Is America? premieres in Canada on CraveTV July 15.