Sacha Baron Cohen, the creator of The Ali G Show and Borat, has sparked preliminary outrage before his top-secret Showtime series, Who Is America?, premieres on July 15.
The criticism comes from someone who was “duped” into a prank interview with Cohen—former Governor of Alaska and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Palin took to Facebook to blast Cohen and Showtime for the stunt, for which Cohen was disguised as a disabled veteran.
“For my interview, my daughter and I were asked to travel across the country where Cohen (I presume) had heavily disguised himself as a disabled US Veteran, fake wheelchair and all. Out of respect for what I was led to believe would be a thoughtful discussion with someone who had served in uniform, I sat through a long ‘interview’ full of Hollywoodism’s [sic] disrespect and sarcasm — but finally had enough and literally, physically removed my mic and walked out,” Palin wrote.
“The disrespect of our US military and middle-class Americans via Cohen’s foreign commentaries under the guise of interview questions was perverse,” Palin added.
“Mock politicians and innocent public personalities all you want, if that lets you sleep at night, but HOW DARE YOU mock those who have fought and served our country. Truly sick.”
Palin called on Cohen and Showtime to donate the proceeds from the show to veteran charities.
“Here is my challenge, shallow Sacha boy: go ahead — air the footage. Experience tells us it will be heavily edited, not pretty, and intended to humiliate,” Palin wrote.
“The challenge is to Cohen, CBS and Showtime: donate all proceeds to a charitable group that actually respects and supports American Vets.”
Sarah Palin is not the only high-profile subject tricked by the British comedian. He also snagged interviews with Bernie Sanders and Dick Cheney, the latter of whom appears in the Showtime promos.
Showtime called the seven-episode series “perhaps the most dangerous show in the history of television.”