Sarah Palin Fires Back at Sacha Baron Cohen Amid Interview Controversy: "He's a Proven Liar"

Former Alaskan governor previously claimed she was "duped" into an interview with the actor disguised as a disabled military veteran

By Samantha Schnurr Jul 13, 2018 4:03 PMTags
Sarah Palin, Sacha Baron Cohen Getty Images

Sarah Palin has a big bone to pick with Sacha Baron Cohen

The former Alaskan governor recently alleged she was "duped" into sitting for an interview with the comedian, who she said was heavily disguised as a disabled military veteran using a "fake wheelchair." It is suspected that the interview was for Showtime's upcoming comedy series, Who Is America?, starring the actor and set for debut on Sunday. 

In a Facebook statement posted last week, the politician publicly called out Cohen, Showtime and CBS after she said she was led to believe the sit-down was for a "legit Showtime historical documentary." 

Instead, as she alleged in her post and elaborated in an interview on Good Morning America Friday, Palin said she sat for an "embarrassing, "humiliating" and "bizarre" interview in which middle class Americans, veterans and people with disabilities were allegedly mocked. 

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She told ABC's Robin Roberts that the interview was proposed to her as a legitimate sit-down to speak about veterans issues, the military and current events passed on to her by a speakers bureau, "which I would assume had done some vetting"

At one point in the interview, Palin said "enough was enough," took off her microphone and walked out. As she recalled, the interviewer she believed to be Cohen started showing her graphs with typos and statistics involving transgender propaganda that didn't look right to her. She also said that he falsely told her Chelsea Clinton had been the recipient of a government-funded sex change. 

Since leaving, she said nobody involved with the interview has returned her calls and she believes she was given fake names. After she came forward publicly, Roy Moore has also said he was tricked by Cohen among reportedly several other politicians. Dick Cheney was featured in a teaser for the show, in which he is shown asking people to tune into his interview. 

Cohen "is obviously very good at lying, at duping people because look at the long list now since I've come out and described my experience; all these other guys, all these men coming out now saying, 'Oh, yeah—me too."

Palin did not mince words about the Oscar-nominated star, who is known for his elaborate and controversial characters. "He's a proven liar, so nobody can believe a word he's saying now as to his rebuttal," she said on GMA in response to any claims that he had actually not misrepresented himself. "This guy just doesn't quit. He thinks this kind of stuff is funny."

With the series premiere quickly approaching, Roberts asked Palin what she thought about the attention she's inadvertently bringing to the show. 

"For me to get out there and let people know what's coming I think is important and, if people tune into the show, then they're going to see how middle class Americans are mocked and our values are mocked," she said. Meanwhile, Palin has called for Cohen, Showtime and CBS to "donate all proceeds to a charitable group that actually respects and supports American Vets," as she wrote on Facebook. 

While Showtime has not commented on Palin's accusations, Cohen seemed to respond to Palin in a letter addressed to "Vice-President Palin" that he retweeted from his account. However, the letter was signed by Dr. Billy Wayne Ruddick, who is believed to be one of Cohen's new characters. 

"I did NOT say I was a War Vet," the letter partly reads. "I was in the service—not military, but United Parcel."