Showtime to Sarah Palin: Sacha Baron Cohen Never Pretended to Be ‘Disabled’ Veteran

Following Sunday night’s premiere of Sacha Baron Cohen’s Who Is America? series, Showtime responded on Monday to what the network described as “widespread misinformation” about one of the four characters the comedian portrays on the new show. “Baron Cohen did not present himself as a disabled veteran, and viewers nationwide who watched the premiere on Sunday can now attest to that,” Showtime said in a statement, referring to the Dr. Billy Wayne Ruddick character who interviewed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in the premiere. When Sanders asked the character if he had a disability, Ruddick replied, “No, I don’t. This here scooter is to preserve my body’s finite energy.” The statement added, “In addition, Baron Cohen never presented himself as a veteran of the U.S. military to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin during the booking process or during the filming of her interview, and contrary to her claims he did not appear in a wheelchair. In both the interview with Governor Palin and the interview with Senator Sanders, he did not wear military apparel of any kind.” The first major figure to admit that she had been “duped” by Baron Cohen, Palin accused the British comedian of “disrespecting” the U.S. military and challenged him to donate the show’s proceeds to pro-veteran charities. In character as Ruddick, Baron Cohen said he never claimed to be a “War Vet” and “only fought for our country once—when I shot a Mexican who came onto my property.” He demanded Palin apologize to him saying otherwise. Her segment is expected to air later in the show’s seven-episode run.