Former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio admitted that he was tricked into giving an interview to Sacha Baron Cohen, becoming the latest political figure to acknowledge becoming part of the comedian’s upcoming project.
Cohen was in disguise as a Finnish comedian during the October 2017 interview, Arpaio recalled in an interview with Breitbart News.
“I felt uncomfortable with some of the words they were using but I had to live through it. I am not the type of guy who gets up and walks out,” he told Breitbart. “I never walked out in thousands of interviews. I just take it.”
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He said the experience made him “very uncomfortable” because of some of the language that Cohen’s character used, such as “golden shower.” He said he documented the experience in a personal memo shortly after the interview.
“Something told me I had better document this,” he said.
Cohen is reportedly working on a prank interview show for Showtime. A promo video posted on his Twitter account this week features former Vice President Dick Cheney being asked to autograph a “waterboard kit” – a gallon jug and a towel. In the video, Cheney complies with that request.
Showtime has said the seven-episode series from the “Borat” star will “explore the diverse individuals, from the infamous to the unknown across the political and cultural spectrum, who populate our unique nation.”
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) also said on Thursday that she was duped into a prank interview with Cohen, who had disguised himself as a disabled veteran.