British funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen's new TV show is making headlines again ahead of its premiere next week - this time thanks to a deeply upset US politician.
Sarah Palin, the former Alaska Governor and 2008 US vice presidential nominee, has lashed out at the Borat star with a bitter Facebook post in which she labels him "evil", "truly sick" and "a piece of shit".
Cohen appears to have disguised himself as a wounded veteran for an interview with Palin for his Who Is America? show, triggering her furious online rant.
"I join a long list of American public personalities who have fallen victim to the evil, exploitive, sick 'humour' of the British 'comedian' Sacha Baron Cohen," writes Palin.
"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.
"The challenge is to Cohen, CBS and Showtime: donate all proceeds to a charitable group that actually respects and supports American Vets. 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."
Palin goes on to complain that Cohen's production team intentionally dropped her and her daughter at the wrong airport so they'd miss their flight home.
"After refusing to take our calls to help get us out of the bind they'd put us in for three days, I wrote this off as yet another example of the sick nature that is media-slash-entertainment today," writes Palin.
"Feel good and manly about your M.O., Sacha? By the way, my daughter thinks you're a piece of ****, Sacha. Every honorable American Vet should feel the same."
Cohen, whose previous hits include Borat, Bruno and Ali G, has not responded to Palin's post.
The mother of five has been pranked before, including in 2008 when a Canadian comedy duo fooled her into thinking they were then French president Nicolas Sarkozy.
Who Is America? will be broadcast in New Zealand on Sky TV's Soho channel and Neon from July 16.
Newshub.
