Arts & Entertainment
Radio Host Joe Walsh Targeted By Sacha Baron Cohen For TV Show
At least he wasn't asked to play guitar during a fake Eagles reunion by the comedian, who also pranked Sarah Palin for his series.
Sacha Baron Cohen has been a busy TV prankster as he prepares for his upcoming Showtime series. Not only did the British comedian punk¹ former U.S. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, but he also pulled a fast one on conservative radio talk show host and former Illinois GOP congressman Joe Walsh.
Following Palin's claim that Baron Cohen "duped" her by posing as an injured U.S. veteran during an interview for "Who Is America?" his new show that debuts Sunday, July 15, Walsh wrote on his Twitter account about his own recent run-in with the entertainer. Baron Cohen's "cronies" convinced the former 8th District representative that he was being honored as one of the "defenders of Israel" at a phony pro-Israel dinner as part of the country's 70th anniversary, Walsh wrote.
The prank culminated in a fake interview — "[s]trangest interview of my life, Walsh wrote — in which Walsh was asked to read off a prompter and asked "how children should defend themselves against terrorist attacks," he said. An "apparent fight" then broke out in the studio, and Walsh was taken away by producers.
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RELATED: Sarah Palin: Sacha Baron Cohen 'Duped' Me Into Interview
Although he included #BoycottShowtime in his tweets, Walsh didn't seem to be upset about being one of Baron Cohen's targets. But he did object to how the comedian pranked Palin.
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"I totally get @SachaBaronCohen's gig," Walsh wrote. "He's a comedian, and he can be funny, but mocking a disabled veteran to spoof @SarahPalinUSA is a serious matter."
Maybe Walsh wasn't sore over his phony award because he received a free hotel room and a nice trophy out of the deal. Or maybe he was just happy that his "spoof" didn't involve playing guitar on "Hotel California" during a bogus Eagles reunion.²
Read the following tweets for Walsh's take on the entire encounter:
I totally believe @SarahPalinUSA's account of the @SachaBaronCohen incident. Dressing up as a wounded veteran is absolutely stolen valor, his tactics are disguisting - I know cause I too was duped. Here is what happened...#BoycottShowtime
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 11, 2018
I was invited to a pro-Israel dinner that honored defenders of Israel. The producers said they needed to film a pre-interview that would air as a part of Israel’s 70th birthday celebration. #BoycottShowtime
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 11, 2018
Side note to my story - I totally get @SachaBaronCohen's gig. He's a comedian, and he can be funny, but mocking a disabled veteran to spoof @SarahPalinUSA is a serious matter. I am just telling you what I encountered - it was much of the same she experienced.
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 11, 2018
@SachaBaronCohen's cronies said that Tony Blair, Rupert Murdoch, Bono and Steven Spielberg had also been honored - I flew to D.C., producers booked me a hotel room, paid for by: Daniel Nuzzi #BoycottShowtime pic.twitter.com/8upPN54Pne
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 11, 2018
So - I was truly honored to be named as a pro-Israel voice in America. I participated in the interview after working with an Alexis Rothe from "https://t.co/T35TrMjGoD" and a "Alexis Sampietro," who was randomly CC'ed on an email thread. #BoycottShowtime
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 11, 2018
I was rushed to the studio, production was a mess, I sat down and we started talking pro-Israel stuff, Israeli defense, and then out of left field the interviewer starts talking about how children should defend themselves against terrorist attacks. #BoycottShowtime pic.twitter.com/kdwA0h9VyR
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 11, 2018
I understand Israel handles security very differently than how America handles security - interviewer showed several articles involving children stopping terrorists - stuff like that. They had me read off a teleprompter - I stopped and questioned their direction. #boycottShowtime
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 11, 2018
And just like that producers rushed me out of the studio as an apparent fight broke out. Strangest interview of my life - don't think they spoofed me very much - but I did get this award, thanks @showtime. #boycottShowtime pic.twitter.com/yTZcxTww6O
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 11, 2018
FOOTNOTES:
¹Has anyone non-ironically used "punk" as a verb since 2005? Quick, get Ashton Kutcher on the phone.
²Get it? Because Joe Walsh is also the name of the guitarist for the Eagles. C'mon, like you would have gotten the reference if I used one of his solo tracks, like "Life's Been Good."
Conservative radio talk show host and former Illinois Republican congressman Joe Walsh in 2012 (Photo by Alex Wong | Getty Images)
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