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Who Is America?

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Who Is America?
GenrePolitical satire
Created bySacha Baron Cohen
StarringSacha Baron Cohen
Opening theme"Indomitable" by DJ Shub
ComposerErran Baron Cohen
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
  • Melanie J. Elin
  • Nicholas Hatton
  • Daniel Gray Longino
  • Dan Swimer
  • Tim Allsop
  • Debra Neil-Fisher
CinematographyLuke Geissbühler
Editors
Running time24–28 minutes
Production companies
  • Four By Two Television
  • Spelthorne Community Television
Original release
NetworkShowtime
ReleaseJuly 15, 2018 (2018-07-15) –
present (present)

Who Is America? is an American political satire television series created by Sacha Baron Cohen that premiered on July 15, 2018, on Showtime. Baron Cohen also stars in the series as various characters and executive produces alongside Anthony Hines, Todd Schulman, Andrew Newman, Dan Mazer, and Adam Lowitt.

Premise

Who Is America? explores "the diverse individuals, from the infamous to the unknown across the political and cultural spectrum, who populate our unique nation".[1]

Cast and characters

Sacha Baron Cohen portrays various characters including:[2][3]

  • Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr., PhD, a far-right conspiracy theorist and self-proclaimed citizen journalist who publishes his investigations on his website TRUTHBRARY.org.
  • Dr. Nira Cain-N'Degeocello, a far-left lecturer on gender studies at Reed College, co-principal at Wildfields Poly-Ed, and a Democratic activist who wishes to "heal the divide" in America between conservatives and liberals. He has a partner named Naomi, a son named Harvey Milk, and a daughter named Malala.
  • Rick Sherman, a recently-released convict who used his limited resources in prison to create art, music, and culinary dishes. His artistic medium is bodily fluids and excrement, his club music is made up of sounds he recorded while incarcerated, and his cooking is similarly prison-themed. Sherman attempts to share his work with prominent people in his given field of choice in hopes of exposing his creations to a wider audience.
  • Erran Morad, an Israeli anti-terrorism expert, member of the Israeli military, and former agent of Mossad (or "not in the Mossad," as he often interjects). He demonstrates the use of unconventional tactics and technology in the fight against such enemies as terrorists, immigrants, and pedophiles. For example, he believes that the National Rifle Association's plan for arming school teachers does not go far enough to curtail gun violence and proposes a new program, "Kinderguardians", where children ages 3 to 16 are armed with guns. His military rank changes with each episode.
  • Gio Monaldo, an Italian billionaire playboy and fashion photographer from Milan with his own television series on Italian network Canale 5 titled La Vita Diamante di Gio. His charitable causes include the West African Ebola virus epidemic and child soldiers.
  • OMGWhizzBoyOMG!, a Finnish YouTuber with a toy-unboxing show in which he interviews guests while opening new collectible toys.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
1"101"Sacha Baron Cohen, Payman Benz, Daniel Gray Longino, Dan Mazer, & Todd SchulmanSacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Dan Mazer, Lee Kern, Adam Lowitt, Brian Reich, Kurt Metzger, Eric Notarnicola, & Aaron GearyJuly 15, 2018 (2018-07-15)0.327[4]
Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr., PhD interviews Senator Bernie Sanders. Dr. Nira Cain-N'Degeocello interviews Jane Page Thompson, a South Carolina Republican delegate who cast her vote for Donald Trump during the 2016 Republican National Convention, and her husband Mark. Rick Sherman sits down with Christy, a fine art consultant in Laguna Beach, California, and attempts to convince her to sell his artwork. Erran Morad sits down with various conservatives including Philip Van Cleave, gun rights advocate and the president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Larry Pratt, executive director emeritus for the lobbying group Gun Owners of America, Matt Gaetz, the current U.S. Representative for Florida's 1st congressional district, and Trent Lott, the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader from Mississippi, in order to convince them to support his proposal of arming children ages 3 to 16 in order to prevent school shootings. Morad produces a video featuring the aforementioned people he talked to, in addition to Dana Rohrabacher, Joe Wilson, and Joe Walsh. Each openly advocates for his proposal, with the exception of Gaetz.
2"102"Sacha Baron Cohen, Nathan Fielder, Daniel Gray Longino, & Dan MazerSacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Dan Mazer, Lee Kern, Nathan Fielder, Adam Lowitt, Brian Reich, Kurt Metzger, Eric Notarnicola, & Aaron GearyJuly 22, 2018 (2018-07-22)0.161[5]
Erran Morad teaches Jason Spencer, a Republican state representative from Georgia, how to detect and repel terrorists. This includes taking pictures up a woman's burqua with a selfie stick, walking backwards while baring his buttocks, and yelling racial epithets. Gio Monaldo travels to Los Angeles to have Corinne Olympios endorse his charity that helps those infected with ebola in Africa. Olympios agrees to being photoshopped into a photo of aid workers and appearing on camera claiming that she had been in Africa personally helping with relief efforts. She also appears on camera endorsing a program to help fund the training of child soldiers. Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr., PhD engages in a debate with Ted Koppel over the difference in attendance between the inauguration of President Obama and that of President Trump. Morad interviews former U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney who agrees to autograph Morad's waterboarding kit. Dr. Nira Cain-N'Degeocello travels to Kingman, Arizona, where he gives a presentation to a town hall meeting of local people. He informs them of a potential financial investment in their community through the construction of the world's largest mosque outside of the Middle East.
3"103"Paymen Benz & Daniel Gray LonginoSacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Dan Mazer, Lee Kern, Adam Lowitt, Brian Reich, Kurt Metzger, Eric Notarnicola, & Aaron GearyJuly 29, 2018 (2018-07-29)0.218[6]
Erran Morad interviews former Alabama judge and Republican U.S. senate candidate Roy Moore and demonstrates a new device invented by the Israeli Army to detect pedophiles. Moore leaves the interview after the device detects Moore as a sex offender. Dr. Nira Cain-N'Degeocello brings former South Carolina state legislator Chip Limehouse and rap artist Bone Crusher together for a discussion. Cain-N'Degeocello makes many claims, including that is offensive to refer to African Americans as black, that Will Smith is a gangsta rapper from Compton, California, and that having enjoyed anal sex with a man does not make him a homosexual – all of which his guests openly disagree with or dispute. Morad teaches three Trump supporters how to lure and trap illegal aliens from Mexico. Together, Morad and two of the men carry out a mission where they put on a mock Quinceañera designed to attract Mexican men interested in young women. The mission is interrupted when two police officers arrive suspecting the men of attempting to lure underage girls. Cain-N'Degeocello engages in a rap battle in an inner city area of Atlanta, Georgia.
4"104"Nathan Fielder, Daniel Gray Longino, & Dan MazerSacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Dan Mazer, Lee Kern, Adam Lowitt, Brian Reich, Kurt Metzger, Eric Notarnicola, & Matt LucasAugust 5, 2018 (2018-08-05)0.313[7]
Erran Morad teaches Trump supporter and Republican businessman Shaun McCutcheon, and his employee Zan, how to defend an office from terrorists, using pork and a picture of two men apparently having anal sex. Dr. Nira Cain-N'Degeocello discusses pornography with David Pyne, the national director of the Utah Republican Assembly. He goes on to read to Pyne from a children's book that is designed to teach young people about sex and masturbation. Gio Monaldo meets with a yacht broker from Luxury Yacht Sales Company. They discuss purchasing a yacht for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad in order to attack escaping Syrian refugees and to carry out human trafficking. While the men are talking, Monaldo's assistant gives him a handjob and a blowjob. OMGWhizzBoyOMG! discusses gun control with former Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio while they unbox Shopkins.
5"105"Daniel Gray Longino, Dan Mazer, & Todd SchulmanSacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Dan Mazer, Lee Kern, Matt Lucas, Aaron Geary, Adam Lowitt, Kurt Metzger, Brian Reich,
& Eric Notarnicola		August 12, 2018 (2018-08-12)0.269[8]
Rick Sherman goes to the Heart Nightclub in Miami, Florida and meets with nightclub promoter/DJ manager Jake Inphamous to discuss electronic dance music that Sherman has created while in prison. Two days later, Inphamous reaches back out to Sherman, now using the stage name DJ Solitary, and takes him to the SWAY Nightclub in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to debut his music. Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr., PhD interviews former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. They discuss the president's stance on racial issues, Ruddick explains some of his conspiracy theories, and the president's attitudes towards women are explored. Gio Monaldo conducts a photoshoot with internet entrepreneur Mahbod Moghadam, one of the founders of Genius. Moghadam agrees to be photoshopped into pictures appearing to be feeding starving African children. OMGWhizzBoyOMG! discusses Antifa with Milwaukee County sheriff David Clarke while they unbox Shopkins. Erran Morad meets with Youth Shooters of America founder Dan Roberts and teaches him how to survive terrorist attacks. His demonstrations include speaking at a high volume, throwing babies into trash cans to neutralize suicide bomber infants, and halting a beheading by biting an attacker on the penis, using a strap-on dildo to illustrate the technique.
6"106"Dan Mazer & Todd SchulmanSacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Swimer, Dan Mazer, Lee Kern, Adam Lowitt, Matt Lucas, Aaron Geary, Brian Reich, Kurt Metzger,
& Eric Notarnicola		August 19, 2018 (2018-08-19)N/A
Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr., PhD interviews former presidential candidate Jill Stein and discusses climate change and global warming. He then interviews former Governor of Vermont Howard Dean and discusses his theory that Hillary Clinton is secretly a man. Erran Morad teaches reality personality Gretchen Rossi and her husband Slade Smiley how to protect themselves from home invasion. Dr. Nira Cain-N'Degeocello travels to the Las Vegas Enlightenment Center and meets with spiritual healer Ataana Badilli. Cain-N'Degeocello discusses his plan to "give birth" to a baby doll from his rectum as a means empathizing with his wife whom he recently impregnated. Ruddick interviews the Director of the National Institutes of Health Dr. Francis Collins and discusses his theory that agrochemical practices have turned people transgender. He also discusses his theory that AIDS is a myth and explains his experiment involving sharing a needle with an HIV-positive homeless man. In preparation of opening his own restaurant, Rick Sherman serves a three course meal to food critic Bill Jilla featuring prison-inspired cuisine. In a mid-credits segment, OMGWhizzBoyOMG! discusses gun control with former Governor of Arizona Jan Brewer while they unbox Shopkins.
7"107"[9]UnknownUnknownAugust 26, 2018 (2018-08-26)N/A

Production

Development

On June 29, and July 3, 2018, Showtime released two short videos promoting a series set to premiere on July 15, 2018. The videos claimed that the network could not yet reveal the title of the series, its premise, or who it was that created it due to a non-disclosure agreement. Over the following days, early speculation among various news sources pinpointed comedian Kathy Griffin as being the possible star of the new series.[10][11] On July 5, 2018, following the release of a mysterious video from Sacha Baron Cohen on his Twitter account the previous day, it began to be reported that the series would actually star Baron Cohen and that it would resemble his previous series Da Ali G Show.[12]

On July 9, 2018, it was announced that Showtime had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of seven episodes and that it was set to premiere on July 15, 2018.[1] The series was created by Baron Cohen who was also set to executive produce alongside Anthony Hines, Todd Schulman, Andrew Newman, Dan Mazer, and Adam Lowitt.[13]

Filming

In February 2017, Baron Cohen reportedly attempted to film at the Warrior One Guns & Ammo gun shop in Riverside, California. The store owner was reportedly told by the show's crew that they were filming a documentary about a Hungarian immigrant wanting to buy a gun. However, when Baron Cohen entered the store dressed in character, the store owner recognized him and said, "You're Borat!" After being identified, Baron Cohen allegedly walked out the front door.[14][15] On August 3, 2017, Baron Cohen was reported to have been filming in Augusta, Georgia, in character as "Dr. Nira Cain" on the local The Austin Rhodes Show.[16]

Music

The series' theme song is "Indomitable" by DJ Shub from his 2016 EP PowWowStep. Shub was reportedly on vacation when his manager contacted him with the information that Sacha Baron Cohen was requesting to license one of his songs. Shub, a fan of Baron Cohen's, immediately gave his approval. He was initially under the impression that the song would be used for an upcoming film and was surprised to hear it used in a promotional trailer for the series. He was later further astonished to discover it was being used as the series official theme music over the opening credits.[17]

Release

Marketing

On June 29, 2018, a teaser was released by Showtime announcing that a new series was premiering on July 15, 2018, but they could not yet reveal the title of the series or its creator and star. On July 3, 2018, another teaser was released.[10] The following day, Baron Cohen released a video on his Twitter account hinting at an upcoming project featuring Donald Trump.[18] On July 8, 2018, Baron Cohen released another video this time featuring former American vice-president Dick Cheney.[19] The next day, following the series' official announcement, the first full trailer for the series was released.[1] On July 22, 2018, the "waterboard kit" signed by former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney in the series' second episode was put up for sale on eBay shortly before the episode aired. The auction started at $1 dollar and rose all the way to $2,551 by 5:50 PM PT Sunday evening. The sale was intended to benefit Amnesty International, however by Monday morning eBay had taken the listing down. In a statement, the company explained the item's removal saying, "due to unusual bidding activity and the seller being new to eBay, this listing was removed based on our risk models."[20]

Interviewee response

On July 10, 2018, former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin disclosed on Facebook that she had been interviewed by Baron Cohen while he was in character as a disabled veteran. She expressed anger at being tricked into participating in the interview saying, "I join a long list of American public personalities who have fallen victim to the evil, exploitive, sick 'humor' of the British 'comedian' Sacha Baron Cohen, enabled and sponsored by CBS/Showtime."[21] A day later, former U.S. congressman Joe Walsh revealed on Twitter that he too had been interviewed by Baron Cohen in character and was critical of the methods used to gain his participation in filming saying, "Dressing up as a wounded veteran is absolutely stolen valor, his tactics are disguisting [sic]—I know cause I too was duped."[22]

On July 12, 2018, former Alabama judge Roy Moore similarly divulged his unwitting participation in the series through a statement saying, "As for Mr. Cohen, whose art is trickery, deception and dishonesty, Alabama does not respect cowards who exhibit such traits!"[23] That same day, Georgia talk radio host Austin Rhodes confirmed he had unwittingly had Baron Cohen on his radio program as a guest in August 2017 while Cohen was in character. Rhodes indicated that he was not as irritated as other interviewees had been, mentioning that he is a fan of Baron Cohen's, and saying his "biggest regret is not being able to shake his hand as Sacha Baron Cohen or interview him (as himself)."[24] Also that same day, former Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio revealed that he had been interviewed by Cohen and commented that he had felt uneasy during filming saying, "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. I never walked out in thousands of interviews. I just take it."[25] In a fourth report that day, broadcast journalist Ted Koppel disclosed that he had taken part in an interview for the series at his home under the impression it was for an upcoming Showtime series titled Age of Reason. Koppel was not overly irritated at the notion of being tricked saying, "Everybody loves seeing well-known people get duped. I relish it too, when it's done well." Though he went on to express concern over the notion of people posing as documentarians or journalists adding,

I think there's a larger issue here and that is, if there's one thing we don't need any more of in this particular era it's people posing as documentarians. I think there's enough skepticism to go around about people who actually are reporters, who actually are documentarians. And to undermine whatever tiny little bit of confidence might be left by pulling a stunt like this ... maybe it will make for a good comedy show. I don't know. But I don't think it helps the overall atmosphere.[26]

On July 13, 2018, U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida admitted that he had been deceived by Cohen and participated in an interview. Gaetz acknowledged that he was a fan of Cohen's and was looking forward to the series saying, "It's very consistent with his model, beginning with a seemingly normal interaction and then the brilliance of his comedy is that he accelerates the awkwardness of it to some usually ironically humorous end."[27]

On July 15, 2018, Laguna Beach fine art dealer consultant Christy Cones commented on her appearance in the series' first episode saying, "Sacha Baron Cohen owes me a face-to-face meeting as compensation for his underhanded tactics and his preying on the vulnerable, especially by pretending to be someone who suffered when he probably hasn't suffered a moment in his life. That's the least he could do after putting me through this. That, and buy a painting."[28]

On July 16, 2018, Showtime defended Baron Cohen against the accusations leveled against him and the series by Palin and Walsh regarding his alleged portrayal of himself as a disabled military veteran saying, "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."[29]

On July 17, 2018, U.S. Representative Dana Rohrabacher of California issued a statement commenting on his appearance in episode one saying, "I love good satire, but good satire must reveal some basis in truth. This was fraud, a sick fraud at that, and its intention was to deceive the American people for political purposes."[30]

On July 21, 2018, reality star Corinne Olympios discussed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly how she had made peace with her appearance in the series' second episode, saying, "It was a little scary, I'm not going to lie... This is what he does, everyone knows he's a jokester, he's a political jokester. He's funny, he's a very well-known name, and you've just gotta ride with it. Yolo!"[31]

On July 31, 2018, Atlanta battle rapper Ness Lee spoke with Vulture in an interview regarding his appearance in episode three, saying, "I thought he was going to make me look crazy. But I came out looking okay. I don't know the real answer as to why, so I'm just gonna make myself believe that Sacha's actually a fan of mine, and that's why I got a decent edit."[32]

On August 10, 2018, Arpaio spoke again about his appearance on the show, this time in the wake of his segment's airing in episode four, through an interview with The Washington Examiner. In the interview, Arpaio issued a challenge to Baron Cohen saying, "Get the guts, get out of your undercover role, come and interview me in English, of course, so I can understand him so we can go man-to-man. You can ask me anything you want. I'll be glad to deal with it. He won't have the guts to do that. Maybe he will, I don't know."[33]

On August 13, 2018, Youth Shooters of America founder Dan Roberts commented on his appearance in the series' fifth episode during an interview with The New York Times. He expressed his displeasure in the conduct of Baron Cohen and Showtime saying, "This was a malicious, willful and deliberate act on the part of Sacha Baron Cohen, the production company and Showtime, who blatantly lied to me about the purpose of the entire thing, in a deliberate effort to humiliate me."[34]

Political consequences

Following the premiere of the series' second episode, Jason Spencer, a Republican state representative from Georgia, faced criticism from members of both sides of the political spectrum after he appeared onscreen screaming the racial epithets "nigger" and "sand nigger", speaking in a stereotypical Asian accent, and baring his buttocks in a purported attempt to ward off potential terrorists.[35] By July 24, 2018, it was announced that Spencer would resign from his office effective July 31, 2018.[36]

Distribution

On July 15, 2018, the series premiered on CraveTV in Canada[37] and on Stan in Australia.[38] On July 16, 2018, it premiered on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom[13] and on Canal+ in France.[39] On July 17, 2018, it premiered on Sky Atlantic in Germany.[40]

Reception

Critical response

The series was met with a mixed response from critics. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 60 percent approval rating with an average rating of 6 out of 10 based on 53 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Fleetingly funny and all too relevant, Who is America? proves Sacha Baron Cohen still has something to say—though its nihilistic approach may not be the right way to say it."[41] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 59 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[42]

In a mixed review, The New York Times's Mike Hale called the premiere "tepid and inconsequential" and compared the show to Cohen's previous work saying, "Mr. Cohen remains a strong performer and writer, and while these new characters aren't as ferociously funny as Ali G or Borat, they still have their moments."[43] In an additional ambivalent critique, NPR's Linda Holmes called the first episode "hit-and-miss" praising the Erran Morad character and segment in the first episode but criticizing the other three saying, "In the premiere episode, there were three weak, uninspired pieces and one that was a solid hit. How much you want to watch this show will depend on how you feel about that ratio and how much patience you have for how funny Cohen thinks he is."[44] Offering the series restrained praise, Jen Chaney of Vulture spoke of the series' potential relevance to America's political state at the time of its release saying, "When Who Is America? is on point, as it is in the 'Kill or Be Killed' segment, it doesn't just remind us that some of our emperors have no clothes. It exposes them for walking around naked with no sense of shame whatsoever."[45] In another mixed review, Entertainment Weekly's Darren Franich gave the first episode a grade of "C+" and said, "There are some laughs in Who Is America?, but the most profound feeling you get from the show is weariness. Cohen's haphazard comedy instincts feel topical in the worst way. Some politicians said crazy things on television? That's not strange anymore. It's mandatory."[46] In a more positive review, Sonia Saraiya of Vanity Fair offered the show qualified praise saying, "The Herculean efforts Cohen undergoes in order to entrap, fool, or insult his targets are both a little exhausting and a little pointless—but I can't deny that Who Is America? is funny, too, once you get past the shock and squirming horror."[47]

Ratings

On television, the premiere episode had 0.1 rating in the demographic of adults 18–49 with a total number of 327,000 viewers tuning in to watch the episode. Streaming and on-demand viewing added another 301,000 viewers to that total, raising the premiere's viewer total up to 628,000. The series was the 70th highest-rated original show on cable the night it premiered. Showtime has reported that the series had over a million viewers on the day it premiered when all of the network's platforms are added together. The network is also reporting that the series fueled the most sign-ups in 2018 for a series in a single day for Showtime's streaming service.[48] The first episode was watched by a total of 2.8 million viewers across all of Showtime's platforms in its first week.[49]

References

  1. ^ a b c Petski, Denise (July 9, 2018). "Sacha Baron Cohen Series Who Is America? To Premiere Sunday On Showtime". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
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  4. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (July 17, 2018). "Showbuzzdaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.15.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
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  6. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (July 31, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 7.29.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  7. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 7, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.5.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  8. ^ Metcalf, Mitch (August 14, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 8.12.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  9. ^ "Who Is America?: 107". Showtime. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  10. ^ a b Swift, Andy (July 3, 2018). "Is Kathy Griffin the Star of Showtime's 'Dangerous' Mystery Comedy Project?". TVLine. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  11. ^ Gilbert, Matthew (July 4, 2018). "Showtime hypes 'the most dangerous show in the history' of TV". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
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  13. ^ a b White, Peter (July 9, 2018). "UK Broadcaster Channel 4 To Air Sacha Baron Cohen's Showtime Comedy 'Who Is America?'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  14. ^ Petski, Denise (July 18, 2018). " 'Who Is America's Sacha Baron Cohen Called Out By Southern California Gun Store Owner – Report". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
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  23. ^ Haring, Bruce (July 12, 2018). "Sacha Baron Cohen Adds Alabama Judge Roy Moore To His Showtime Spoof Victims". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
  24. ^ Barr, Jeremy (July 12, 2018). "Conservative Radio Host: How I Got Pranked by Sacha Baron Cohen". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 12, 2018. I have been asked if I am concerned how I will be portrayed in what we now know to be Cohen's new show, Who Is America? That all depends on the editing of the piece, if they even use it at all. Obviously, my conversation with the 'Dr. Nira Cain' character was broadcast live as it happened, so whatever we hear or see, we still have the original program to clarify context or tone if needed. ... I am not worried at all. My biggest regret is not being able to shake his hand as Sacha Baron Cohen or interview him (as himself).
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  29. ^ Holloway, Daniel (July 16, 2018). "Showtime Counters Sacha Baron Cohen 'Stolen Valor' Claims". Variety. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  30. ^ Strause, Jackie (July 17, 2018). "Duped Congressman Calls Sacha Baron Cohen Interview 'a Sick Fraud'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
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  32. ^ Ivie, Devon (July 31, 2018). "How Sacha Baron Cohen Tricked His Way Into an Atlanta Rap Battle". Vulture. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
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  34. ^ Deb, Sopan (August 13, 2018). "Pranked by Sacha Baron Cohen, He Was as Shocked as the Rest of Us". The New York Times. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  35. ^ Evans, Greg (July 24, 2018). "Georgia Congressman Duped By Sacha Baron Cohen Unites Twitter, 'The View'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  36. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 24, 2018). "Georgia Congressman Pranked By Sacha Baron Cohen To Resign After Backlash". Deadline. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  37. ^ O'Rourke, Patrick (July 11, 2018). "Bell's CraveTV will stream Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Who Is America?'". MobileSyrup. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  38. ^ Bond, Nick (July 9, 2018). "Sacha Baron Cohen's outrageous year-long undercover prank". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  39. ^ Muscarnera, Pascal (July 10, 2018). "Who Is America? : Canal+ s'offre la nouvelle série de l'irrévérencieux Sacha Baron Cohen". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  40. ^ Riedmeier, Glenn (July 10, 2018). ""Who is America?": Sky zeigt Sacha Baron Cohens TV-Comeback". TV Wunschliste (in German). Retrieved July 30, 2018.
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  43. ^ Hale, Mike (July 15, 2018). "Review: Sacha Baron Cohen Is Back. Should We Care?". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  44. ^ Holmes, Linda (July 15, 2018). "Sacha Baron Cohen Is Hit-And-Miss In 'Who Is America?'". NPR. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
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