Sacha Baron Cohen's new series Who Is America? is ending political careers. The show features Cohen doing what he does best, taking on false personas to trick unlucky individuals into exposing themselves. One Republican lawmaker literally exposed himself on the show though, after Cohen convinced him that taking off his pants would scare away terrorists.
Rep. Jason Spencer of Georgia was duped by Cohen on the second episode of Who Is America? Cohen, in disguise as Captain Erran Morad, pretended to be an Israeli anti-terrorism advocate. His purpose was to teach Spencer how to defend himself against terrorist attacks. In the short segment, Spencer screams the N-word (with the hard "r") repeatedly, mocks Asian culture with an offensive accent and mannerisms, and tries to scare a supposed terrorist by exposing his buttocks. Yes, you read that correctly. Cohen tells Spencer that nothing scares a terrorist more than being a "homo." Cohen then makes Spencer pull down his pants, and the lawmaker chases Cohen around the room while bent over and leading with his buttocks. "I'll make you a homosexual," screams Spencer as he is bent over with his butt exposed. That's not how that works Spencer.
After the video aired this past weekend, Spencer was forced to resign. The Republican lawmaker issued an apology at first. "I deeply regret the language I used at (Cohen's) request as well as my participation in the 'class' in general. If I had not been so distracted by my fears, I never would have agreed to participate in the first place," he said in a statement obtained by CNN. "I apologize to my family, friends, and the people of my district for this ridiculously ugly episode." This is the first politician forced to resign after being humiliated on Who Is America?, but more are sure to follow as the season progresses.
