Once again taking up the weight of one of the world’s most famous mustaches, Sacha Baron Cohen donned his Borat persona to roast Kanye West, Donald Trump, and the rising tide of global antisemitism at the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors.
U2, George Clooney, Gladys Knight, Amy Grant, and Tania León were among the evening’s honorees. Cohen had been tapped to pay tribute to U2, or as Borat called them, “Me Too.”
But his attention quickly turned to presidents past and present, as Deadline reports. “I am told the president of US today is here. Where are you Mr. Trump?” When the cameras panned to Joe Biden, he added, “You don’t look so good.”
“Where has your glorious big belly gone?” Borat continued. “And your pretty orange skin has become pale?“
He added, “I see you have a new wife. Whoa whoa whooo wha! She is very erotic,” he said as Jill Biden clapped.
The character of Borat then turned his attention to one of his oldest preoccupations, which has concerned him since his earliest appearances on Da Ali G Show. “I must say I’m very upset about the antisemitism in the US today,” he said. “It’s not fair. Kazakhstan is the number one Jew crushing nation. Stop stealing our hobby. Stop the steal! Stop the steal!” he said, a reference to Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election results.
The artist legally known as Ye did not escape scrutiny: “Your Kayne. He tried to move to Kazakhstan and even tried to change his name to Kazakhstan-Ye West. But we said no. He’s too antisemitic even for us.”
Wrapping up, Borat read a message to U2 — excuse us, “Me Too” — from Kazakhstan’s president in the Kazakh language. “It translates to mean, ‘Please remove your wretched album from my new iPhone 6,’” he explained.
Borat ended with the hope that President Biden enjoyed his speech, saying, “It is my wish to pleasure you with my mouth.”
The 2022 Kennedy Center Honors took place on December 4th, but it wasn’t broadcast on TV until last night. You can watch a recording of Borat’s appearance below.
Last month, Ye repeatedly praised Hitler on Alex Jones’ InfoWars, an appearance that followed a long string of antisemitic comments. Even Donald Trump thinks that West goes too far, calling the rapper “seriously troubled.” Read our column, “When Your Favorite Artist Becomes a Nazi.”
