Sacha Baron Cohen mocked Rudy Giuliani in his Golden Globes victory speech, calling him a ‘comedy genius’ for putting his hand down his pants on camera

• Sacha Baron Cohen called out Rudy Giuliani in his Golden Globes acceptance speech on Sunday.
• Giuliani was filmed unzipping his pants in Baron Cohen’s 2020 movie “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.”
• Baron Cohen called Giuliani a “comedy genius,” adding: “Who could get more laughs out of one unzipping?”
• Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.

Sacha Baron Cohen ridiculed Rudy Giuliani as a “comedy genius” on Sunday night, highlighting numerous political gaffes as comic masterpieces during his Golden Globes acceptance speech. 

Baron Cohen on Sunday won Best Comedy Motion Picture for his 2020 film “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” in which he pranked the lawyer and former New York City mayor.

In the movie, Giuliani was duped by the actress Maria Bakalova, who played the daughter of fictional Kazakh TV presenter Borat and invited the lawyer to her hotel room during a fake interview.

One point in the fake interview, Giuliani was filmed lying on his back on the hotel bed and putting his hand down his trousers. Giuliani has maintained that he was tucking in his shirt.

At the Golden Globes, Baron Cohen wasted no time in milking the scene for further laughs. Seeming like he was crediting Bakalova, he gave a hat tip to his “co-star,” whom he described as “a fresh new talent who came from nowhere, and turned out to be a comedy genius.”

“I’m talking, of course, about Rudy Giuliani,” he continued. “I mean, who could get more laughs out of one unzipping? Incredible.” (It is not clear from the footage whether Giuliani actually unzipped his trousers.)

Baron Cohen went on to praise Giuliani’s later “comedy films,” such as his press conference at the Four Seasons Total Landscaping parking lot after the 2020 election, his hair dye trickling down his face, and his farting at an election hearing. Baron Cohen called the moments “Hair Dye Another Day” and “A Very Public Fart.”

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Turning more serious, Baron Cohen then credited Bakalova’s performance as a “revelation, sensation” before thanking other members of the production team. 

Baron Cohen also made a cutting jab at the the expense of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), describing the group as “all-white” in a throwaway line that added to the numerous uncomfortable moments of the night. 

The HFPA, which has 87 members, has been heavily criticized for its lack of diverse racial representation. According to the former president of the Golden Globes, the board has not had any Black members for nearly two decades. 

The British actress Rosamund Pike also called out Bakalova and Giuliani in her Golden Globes acceptance speech, for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for her role in “I Care A Lot.”

“In my movie, I had to swim up from a sinking car,” Pike said. “I think I still would rather do that than be in a room with Rudy Giuliani. So, Maria, I salute your brilliance and your bravery.”