Sacha Baron Cohen Returns as Borat onThe Tonight ShowAfter Admitting It's 'Too Dangerous' to Play the Character Now

Mar. 15, 2025

Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat onThe Tonight Show.Photo:Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Sacha Baron Cohenis back (albeit briefly) asBorat Sagdiyev!

During the Thursday, Oct. 24 episode ofThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the actor, 53, returned as the satirical Kazakhstani journalist to poke fun atDonald TrumpandKamala Harrisahead of the upcomingU.S. election.

After first dressingas his alter-ego Ali G, Fallon then asked Baron Cohen, “What would Borat do? That would be kind of fun…” referencing a potential mock presidential debate between the character and the two running for office.

“We’ll get into your dramatic acting, but Borat interviewing both people running for president that would be very interesting to see…” the host then said, before bringing out the character’s famous sports coat and mustache.

Fallon insisted they always have the costume around “in case of emergencies,” adding: “Will you just try it on? See what it looks like,” before Baron Cohen resurrected the character.

“Jimmy Phallus,” he repeatedly said, before kissing the host and saying, “You have womens in the audience.”

Among other Trump-related jokes, Baron Cohen then said: “Why is that woman on stage? Is this Storming Daniels? She is very nice!” he added, referencing adult film actressStormy Daniels, who claimed she had an affair with Trump in 2006.

Baron Cohen starred in 2006’sBoratas the fictional Kazakhstani journalist who travels throughout the U.S. to make a documentary, with the film featuring real-life interactions with Americans.

The actor then reprised the character for the 2020 sequel,Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, featuringMaria Bakalovaas his daughter Tutar.

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Sacha Baron Cohen as Borat on ‘The Tonight Show’.Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Baron Cohen’sTonight Showappearance came after he toldEntertainment Tonightin February 2021 that he wouldnot be continuing on with the characterbecause “it got too dangerous.”

“There were a couple of times I had to put on a bulletproof vest to go and shoot a scene, and you don’t want to do that too many times in your life. I was pretty lucky to get out this time, so no, I’m not doing it again. I’m going to stay with the scripted stuff,” he said at the time.

Baron Cohen admitted he’d get little to no sleep the night before attending events like the far-right rally in the sequel.

“The night before something like that — that rally — you’re trying to go through everything that can go wrong,” he toldET. “In a normal scene like what we’re doing, we’re trying to make sure, ‘How do I make sure my performance is real? Have I done my research? How do I make sure the accent’s perfect?’ In this one you’re going, ‘Okay, if a bunch of guys with guns come from that side of the stage, have I got a way to get out? What happens if someone shoots me? What if a bunch of people start shooting me?’ "

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Production also created “an amplifier that was basically bomb proof” for the actor to hide behind if necessary. Baron Cohen added toET, “Yeah, I don’t want to do it again. I got away with it. I’m not pushing my luck again.”

source: people.com