The British Jewish comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen reprised his Borat character on Sunday night, taking aim at Kanye West, antisemitism, and former president Donald Trump.
At the prestigious Kennedy Centre Honors in the US, Baron Cohen, posing as fictional Kazakh television journalist Borat Sagdiyev left President Joe Biden and his wife, Dr Jill Biden, in fits of laughter as he told risqué jokes at the normally somewhat serious Washington DC event.
Speaking to an audience of politician and celebrities, the Jewish actor opened during a segment celebrating rock group U2: “I know the president of US and A is here.
"Where are you Mr Trump?"
As the audience burst out laughing, Baron Cohen continued: "You don’t look so good. Where has your glorious big belly gone? And your pretty orange skin has become pale.”
He then asked if Russian president Vladimir Putin and the deadly nerve agent novichok were responsible for the change.
"But I see you have a new wife. Wawawoooah! She is very erotic. I must look away before I get a Bono."
Baron Cohen then turned to antisemitism, and comes after former president Trump dined at his Florida home Mar-a-Lago with Kanye West - who has made antisemitic comments and praised Hitler in recent weeks - and white supremacist Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.
Sacha Baron Cohen speaking to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who is also Jewish (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
In Borat's comical Kazakh accent, Baron Cohen said: “Before I proceed, I will say I am very upset about the antisemitism in US and A. It not fair. Kazakhstan is No 1 Jew-crushing nation. Stop stealing our hobby. Stop the steal! Stop the steal!”
Some guests laughed, while others were visibly uncomfortable, according to The Guardian.
"Your Kanye, he tried to move to Kazakhstan and even changed his name to Kazakhstanye West. But we said: No, he too antisemitic, even for us," he added.
He followed that up by singing a short parody of U2's hit song, With or Without You, and changed the lyrics to: "With or without Jews."
He stopped and then asked the audience: "What’s the problem? They loved this at Mar-a-Lago. They chose Without Jews.”
Audience members say that President Biden and Dr Biden seemed to enjoy Baron Cohen's performance, despite it contrasting somewhat with the usual seriousness of the US capital.
The president's sister, Valerie Biden Owens, told the Guardian after the performance: "I think I like U2." However, when asked if he enjoyed it, Roy Blunt, a Republican senator for Missouri said: "Not much."
The 45th Kennedy Centre Honors are the most prestigious awards for lifetime achievement in the arts, and saw actor George Clooney, singer-songwriter Amy Grant, singer Gladys Knight, and composer Tania León celebrated.
Paul Pelosi, the husband of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, received a standing ovation as he arrived for his first public appearance since he was brutally attacked at their San Francisco home in October.
The Pelosis were seated next to Vice President Kamala Harris and the first Jewish Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff.
