Gun activist pranked on Who Is America? is ‘seeking legal advice’
Sacha Baron Cohen's new show Who Is America? may be a huge hit with most TV viewers, but not everyone is enthralled by it, particularly those who end up appearing on it.
Dan Roberts is one of those people. In fact, he is "actively exploring what legal remedies may be available" after what he describes as a "malicious" act to humiliate him.
A gun rights activist was filmed for Sacha Baron Cohen’s "Who Is America?" in a segment involving a sex toy. He had no idea he was in the episode until it aired. https://t.co/yi5qFAbynk
— News In The World (@NewsInTheWorld) August 14, 2018
So what actually happened on the show?
Erev Tov, my name Lieutenant Erran Morad. Watch this anti-terror training module with gun rights hero, and leader of Youth Shooters for America, Daniel Roberts. https://t.co/kOAiWl9a8R
— Colonel Erran Morad (@ErranMorad) August 13, 2018
Well, Sacha posed as Israeli antiterrorism expert, Erran Morad, who was offering on-camera training segments to help Americans fight terrorism.
During filming, Dan, founder and president of Youth Shooters of America, was asked to take part in, shall we say, unusual activities which, according to "Erran", would help in the fight against terrorists.
He was told to throw a baby doll into a trash can, and take part in a shouting matching. But that wasn't all.
Sacha told Dan that the only way to stop a beheading was to bite on the enemy's genitals.
And asked him to bite down on a sex toy to demonstrate.
Which he did.
Gun activist seeking legal action over ‘malicious’ Sacha Baron Cohen prank https://t.co/bLylxQPgll pic.twitter.com/cKzx3ArbP4
— Independent TV (@TheIndyTV) August 14, 2018
Talking to the New York Times about the incident, Dan said that at the time, the use of the prop made sense.
"Think about what they’re claiming: a last resort. You have one chance to do something, or you’re certain you’re going to die. That’s the scenario they’ve laid out. I don’t know many people, if they were completely honest, that they would say they wouldn’t take that opportunity to maybe, hopefully, grab one thing to maybe save their lives."
I liked a @YouTube video https://t.co/B0rnuccoda Sacha Baron Cohen Gets Pro-Gun Activist To Put A Dildo In His Mouth
— Alden Fats Clarke (@Fat_Solutions) August 14, 2018
The gun activist described the whole prank as "a malicious, willful and deliberate act on the part of Sacha Baron Cohen, the production company and Showtime, who blatantly lied to me about the purpose of the entire thing, in a deliberate effort to humiliate me."