60 Minutes to air Sacha Baron Cohen profile on 18 October ahead of Ali G film

Left · 1"60 Minutes" will air a profile of Sacha Baron Cohen on 18 October, according to Variety's exclusive. 1 Left · 1The episode comes ahead of the 23 October premiere of "Ali G: Who Iz I?", Cohen's debut feature film as a director, in which he reprises a role first played on Channel 4's "The 11 O'Clock Show" and on "Da Ali G Show". 1 Left · 1Ariel Levy interviews Cohen in London, and Variety says the conversation focuses on the craft behind his undercover comedy, in which he plays characters such as Ali G, Borat and Brüno among unsuspecting people, and on the objectives of his satire. 1

Left · 2In a clip obtained by Variety, Cohen is asked whether he brings elements of his own personality to his characters. He answers, "If I knew who I was, then I could answer that. But I don't know," and says Ali G in particular reflects himself, because at age 11 he was "an Ali G of sorts". 1 2 Left · 1Asked about humour in his family, Cohen says his mother "was hilarious, but probably not intentionally so" and had a voice so distinct that everyone at his high school could imitate it. 1 Left · 1In a separate CBS News clip, Cohen says the primary objective of his comedy is to "get people to laugh really hard. And smuggled in there is a bit of satire." 3

Left · 1Variety notes that Cohen is frequently criticised for offensive comments made in character, which he has defended as satire, and that he recently stirred outrage with a remark about the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger when asked at the film's premiere. 1 Left · 1The episode will air at 7:30 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT after CBS' NFL telecast and on Paramount+, before later becoming available on YouTube. 1