Rebel Wilson's Disturbing Sacha Baron Cohen Allegations (And His Response) Explained
Content warning: sexual assault, harassment
Rebel Wilson's new memoir, "Rebel Rising," has some serious allegations about a major comedy star — and he's already responded.
In the book, Wilson says that "Borat" star Sacha Baron Cohen was repeatedly inappropriate with her when the two were working on the 2016 comedy "The Brothers Grimsby." According to a report in People Magazine, the two met at an industry event, at which point Baron Cohen asked Wilson to play his girlfriend in the movie; the outlet notes that Baron Cohen wrote and co-produced the movie and starred in it as well.
"It felt like every time I'd speak to SBC, he'd mention that he wanted me to go naked in a future scene," Wilson reveals in her book. "I was like, 'Ha, I don't do nudity, Sacha.'" Wilson then details a truly disturbing moment while the two were on set in Cape Town, South Africa, writing, "'Okay, well, we're gonna film this extra scene,' [Baron Cohen] says. Then he pulls his pants down." The actor says that Baron Cohen asked her to digitally penetrate him, and to diffuse the moment, she "slapped him on the a** and improvised a few lines as the character." Wilson says that although she contacted her lawyer after the incident, she was advised to remain professional and get through the rest of the shoot.
Rebel Wilson's allegations about Sacha Baron Cohen are quite disturbing
If these allegations are true, it's understandable that Rebel Wilson — as she claims in "Rebel Rising" — was put in a difficult spot for the rest of the filming process. In the same excerpt obtained by People, Wilson wrote, "I filmed the scene, after demanding rewrites. But I still had to simulate having sex with this guy. I still had to kiss him repeatedly. It really sank in that all this wasn't something that could be laughed off." The actor says that she eventually told the team behind "The Brothers Grimsby" that she didn't want to do any press for the film.
If you've never heard of "The Brothers Grimsby," that makes sense; the film performed so poorly at the box office that it seemed to ruin Sacha Baron Cohen's career outright. Wilson even acknowledges that the movie was a total bomb, opining that the outcome was karmic. She also says that she doesn't want to contribute to cancel culture but is speaking up now because she wants victims of assault and harassment to be open about their own stories: "I'm sharing my story now because the more women talk about things like this, hopefully the less it happens," she writes.
Sacha Baron Cohen has responded to Wilson's allegations
In the wake of Rebel Wilson's allegations, Sacha Baron Cohen released a statement through representatives to People, who included it in the report on the overall story. "While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of 'The Brothers Grimsby,'" the statement read.
Beyond that, Baron Cohen's representatives obtained statements from other people who worked on the film, all of whom say that Wilson's story doesn't hold water. As for Baron Cohen's rather unorthodox request to Wilson, a writer and producer on the film separately told the outlet that it was part of the movie. "This was a scheduled, scripted scene," one said. "As per the script, which Rebel had read and approved in advance, her character was attempting to put a finger in Sacha's character's butt. At no point did Sacha actually ask her to put a finger in his butt," another recalled.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).