Late Late Show host James Corden already won the internet on Monday by inviting the famous “Chewbacca Mom” onto the program. Because that wasn’t enough, however, the comedian decided to banter with guest Sacha Baron Cohen about that one time the latter interviewed presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, in character as Ali G. The Donald famously claimed that he was the only person in the history of HBO’s Da Ali G Show to see through Cohen’s act. Per Cohen’s account (and countless videos on YouTube), that’s simply not true.
“Well, I was the first person actually to realize that he’s a dick,” Cohen joked when Corden asked him how the interview went. “I was trying to get Donald Trump to invest in this business scheme I had, which was… I was trying to sell something called the ‘ice cream glove.'”
Cohen’s star first exploded stateside in the early 2000s when, as the characters Borat Sagdiyev, Brüno Gehard and the titular Ali G, he would confront prominent politicians, celebrities and figures with ridiculous questions and subjects. These faux interviews eventually paved the way for the films Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan and Brüno.
In 2012, nearly 10 years after his interview with Ali G, the New York real estate mogul-turned-politician insisted he was “the only person who immediately walked out” of his segment on Da Ali G Show.
I never fall for scams. I am the only person who immediately walked out of my ‘Ali G’ interview
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 30, 2012
Per Cohen’s conversation with Corden on The Late Late Show, that’s just not true. When the talk show host brought up the subject of Trump’s supposed walk out, Cohen immediately refuted it, saying that “he was there for about seven minutes.” According to the actor, that was “quite a long time” compared to typical interviews.
Only a full minute of those alleged seven minutes was used on Da Ali G show, and as the YouTube clip below demonstrates, Trump eventually realized he was being played and subsequently left the room.
“Good luck, folks. It’s been nice seeing you,” he says before turning to Cohen’s Ali G character. “You take care of yourself, okay?”
Cohen tried to convince Trump to stay, asking him assorted questions about P. Diddy and other business schemes, but it didn’t work.
(Via The Daily Beast)