That Time Sacha Baron Cohen Gave Ben Carson’s Secret Service the Slip

Pranks for the memories

Sacha Baron Cohen, out of character. (GettyImages)
Sacha Baron Cohen, out of character. (GettyImages)
Getty Images

Actor, comedian and professional prankster Sacha Baron Cohen will do and say anything, and he’s landed in scrapes because of that. And that includes a near-encounter with Ben Carson and his Secret Service squad, reports Page Six.

Turns out that Cohen landed a one-on-one with the housing and urban development secretary, which he planned to conduct at the Washington, DC, Mandarin Oriental as his out-there Who Is America? alter ego OMGWhizzBoyOMG.

The scheme went awry almost upon arrival, Cohen shared, at the urging of Sarah Silverman, during a private chat with SAG members, reports the site. “We get there and there were Secret Service everywhere,” said Cohen, ” … so I was like, ‘S–t! How do I get him?” Moreover,  he wondered, how does he respond when asked for his ID, knowing that presenting a phony identification could get him arrested.

In short order, Cohen’s security adviser told the comic that “The Secret Service know you’re here, and that something’s up, they don’t know what it is, whether it’s an attack or something’s going on, and they’re looking for you.” Cohen’s guard added that there was a getaway car waiting for his great escape. Cohen slipped away, but he was “followed by a police car for about five minutes,” he shared. “They didn’t pull us over so I managed to get away with that.” And Carson eluded the interview with OMBWhizzBoyOMB, unlike Dick Cheney and Bernie Sanders.

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