Ryan Seacrest: Sacha Baron Cohen Gave “Genuine” Apology for Oscars Incident
Sacha Baron Cohen didn't just surprise Saturday Night Live viewers when he made a cameo appearance on "Weekend Update" this Saturday. He also surprised show guest — and one of his most recent celebrity pranking targets — Ryan Seacrest.
In February, Cohen made national news on the E! Oscars pre-show when he "accidentally" spilled what he claimed were the ashes of the late North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il all over Seacrest's Burberry tuxedo on national television, much to Seacrest's shock and dismay. This past weekend, the American Idol host was in attendance for Saturday Night Live when he first saw Cohen's wife, actress Isla Fisher, who apologized to him on behalf of her husband. At the time, Seacrest had no idea that Cohen, who was dressed as The Dictator to promote the film of the same name, was going to be there.
NFL star Eli Manning Tebows, dresses in drag for SNL
"I didn't realize that The Dictator was doing a walk-on cameo [on SNL]. He comes off stage and comes over to me. He breaks character and says, 'Sorry about the Oscars. It wasn't personal,'" Seacrest said on his morning radio show. "He was very, very apologetic and genuine and kind and sweet. He was still wearing The Dictator stuff so it was strangely ironic, but then he started to telling me how it all went down."
Ryan Seacrest on Sacha Baron Cohen's stunt: "I definitely did not know that he was going to do that"
According to Seacrest, Cohen's original target was George Clooney, who was nominated for Best Actor that evening. "'Then someone decided that it wasn't a great idea because he was up for a lot of nominations. It was big night for him that night,'" Cohen allegedly told Seacrest. "Then they somehow spun 'The Wheel of Tragedy' and it ended on my name."
Seacrest also mentioned that Cohen had sent him a jacket after the red carpet fiasco that was later donated to charity.
Here's Cohen surprise cameo as The Dictator on Saturday Night Live:
Do you think Cohen's apology was genuine? Was the prank was funny or in bad taste?
Related Articles on TVGuide.com
