--- title: Lawmaker Faces Backlash After Sacha Baron Cohen Segment description: Georgia lawmaker Jason Spencer faces backlash after using using racist and derogatory language and partially disrobing on Who Is America? canonical: https://time.com/5345873/jason-spencer-sacha-baron-cohen-who-is-america/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-07-23T15:36:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T20:55:35.829Z article:section: Politics og:title: Georgia Lawmaker Criticized for 'Appalling' TV Behavior og:description: Jason Spencer repeatedly used the n-word and engaged in other behavior og:url: https://time.com/5345873/jason-spencer-sacha-baron-cohen-who-is-america/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5aa325d6c028864/698935148fd2ee8da735c18b/gettyimages-516204504.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3500 og:image:height: 1969 og:image:alt: Sacha Baron Cohen Attends 'El Hormiguero' Tv Show og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Georgia Lawmaker Criticized for 'Appalling' TV Behavior twitter:description: Jason Spencer repeatedly used the n-word and engaged in other behavior twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5aa325d6c028864/698935148fd2ee8da735c18b/gettyimages-516204504.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Georgia Lawmaker Faces Backlash After 'Appalling and Offensive' Sacha Baron Cohen Appearance > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Jul 23, 2018 3:36 PM UTC  MADRID, SPAIN - MARCH 17: Sacha Baron Cohen attends 'El Hormiguero' Tv Show at Vertice Studio on March 17, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. MADRID, SPAIN - MARCH 17: Sacha Baron Cohen attends 'El Hormiguero' Tv Show at Vertice Studio on March 17, 2016 in Madrid, Spain. Photo by Pablo Cuadra/Getty Images  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Jul 23, 2018 3:36 PM UTC Georgia lawmaker Jason Spencer is facing calls to resign and other backlash after using using racist and derogatory language and partially disrobing on _Who Is America?,_ comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s new undercover satire show. Spencer, a Republican state representative, repeatedly used the n-word, exposed his buttocks, and engaged in other offensive behavior on the [July 22 episode of the show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k4pMTsa1Kw). In the episode, Cohen, a comedian known for his costumed “gotcha” gags, posed as Israeli counter-terror expert Captain Erran Morad, who convinces Spencer to take a fake lesson in identifying terrorists and preventing kidnappings. “Because of who you are, you could be the victim of kidnapping by ISIS,” Cohen tells Spencer. He goes on to pose as a terrorist conducting such a kidnapping, telling Spencer he has just seconds to attract attention — and that there is one forbidden word in America, the n-word, that might get such attention. In an attempt to free himself from the staged kidnapping, Spencer subsequently shouts the n-word four times. “Are you crazy?” Cohen, in character as Morad, responds. “The n-word is noony — not this word. This word is disgusting.” “Got it,” says Spencer. Later in the episode, Cohen pretends to teach Spencer that can he intimidate ISIS members by stripping down to his underwear and bumping his buttocks against them. Spencer promptly takes off his pants and runs into Cohen. “I’ll touch you, I’ll make you a homosexual — you drop that gun right now — USA!,” Spencer says. The lawmaker also mocks Asian tourists by mimicking them while using words like “red dragon,” “Hong Kong” and “sushi.” Multiple lawmakers in Georgia have criticized Spencer following the clip’s emergence. “The actions and language used by Jason Spencer are appalling and offensive. There is no excuse for this type of behavior, ever, and I am saddened and disgusted by it,” Georgia Governor Nathan Deal said [in a statement.](https://twitter.com/GovernorDeal/status/1021336979819122688) > [](https://twitter.com/GovernorDeal/status/1021336979819122688) The Georgia House Speaker, David Ralston, has called for Spencer’s resignation. Spencer, who has served four terms in the Georgia General Assembly, [lost his primary](https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/local%5Fnews/spencer-loses-primary-election-after-four-terms/article%5F1420fdb3-c353-53cb-8f8c-9d4eff04a8dd.html) in May to 24-year-old newcomer Steven Sainz. Spencer [told](https://politics.myajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/lawmaker-duped-sacha-baron-cohen-this-why-trump-won/t4MGGDybLya3zuId1miJqM/) _The Atlanta-Journal Constitution_ last week that Cohen and his producers had taken advantage of him because he had introduced legislation banning traditional Muslim burkas. “They exploited my state of mind for profit and notoriety,” he said, going on to threaten legal action. “This media company’s deceptive and fraudulent behavior is exactly why President Donald Trump was elected.” Other conservative politicians, including Sarah Palin, Trent Lott and more, have also been [duped by Cohen](http://time.com/5339648/who-is-america-sacha-baron-cohen-republican-lawmakers-arming-kids/) as part of his new show. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5345873/jason-spencer-sacha-baron-cohen-who-is-america/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5345873/jason-spencer-sacha-baron-cohen-who-is-america/"},"headline":"Georgia Lawmaker Faces Backlash After 'Appalling and Offensive' Sacha Baron Cohen Appearance","datePublished":"2018-07-23T15:36:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T20:55:35.829Z","description":"Jason Spencer repeatedly used the n-word and engaged in other behavior","url":"https://time.com/5345873/jason-spencer-sacha-baron-cohen-who-is-america/","keywords":["georgia","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5aa325d6c028864/698935148fd2ee8da735c18b/gettyimages-516204504.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alana Abramson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc5aa325d6c028864/698935148fd2ee8da735c18b/gettyimages-516204504.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Sacha Baron Cohen Attends 'El Hormiguero' Tv Show","caption":"Sacha Baron Cohen Attends 'El Hormiguero' Tv Show","creditText":"Photo by Pablo Cuadra/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/georgia/","name":"georgia"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5345873/jason-spencer-sacha-baron-cohen-who-is-america/","name":"Georgia Lawmaker Faces Backlash After 'Appalling and Offensive' Sacha Baron Cohen Appearance"}}]}] ```