Rudy Giuliani Responds to ‘Borat 2’ Scene: “A Totally Sensationalized False Account”

In a radio interview on Wednesday, Rudy Giuliani responded to his scene in the upcoming Borat sequel that had the internet abuzz. Reacting to footage that seemingly shows the former mayor touching his genitalia, Giuliani says he was merely tucking in his shirt, and not preparing to engage sexually with the film’s 24-year-old star.

“I had to take off the electronic equipment,” Giuliani said on WABC radio, as reported by The Daily Beast. “And when the electronic equipment came off, some of it was in the back and my shirt came a little out, although my clothes were entirely on. I leaned back, and I tucked my shirt in, and at that point, at that point, they have this picture they take which looks doctored, but in any event, I’m tucking my shirt in. I assure you that’s all I was doing.”

News of Giuliani’s scene broke on Wednesday when the embargo for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm—coming to Amazon Prime this Friday—lifted. The 76-year-old former New York City mayor and attorney to President Donald Trump participated in what he believed to be a real TV interview with 24-year-old Bulgarian actor Maria Bakalova—who plays Borat’s 15-year-old daughter, Tutar, in the film—at the Mark Hotel in New York City. But in fact, the entire thing was engineered by Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen and his producers.

Spoilers for Borat 2 beyond this point, but first Bakalova compliments Giuliani by calling him “one of her greatest heroes.” Then, she feeds him softball questions about the coronavirus pandemic. (“How many lives did Donald Trump save?” “Probably one million.”) Then he follows her into the hotel room for a drink. As Bakalova slowly takes off their microphones, Giuliani asks for her number and address, lies down the bed, and puts his hand down his pants. Exactly what Giuliani is doing at that moment is murky—simply tucking in his shirt, maybe—but the entire situation is wildly uncomfortable. Of course, wildly uncomfortable situations are Borat’s modus operandi.

Before anything else happens, Cohen bursts in dressed in pink lingerie, shouting, “She 15, she too old for you!”

Giuliani went on to say in the radio interview that he believed Cohen targeted him in a “hit job” because of his recent work for Trump regarding Joe Biden’s son.

“They’ll do anything. They’ve attacked me over everything possible, investigated every business dealing I’ve ever had,” he said. “And now the idiot Borat is going after me with a totally sensationalized false account of a ridiculous movie I guess that he’s done.”

He added that he believed he was doing a legitimate interview with a young reporter. “At one point she explained to me some problems she had. I actually prayed with her,” he said. “And then I had to leave. I had my jacket on. I was fully clothed at all times.”

After the incident, Giuliani called the NYPD on Cohen, as reported by Page Six in July. He told Page Six, “I only later realized it must have been Sacha Baron Cohen. I thought about all the people he previously fooled and I felt good about myself because he didn’t get me.”

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm will begin streaming on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, October 23.

Watch Borat Subsequent Moviefilm on Amazon Prime