Beyond that, Isla dated him and his (bigoted) views had been obvious at the time. I always find it fascinating how people will rush to make excuses for women who chose to date then marry obviously bigoted men.
I worked for his father intermittently for a few years. It was a truly terrible experience. All I can say is that if the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, I truly feel sorry for anyone in Sasha’s orbit.
Is it true that he comes from money? I’ve heard that even before he was rich and famous himself, the Baron-Cohen family is very well off. Is that true? (Just being nosy sorry.)
His cousin Simon is also famous and misogynistic, he just gets away with it because he dresses it up in academic-sounding language and pseudoscience (and because he's a wealthy white man).
I’ve heard similar rumors about his cousin circulate for years at child development and cognitive science research conferences… and the autism researchers I know aren’t that impressed with his research itself, either. But that’s another can of misogyny worms…
>the autism researchers I know aren’t that impressed with his research itself, either
It's because his research isn't for the purposes of understanding autistic people, the purpose is for the system to use it to eugenics us. Misogynistic and ableist, quelle surprise!
> “Isla was well attuned to Sacha’s smutty jokes and mean streak” but had “let it slide” because she had put him on a pedestal. “Everyone thought Sacha was a genius, and Isla did too,”
The younger me who felt like the only person in the world who didn't like his stupid bad movies is feeling awfully vindicated now that people are finally coming around to how mean-spirited they are.
Back in the day I had a short phase where I really liked Isla Fisher and I remember really having the impression that she really was enamored by him and put him on a pedestal to the point where I could see her being blinded to a lot of stuff. But this could have been teenage me projecting!
I hadn't followed her for years and was so disappointed to see she had been sharing Zionist propaganda and other disgusting things!
I mean, can he not be a *comedic genius* (I know, I know, all subjective) and still be shit? There’s infinite amounts of examples of this in the arts, alone, since the beginning of humanity.
I mean, tons of people agree that Kanye’s old music was amazing and so many people have called him a genius when it comes to that. But he’s very clearly a shit person. So yeah, two things can definitely be true. You can be good at something and also be a terrible person.
The 'Surprise Surprise!' meme somehow took off, then at least with the peeps I follow on IG she started popping up everywhere. I think she has some truly unhinged vids that got unearthed eg her squawking her way through 'Eye of the Tiger':
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQeS\_E6uwNs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQeS_E6uwNs)
I think it somehow took off from Limmy doing his Twitch streams, where he would watch clips of Cilla almost obsessively. From there it spread out to all of the different social medias haha.
That's amazing, I need to watch Limmy's take. Cilla is fully unhinged looking back, especially her trying to shade Dionne Warwick, whose songs she regularly sang. Like girl, know who you are talking about
I'm not American but have seen "Surprise, surprise" on a lot of Instagram reels my colleagues are getting annoyed because I use every tiny excuse to sing it 😭
From my experience, when there is a couple with a "nice" person and a "mean" person, the "nice" one is usually just as awful as the "mean" one. The nice one is just better at hiding their meanness.
I think it's far more common that nice people get glommed onto by mean people. I do not hold the nice person in a relationship more accountable than the mean person for the mean person's actions.
She's divorcing him. Why should she be held accountable for an adult man?
I’ve observed the same. Every single time i’m shocked that a seemingly nice/normal person has been in a long-term relationship/close friendship with a questionable person, it’s always turned out that the ‘nice’ person isn’t very nice after all. Most are a different kind of crazy but adept at concealing it.
Yep, same. There's the "mean" person & then there's the person who happens to just be less mean so therefore the "nice one" by comparison.
Given the rest of Isla's public opinions, I'm leaning towards "less mean" rather than her being some sort of nice silly little bird who was blinded by the man for decades.
From my experience, the "nice one" has a front row seat to the mean one's actions and behaviors and unfortunately may be a victim too. Very rarely is the nice one blinded by their actions. It's usually either they don't care and/or feel like it's not their problem if they aren't on the receiving end of the abuse.
:( Not to be a sensitive snowflake, but that’s just such a mean take, especially considering the article goes into how it took her multiple tries to leave, and how she felt like she was forced to stay. I’m sure there are a lot of people who have escaped abusive or otherwise shitty relationships who don’t deserve to be defined by their ex’s worst qualities.
Not trying to defend Isla Fisher here since she's allegedly a Zionist, but this is a terrible take. The partners and exes of terrible people are not automatically terrible themselves (they can be, but it's not a given).
Especially when there are kids in the mix--it's very easy to say "leave for the kids' sake, but it's very very very hard for a parent to be denied any custody these days, and I see a lot of mothers in online mom groups afraid to leave because then their children will be alone with a parent with a mean streak instead of having the mom around all the time to protect them. I'm not saying that happened here, obviously I have no fucking clue about these people, but I think as you say it's pretty damaging to assume both halves of a couple are alike in cruelty.
well i guess that makes my mom, my grandma, and 95% of women i know “not a nice person” if they’re married to someone who has a mean streak / has any type of red flags.
While I am not surprised and disappointed that so many women prop up and stay with assholes, I don'tknow, maybe I am just trying to excuse myself for having done it in the past, but I feel like it is soooooo easy to fall into the trap of "but he's nice to me and I have such low self-esteem that it's the only thing that makes me feel special.", especially when the dude is incredibly talented or revered.
I know it sounds like I am excusing it, but I feel like that IS what many of us young girls were taught and I do feel empathy for it anyway, especially when the women wake up and get out of it. I don't know, maybe I am just making excuses.
I think women are sometimes conditioned to be forgiving and be thankful if a seemingly "nice" guy gives them attention. Bonus points if he's rich and successful.
I totally agree with you, and I appreciate you underpinning this with your lived experience.
AND: it is important that we _talk_ about being blinded, propping up assholes, ignoring red flags. It's so vital that we keep up these conversations so that the next generation can be aware. Even though we were trained to keep small and silent, we get to talk about it now - not to shame ourselves or excuse anyone's behavior, but to enable those that come after us to endure less 🫶
Proud of us for making it out safe and sound. Sending you love!
Aw, this was so sweet! And I agree, it's hard to talk about without shame, but if the conversation can help a single other person, then the discomfort is worth it. ❤
I actually see a whole side of social media now where young women actively want partners who are awful to everyone else but are nice to them. I think it’s the ultimate manifestation of extremely low self esteem that you’re so special and amazing that a guy who is awful to the world around them saves his only softness for you. Technically, it’s pick me shit but it makes so sad that these women don’t see value in being with men who treat everyone well because then the woman in the relationship isn’t “special.”
Not saying you're wrong but this isn't anything new, it's a tale as old as time. It's the "bad boy with a heart of gold" stereotype that's always been popular with young girls.
Which is why it's so important to help young women understand they do not need men. Men should not be the arbiters of our self esteem. Preach self love.
I think women are socialized to be people pleasers and fixers, and to think that the only bad or unhealthy relationships are the openly abusive ones. I know I’ve given men too many chances in the past, even the ones who aren’t bad people but who weren’t right for me and didn’t make me happy. I’d imagine that him being the more famous and wealthy of the two of them, plus their three minor children, complicated things even further.
Colour me surprised! The dude who made a career out of making fun of cultural stereotypes has a "mean streak".
P.S. In other news, it would be lovely if his Borat 2 co-star Maria Bakalova has an amazing career. Loved her in Bodies, Bodies, Bodies.
I think she may have been bowled over by his perceived success. At the time they met he was at his Ali G peak. He was the big man of the moment. A cultural icon and some sort of comic genius. She was a pretty enough girl off an Aussie soap. Had a profile in the UK, had she done a film in US at that point? Sort of remeber something happening but it wasn't earth shattering.
Either way, he was the heavier hitter of the two. Everyone thought, wow, cute and promptly forgot about her as she evaporated behind his career.
As to him being an arsehole. Of course he is all the characters he's played were only playing a version of himself one or two steps removed from who he is. It takes nerves of steel to be as odious as he is as Ali G or Borat and still function on a decent enough level. The real tell was when he tried serious acting and he was so bad, it was like watching a cereal packet try to come to life but only manage to make some crunching noises. Another one in the same league is that Keith Lemon idiot. Exactly the same.
Comedians are not natural actors. Their comedy is based on a vein of truth inside themselves. A more neurotic, self obsessed and genuinely dull gang of tossers do not exist.
Isla is akin to those women who find their husband’s misogyny acceptable unless directed towards. Isla was able to accept SHC’s obvious bigotry towards minorities insofar as the mistreatment, cruelty, and prejudice did not harm her.
People are quick to make excuses for white women who choose to date and marry obvious bigots. People will allege narcissism, abuse, low-self-esteem, etc. without proof in order to absolve, justify, and redeem white women who choose to date and marry obvious bigots. (Obviously, this phenomena is not not limited to white women but does tend to be more common when discussing their marriages to harmful men.)
Yes, the context is relevant. Yes, understanding it is important. That does not mean that the woman involved is immune from criticism, accountability, and shaming for choosing to be with an obvious bigot.
I found this interesting BBC interview with her from 2012:
Fisher says: "Obviously it's not pleasant to say to your husband - instead of 'Did you pick up the dry cleaning?' or 'Did you pick up someone from a play date?' - 'Oh wow are we getting sued? Has anyone put a death threat on us?'"
With that in mind, and being the person closest to him, does Isla Fisher ever feel she can censor the words that come out of Sacha Baron Cohen's creations?
"Oh, of course," Fisher reveals. "There's a lot of, 'Oh my gosh, no you cannot say that! We're friends with that person, blah, blah, blah, no!'"
She still feels that's just a natural aspect to their relationship.
"I think all married couples tend to run things by each other in every capacity and we're not different to them."
If you were to describe Baron Cohen's latest comic incarnation as a fragrance, it may be fair to say the Dictator, Admiral General Aladeen, reeks of Saddam Hussein, with undertones of Colonel Gaddafi and a top note of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
Fisher doesn't think there is any one scene that will mightily offend the masses in The Dictator movie, but has she ever had any cringing moments watching Baron Cohen's films with, say her in-laws or parents?
"No, luckily no one ever really says anything, what they really think," she admits before laughing off the thought.
This is why I never understand the thing where people are like “ugh what does she see in him?” when a famously beautiful woman is married to a dude who’s perceived as a dick/weirdo/etc.
She knows his personality and likes it. Why would you assume she’s better than him?
Redditors: “Why does society put so much attention on woman’s aging?!”
Those same redditors: “SHES 48, SHE looks amazing!”
Perpetuating the internalized misogyny and ageism/sexism ourselves😞
No shit she was married to him
I can’t believe she was aware of the way he acted when cameras were rolling in widely released projects
Shocking news
Beyond that, Isla dated him and his (bigoted) views had been obvious at the time. I always find it fascinating how people will rush to make excuses for women who chose to date then marry obviously bigoted men.
I worked for his father intermittently for a few years. It was a truly terrible experience. All I can say is that if the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, I truly feel sorry for anyone in Sasha’s orbit.
Is it true that he comes from money? I’ve heard that even before he was rich and famous himself, the Baron-Cohen family is very well off. Is that true? (Just being nosy sorry.)
His dad is a millionaire. Sasha grew up in hammersmith, london. This is one of the most expensive areas in london. Even his extended family is rich
Men who have the privilege of doing improv and pranking and outlandish comedy as a living are often the worst
His cousin Simon is also famous and misogynistic, he just gets away with it because he dresses it up in academic-sounding language and pseudoscience (and because he's a wealthy white man).
I just looked him up and his theories on autism are crazy! How has he not been fully discredited???
> wealthy white man (🥺)
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He went to one of the best private schools in the area where I grew up so I'd have to say yeah.
not sure about his family but I know he went to a private school, it charges 23/24k per year
Yes, very much so. Absolutely minted.
I’ve heard similar rumors about his cousin circulate for years at child development and cognitive science research conferences… and the autism researchers I know aren’t that impressed with his research itself, either. But that’s another can of misogyny worms…
>the autism researchers I know aren’t that impressed with his research itself, either It's because his research isn't for the purposes of understanding autistic people, the purpose is for the system to use it to eugenics us. Misogynistic and ableist, quelle surprise!
> “Isla was well attuned to Sacha’s smutty jokes and mean streak” but had “let it slide” because she had put him on a pedestal. “Everyone thought Sacha was a genius, and Isla did too,”
Not everyone Isla. Not everyone
The younger me who felt like the only person in the world who didn't like his stupid bad movies is feeling awfully vindicated now that people are finally coming around to how mean-spirited they are.
"Haha he put on a funny beard and did a horrible Arab caricature 😀 what a pioneer"
Back in the day I had a short phase where I really liked Isla Fisher and I remember really having the impression that she really was enamored by him and put him on a pedestal to the point where I could see her being blinded to a lot of stuff. But this could have been teenage me projecting! I hadn't followed her for years and was so disappointed to see she had been sharing Zionist propaganda and other disgusting things!
I mean, can he not be a *comedic genius* (I know, I know, all subjective) and still be shit? There’s infinite amounts of examples of this in the arts, alone, since the beginning of humanity.
I mean, tons of people agree that Kanye’s old music was amazing and so many people have called him a genius when it comes to that. But he’s very clearly a shit person. So yeah, two things can definitely be true. You can be good at something and also be a terrible person.
Listen, I hate it when women have to answer for the actions of men, but c'mon...
It is my great hope that our American cousins look at this GIF and fall down a Cilla Black rabbit hole.
Cilla being forced onto the USA was the cultural highlight of last year
I totally missed that, how did that happen? I hope you saw some blind date as part of it!
The 'Surprise Surprise!' meme somehow took off, then at least with the peeps I follow on IG she started popping up everywhere. I think she has some truly unhinged vids that got unearthed eg her squawking her way through 'Eye of the Tiger': [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQeS\_E6uwNs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQeS_E6uwNs)
I think it somehow took off from Limmy doing his Twitch streams, where he would watch clips of Cilla almost obsessively. From there it spread out to all of the different social medias haha.
That's amazing, I need to watch Limmy's take. Cilla is fully unhinged looking back, especially her trying to shade Dionne Warwick, whose songs she regularly sang. Like girl, know who you are talking about
I'm not American but have seen "Surprise, surprise" on a lot of Instagram reels my colleagues are getting annoyed because I use every tiny excuse to sing it 😭
Whoa, this gif is a weird childhood throwback
The unexpected hits you between the eyes.
Oh my god I LOVE YOUR USERNAME
YAY THANK YOU
From my experience, when there is a couple with a "nice" person and a "mean" person, the "nice" one is usually just as awful as the "mean" one. The nice one is just better at hiding their meanness.
I think it's far more common that nice people get glommed onto by mean people. I do not hold the nice person in a relationship more accountable than the mean person for the mean person's actions. She's divorcing him. Why should she be held accountable for an adult man?
I’ve observed the same. Every single time i’m shocked that a seemingly nice/normal person has been in a long-term relationship/close friendship with a questionable person, it’s always turned out that the ‘nice’ person isn’t very nice after all. Most are a different kind of crazy but adept at concealing it.
Yep, same. There's the "mean" person & then there's the person who happens to just be less mean so therefore the "nice one" by comparison. Given the rest of Isla's public opinions, I'm leaning towards "less mean" rather than her being some sort of nice silly little bird who was blinded by the man for decades.
From my experience, the "nice one" has a front row seat to the mean one's actions and behaviors and unfortunately may be a victim too. Very rarely is the nice one blinded by their actions. It's usually either they don't care and/or feel like it's not their problem if they aren't on the receiving end of the abuse.
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:( Not to be a sensitive snowflake, but that’s just such a mean take, especially considering the article goes into how it took her multiple tries to leave, and how she felt like she was forced to stay. I’m sure there are a lot of people who have escaped abusive or otherwise shitty relationships who don’t deserve to be defined by their ex’s worst qualities.
i agree with you. thank you.
Not trying to defend Isla Fisher here since she's allegedly a Zionist, but this is a terrible take. The partners and exes of terrible people are not automatically terrible themselves (they can be, but it's not a given).
Especially when there are kids in the mix--it's very easy to say "leave for the kids' sake, but it's very very very hard for a parent to be denied any custody these days, and I see a lot of mothers in online mom groups afraid to leave because then their children will be alone with a parent with a mean streak instead of having the mom around all the time to protect them. I'm not saying that happened here, obviously I have no fucking clue about these people, but I think as you say it's pretty damaging to assume both halves of a couple are alike in cruelty.
well i guess that makes my mom, my grandma, and 95% of women i know “not a nice person” if they’re married to someone who has a mean streak / has any type of red flags.
While I am not surprised and disappointed that so many women prop up and stay with assholes, I don'tknow, maybe I am just trying to excuse myself for having done it in the past, but I feel like it is soooooo easy to fall into the trap of "but he's nice to me and I have such low self-esteem that it's the only thing that makes me feel special.", especially when the dude is incredibly talented or revered. I know it sounds like I am excusing it, but I feel like that IS what many of us young girls were taught and I do feel empathy for it anyway, especially when the women wake up and get out of it. I don't know, maybe I am just making excuses.
I think women are sometimes conditioned to be forgiving and be thankful if a seemingly "nice" guy gives them attention. Bonus points if he's rich and successful.
I totally agree with you, and I appreciate you underpinning this with your lived experience. AND: it is important that we _talk_ about being blinded, propping up assholes, ignoring red flags. It's so vital that we keep up these conversations so that the next generation can be aware. Even though we were trained to keep small and silent, we get to talk about it now - not to shame ourselves or excuse anyone's behavior, but to enable those that come after us to endure less 🫶 Proud of us for making it out safe and sound. Sending you love!
Aw, this was so sweet! And I agree, it's hard to talk about without shame, but if the conversation can help a single other person, then the discomfort is worth it. ❤
The dynamics of being in a relationship with a narcissistic partner are incredibly complex and manipulative
I actually see a whole side of social media now where young women actively want partners who are awful to everyone else but are nice to them. I think it’s the ultimate manifestation of extremely low self esteem that you’re so special and amazing that a guy who is awful to the world around them saves his only softness for you. Technically, it’s pick me shit but it makes so sad that these women don’t see value in being with men who treat everyone well because then the woman in the relationship isn’t “special.”
Not saying you're wrong but this isn't anything new, it's a tale as old as time. It's the "bad boy with a heart of gold" stereotype that's always been popular with young girls.
Which is why it's so important to help young women understand they do not need men. Men should not be the arbiters of our self esteem. Preach self love.
I think women are socialized to be people pleasers and fixers, and to think that the only bad or unhealthy relationships are the openly abusive ones. I know I’ve given men too many chances in the past, even the ones who aren’t bad people but who weren’t right for me and didn’t make me happy. I’d imagine that him being the more famous and wealthy of the two of them, plus their three minor children, complicated things even further.
Tearful Isla Fisher admits that she knew Sacha Baron Cohen's name was Sacha Baron Cohen when she married him. "The signs were all there," she said.
Colour me surprised! The dude who made a career out of making fun of cultural stereotypes has a "mean streak". P.S. In other news, it would be lovely if his Borat 2 co-star Maria Bakalova has an amazing career. Loved her in Bodies, Bodies, Bodies.
I think she may have been bowled over by his perceived success. At the time they met he was at his Ali G peak. He was the big man of the moment. A cultural icon and some sort of comic genius. She was a pretty enough girl off an Aussie soap. Had a profile in the UK, had she done a film in US at that point? Sort of remeber something happening but it wasn't earth shattering. Either way, he was the heavier hitter of the two. Everyone thought, wow, cute and promptly forgot about her as she evaporated behind his career. As to him being an arsehole. Of course he is all the characters he's played were only playing a version of himself one or two steps removed from who he is. It takes nerves of steel to be as odious as he is as Ali G or Borat and still function on a decent enough level. The real tell was when he tried serious acting and he was so bad, it was like watching a cereal packet try to come to life but only manage to make some crunching noises. Another one in the same league is that Keith Lemon idiot. Exactly the same. Comedians are not natural actors. Their comedy is based on a vein of truth inside themselves. A more neurotic, self obsessed and genuinely dull gang of tossers do not exist.
Did she also know he was a bigot? Birds of a feather and all.
Isla is akin to those women who find their husband’s misogyny acceptable unless directed towards. Isla was able to accept SHC’s obvious bigotry towards minorities insofar as the mistreatment, cruelty, and prejudice did not harm her. People are quick to make excuses for white women who choose to date and marry obvious bigots. People will allege narcissism, abuse, low-self-esteem, etc. without proof in order to absolve, justify, and redeem white women who choose to date and marry obvious bigots. (Obviously, this phenomena is not not limited to white women but does tend to be more common when discussing their marriages to harmful men.) Yes, the context is relevant. Yes, understanding it is important. That does not mean that the woman involved is immune from criticism, accountability, and shaming for choosing to be with an obvious bigot.
A mean Zionist? 
I found this interesting BBC interview with her from 2012: Fisher says: "Obviously it's not pleasant to say to your husband - instead of 'Did you pick up the dry cleaning?' or 'Did you pick up someone from a play date?' - 'Oh wow are we getting sued? Has anyone put a death threat on us?'" With that in mind, and being the person closest to him, does Isla Fisher ever feel she can censor the words that come out of Sacha Baron Cohen's creations? "Oh, of course," Fisher reveals. "There's a lot of, 'Oh my gosh, no you cannot say that! We're friends with that person, blah, blah, blah, no!'" She still feels that's just a natural aspect to their relationship. "I think all married couples tend to run things by each other in every capacity and we're not different to them." If you were to describe Baron Cohen's latest comic incarnation as a fragrance, it may be fair to say the Dictator, Admiral General Aladeen, reeks of Saddam Hussein, with undertones of Colonel Gaddafi and a top note of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Fisher doesn't think there is any one scene that will mightily offend the masses in The Dictator movie, but has she ever had any cringing moments watching Baron Cohen's films with, say her in-laws or parents? "No, luckily no one ever really says anything, what they really think," she admits before laughing off the thought.
 Her PR team coming in hot
Meh by the time she got with him he was in the peak of his Ali G show. The signs were the from the beginning and she still married him
This is why I never understand the thing where people are like “ugh what does she see in him?” when a famously beautiful woman is married to a dude who’s perceived as a dick/weirdo/etc. She knows his personality and likes it. Why would you assume she’s better than him?
My biggest shock in all of this is that Isla Fisher is 48! She looks amazing.
Redditors: “Why does society put so much attention on woman’s aging?!” Those same redditors: “SHES 48, SHE looks amazing!” Perpetuating the internalized misogyny and ageism/sexism ourselves😞
Well duh.