Showtime and Sacha Baron Cohen push back against Sarah Palin

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Showtime and Sacha Baron Cohen are pushing back against allegations the comedian duped guests on his new show by posing as a disabled veteran.

The network says in a statement Monday that Baron Cohen “did not present himself as a disabled veteran” or wear any military apparel when he met with Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

Palin last week on Facebook complained that Baron Cohen “heavily disguised himself” as a disabled U.S. veteran in a wheelchair when she was “duped” into an interview. She challenged Baron Cohen and Showtime to donate proceeds from the show to a veterans’ charity.

In the new show “Who Is America?,” Baron Cohen dons various prosthetics and accents in an attempt to embarrass those on the right and left.