Sacha Baron Cohen thanks 'comedy genius' Rudy Giuliani as Borat Subsequent Moviefilm wins at the Golden Globes

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Published on February 28, 2021 11:28PM EST

When Borat Subsequent Moviefilm won back-to-back Golden Globes on Sunday, Sacha Baron Cohen made sure to thank his "comedy genius" costar: Rudy Giuliani.

The sequel won twice in the Musical or Comedy categories, earning both Best Picture and Best Actor for Cohen. After thanking "the all-white Hollywood Foreign Press," Cohen made sure to call out Giuliani, who made headlines for his compromising hotel room appearance in the film.

"I gotta say this movie couldn't have been possible without my costar: a fresh new talent who came from nowhere and turned out to be a comedy genius," Cohen said. "I'm talking, of course, about Rudy Giuliani. I mean, who could get more laughs out of one unzipping?"

Cohen continued, "Our movie was just the beginning for him. Rudy went on to star in a string of comedy films, hits like Four Seasons Landscaping, Hair Dye Another Day, and the courtroom drama A Very Public Fart."

The film shows the former New York City mayor and presidential advisor going into a hotel room with actress Maria Bakalova (who plays Borat's young daughter Tutar) and seemingly reaching his hand down his pants. Giuliani denied acting inappropriately, but the now-infamous scene soon went viral. (Earlier in the night, Best Actress winner Rosamund Pike gave a shout-out to her fellow nominee Bakalova for her appearance with Giuliani, telling her, "Maria, I salute your bravery.")

Directed by Jason Woliner, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm once again stars Cohen as the titular Kazakhstani journalist. Cohen previously told EW that he secretly began developing a sequel to his 2006 hit satire after Donald Trump was elected president, and he filmed much of Subsequent Moviefilm in the early days of the COVID-19 shutdown, with the goal to release it before the 2020 election.

"I want to thank my crew who were amazingly brave [and] had the risk of getting arrested, had the risk of getting COVID," Cohen said in his acceptance speech. "They did that because we all believed so deeply in releasing. this movie before the election to show the danger of lies, hate, and conspiracies — and the power of truth, empathy, and democracy."

Borat beat out fellow nominees Hamilton, Music, Palm Springs, and The Prom.

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