Sacha Baron Cohen Put on "Gardening Leave" After Guest's Outrageous Act
English journalist Natasha Kaplinsky has revealed that Sacha Baron Cohen was placed on "gardening leave" from his first TV job after a guest he booked stripped naked in front of a child-filled audience.
Kaplinsky, 51, worked with Baron Cohen in 1996 on Granada Talk TV's short-lived youth chat show, *F2F*. In a piece for *The Times*, she detailed her experiences as Baron Cohen's "stooge," recounting the incident involving a guest named Kenny Slide.
"One time a guest heâd booked, someone called Kenny Slide, took his clothes off in front of an audience full of children," she wrote. The incident reportedly resulted in Baron Cohen being swiftly put on gardening leave.
Kaplinsky's revelation comes amidst a wave of controversy surrounding Baron Cohen, including his separation from actress Isla Fisher after a reportedly tumultuous marriage. The couple, who met in 2001 and married in 2010, share three children.
Insiders claim the marriage was "shaky" for years, with Baron Cohen allegedly struggling after relocating the family to Australia in 2020. They moved from Los Angeles to Perth, where Fisher's family resides, to escape Sydney's strict COVID-19 lockdown rules.
The separation announcement came shortly after actress Rebel Wilson made claims about Baron Cohen in her memoir, *Rebel Rising*, which he has vehemently denied.
Wilson alleged inappropriate on-set behavior by Baron Cohen during the filming of their 2016 film, *Grimsby*. She publicly named Baron Cohen as the celebrity responsible for making legal threats over the book, prompting a response from his representatives.
In a statement to TMZ, Baron Cohen's representatives refuted Wilson's claims, stating that they were "demonstrably false" and contradicted by "extensive detailed evidence," including "contemporaneous documents, film footage, and eyewitness accounts."
Despite the denials, the incident has cast a shadow over Baron Cohen's reputation. Kaplinsky's story further adds to the narrative of his alleged misbehavior, though it remains unclear how his actions on the *F2F
set impacted his career.
Baron Cohen is believed to be in the process of purchasing a London house for himself and his children, suggesting a desire to focus on their well-being in the wake of his separation. Meanwhile, Fisher has refrained from commenting on Wilson's accusations against her estranged husband.
