ABC analyst Larry Hackett appeared on Good Morning America, Thursday, to hedge about whether or not it was right for liberal comedian Sacha Baron Cohen to dupe Sarah Palin by portraying a disabled vet in order to con her into an interview. Talking to 10Ten Media managing partner Larry Hackett, co-host Robin Roberts wondered: “Is that not crossing the line?”
Hackett responded: “We have to see what it looks like and where it actually takes place in the show.” The stunt will be part of Showtime’s new series Who Is America? The analyst tried to justify the hoax interview: “Deejays have been doing it for 50 years calling up some store and saying they're somebody.”
Hackett was excited about the show, but Roberts found the stunt disgusting and shut him down:
LARRY HACKETT: This guaranteed people are going to watch show. Who will not pay attention to the show? You want to see what the fuss is about.
ROBIN ROBERTS: Nope. I think I’m not going to be one that will watch it. Just going on record here.
Palin will be on GMA, Friday, to talk about being harassed by Cohen. On Wednesday, CBS This Morning skipped the story on the Showtime show, a subdivision of CBS.
A partial transcript is below. Click “expand” to read more:
GMA
7/12/18
7:34ROBIN ROBERTS: We're joined now by Larry Hackett, managing partner at 10Ten Media. Okay. Impersonating a disabled veteran. Is that not crossing the line?
LARRY HACKETT: We have to see what it looks like and where it actually takes place in the show. I personally don't find his theater of humiliation very funny. But installing rules on this is certainly before we see it seems hasty. I find it unusual that, you know, that these people are, you know, protesting ahead of time. I mean, CBS should do anything, he should give their advertising money and marketing funds to Sarah Palin and thank her for creating attention for this show.
ROBERTS: This is nothing new with comedians. Potential political satire if you will but these are very sensitive times.
HACKETT: Deejays have been doing it for 50 years calling up some store and saying they're somebody. This is not new and as your taped piece indicated this is what his career is built on. I find it mystifying people can still get duped by him. Obviously, the attention for the show is going to be huge. This is a show that many people weren't going to watch. Now everybody is going to watch it.
...
HACKETT: Absolutely. This guaranteed people are going to watch show. Who will not pay attention to the show? You want to see what the fuss is about.
ROBERTS: Nope. I think I’m not going to be one that will watch it. Just going on record here.
