"Borat" Caused Pamela Anderson & Kid Rock Split, Sacha Baron Cohen Confirms

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Musician Kid Rock and actress Pamela Anderson arrive at the Kid Rock After-Party for the American Music Awards at Forbidden City on November 16, 2003 in Hollywood, California. The party was hosted by Stuff Magazine and Blender.
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Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock had a relationship that lasted a few years but they filed a divorce just weeks after the release of Borat in 2006. The timing seemed coincidental but apparently, that film was the cause of the couple's split.

Speaking to The Daily Beast, Sasha Baron Cohen spoke about the infamous scene where Borat "kidnaps" Pamela Anderson which stirred up a ton of controversy. In the scene, Borat shows up at a book signing and puts a bag over her head before trying to carry her over his shoulder and then chasing her down the store and getting arrested.

"We did that scene twice, actually," he said. "The first time we did it at a book signing and I grabbed her over my shoulder and ran out with her and no one did anything. I was like, what kind of fans are these?"

Cohen continued to explain how Pamela ended up losing two things that day. “One, she lost a tiny bit of bone from her jaw,” he explained, “and secondly, she lost a husband.”

After the film was released in 2006, Universal Studio chief Ron Meyer held a screening of Borat at his house with Pamela and Kid Rock in attendance. Reports said that after the film was shown, Kid Rock "started screaming at Pam, saying she had humiliated herself and telling her, 'You're nothing but a whore! You're a slut! How could you do that movie?' — in front of everyone. It was very embarrassing."

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Cohen explained that he texted he texted Pamela after the screening to ask her how it went. She replied that she was getting a divorce but when Cohen asked why, she replied, "The movie."

“And I thought it was a joke but then a few weeks later they got divorced and they put as a reason for divorce, Borat,” Baron Cohen said. “I think they were a fantastic couple, so it’s a shame. Much better than Julian Assange or whoever she dated later on.” 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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