Sacha Baron Cohen Thanks Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney for 'Who Is America?' Emmy Nominations

One Emmy nominee had some unusual people to thank Tuesday morning.

Sacha Baron Cohen, who was nominated for directing his Showtime variety series Who Is America?, gave a special shout-out to former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and former Vice President Dick Cheney.

"While I am flattered at these nods, it is a shame that my co-stars were not recognized," Cohen wrote on Twitter. "Particularly Dick Cheney, who I had hoped would come across on camera as someone who’d gleefully sent hundreds of thousands to their pointless death — and boy did he deliver."

He added, "There’s one more person I need to thank even though she didn’t appear in the final project, Sarah Palin. Sarah, if you are out there, and you are WAY out there, please know the last time unseen footage generated as much interest, was when Donald Trump visited a Moscow hotel room."

Palin initially spoke out on Facebook about being "duped" by Cohen when he pretended to be a wounded U.S. veteran, describing his humor as "evil, exploitive, sick." Cohen ended up cutting his interview with the politician, claiming the interview wasn't good enough to air. Cheney, for his part, remained in the series in a memorable segment in which he signed a waterboard.

Thank you to the EMMYs for the nominations
for Who Is America. It was a bare-bones production - I went out into the heartland of this country armed only with a camera crew, a makeup kit and my trusted pedophile detector.

— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) July 16, 2019

I want to thank my crack team of researchers told to uncover bigotry, racism and hate in the US. That took them about 30 seconds… they just started following the President.

— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) July 16, 2019

While I am flattered at these nods, it is a shame that my co-stars were not recognized. Particularly Dick Cheney, who I had hoped would come across on camera as someone who’d gleefully sent hundreds of thousands to their pointless death – and boy did he deliver.

— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) July 16, 2019

I’ve played some lunatics in my time, but the look of vacuous evil in his eyes as he autographed a waterboard kit, would put Daniel Day Lewis to shame.

— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) July 16, 2019

There’s one more person I need to thank even though she didn’t appear in the final project, Sarah Palin. Sarah, if you are out there, and you are WAY out there, please know the last time unseen footage generated as much interest, was when Donald Trump visited a Moscow hotel room.

— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) July 16, 2019