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Rebel Wilson and Sacha Baron Cohen’s back-and-forth over the actress’ upcoming memoir is another example of the “never-ending victim marketing” era we live in, according to one brand expert.
“To some extent, this is just part of literary PR, i.e., chumming the waters with juicy tidbits to generate media coverage ahead of the launch,” branding expert Doug Eldridge told Fox News Digital. “However, there is a tipping point, where the person on the receiving end of these book-baiting allegations, must act in a sense of self-preservation — whether personally or professionally — and hire the appropriate team to guard against inaccuracies that can quickly amount to defamation.”
Wilson called out the “Borat” star by name as the “a–hole” she wrote about in her upcoming memoir, “Rebel Rising.” The “Pitch Perfect” star chose to name Cohen after he allegedly “bullied” her with lawyers and PR.
“I will not be bullied or silenced by high priced lawyers or PR crisis managers,” Wilson wrote on her Instagram story Sunday. “The ‘a–hole’ that I am talking about in ONE CHAPTER of my book is: Sacha Baron Cohen.”
SACHA BARON COHEN DENIES REBEL WILSON’S CLAIM HE WAS AN ‘A–HOLE’ ON MOVIE SET
Rebel Wilson accused Sacha Baron Cohen of “a–hole” behavior on set. (Getty Images)
Representatives for Wilson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The actress first revealed she had written about an “a–hole” with whom she previously worked without naming Cohen in an Instagram post shared on March 15.
“When I first came to Hollywood, people were like, ‘Yeah I have a no a–hole policy. Means like, yeah I don’t work with a–holes.’ I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that sounds sensible, logical,'” Wilson said in the shared video.
“But then it really sunk in what they were meaning by that — older people in the industry — because I worked with a massive a–hole, and yeah, now I definitely have a ‘no a–holes policy,'” she further explained. “The chapter on said a–hole is chapter 23. That guy was a massive a–hole.”
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Sacha Baron Cohen denied Rebel Wilson’s claims about his behavior. (Getty Images)
A representative for Cohen slammed Wilson’s accusation as “demonstrably false.”
“While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage, and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of ‘The Brothers Grimsby,'” the representative told Fox News Digital.
Wilson and Cohen starred together in the 2016 film “The Brothers Grimsby” as a husband and wife of nine kids. Later, Wilson accused Cohen of “harassing” her on the movie set during a radio show interview, according to Variety.
Sacha Baron Cohen and Rebel Wilson starred together in “The Brothers Grimsby.” (Getty Images)
“Every day he’s like, ‘Just go naked. It will be funny. Remember in‘Borat’when I did that naked scene? It was hilarious,’” Wilson said, the outlet reported. “On the last day, I thought I’d obviously won the argument, and he got a body double to do the naked scene.”
Cohen allegedly told Wilson to “stick [her] finger up [his] butt” while filming the last scene, despite the move not being included in the script.
“Look, I’ll just pull down my pants. You just stick your finger up my butt. It’ll be a really funny bit,” he allegedly said.
Rebel Wilson accused Sacha Baron Cohen of harassing her on the set of “The Brothers Grimsby.” (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
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The “never-ending ‘victim marketing'” era is focused on creating sympathy with the accuser, according to Eldridge.
“We are living in an era of never-ending ‘victim marketing,’” he explained to Fox News Digital. “It’s the idea that in order for someone to be sympathetic — much less empathetic — they must somehow be the victim, while someone else must be equally vilified.”
“The idea is not to engender synergy with the target audience, but rather, sympathy,” he continued. “The sad thing is that often times, these claims are taken out of context, or fabricated altogether. If you have to put somebody down in order to lift yourself up – whether to sell a book or a life coaching seminar, then maybe you didn’t have much substance to offer in the first place.”
He added: “All in all, damaging another in hopes of improving yourself is like signing a PR deal with the devil; the benefit is short term, while the end result is both certain and permanent.”
Sacha Baron Cohen is married to “Wedding Crashers” star Isla Fisher. (Getty Images)
Cohen, an English actor, rose to fame after appearing on “The 11 O’Clock Show” in 1998. He was quickly named comedian of the year by GQ just one year after the show’s premiere.
His character Ali G led to multiple spin-off shows including, “Da Ali G Show” and “Ali G Indahouse.”
Cohen’s American career includes “Madagascar,” “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” and most famously, “Borat.” The comedian won a Golden Globe and was nominated for a writing Oscar for the film.
The actor is married to Isla Fisher, known for her role in “Wedding Crashers.” The two share three children; Olive, Elula and Montgomery.
Rebel Wilson is known for her roles in “Bridesmaids” and “Pitch Perfect.” (Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Netflix)
Wilson, an Australian actress, gained fame after appearing in “Bridesmaids.” Her success led to a role in the “Pitch Perfect” franchise, which helped solidify her career.
She’s also known for her roles in “Senior Year,” “Super Night Fun,” “How to be Single” and “Jojo Rabbit.”
Fox News Digital’s Larry Fink contributed to this report.
