The 2006 comedy/mockumentary ‘Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan‘ built its reputation by placing unsuspecting people in incredibly uncomfortable situations. One of the film’s most unforgettable moments shows Sacha Baron Cohen‘s Borat trying to kidnap Pamela Anderson during a public book signing. The scene looks so chaotic that many viewers wonder how much of it was actually planned.
Turns out, Anderson agreed to the stunt long before filming began, making her one of the few people who knew exactly what would happen. But while the prank unfolded exactly as intended, its aftermath sparked a reaction that nobody involved saw coming. Well, it derailed Anderson’s marriage, shocking, right?
Pamela Anderson Knew Exactly What Was Going To Happen
By the time the Cohen-starring movie reaches its climax, Borat has traveled across the United States hoping to marry Pamela Anderson after becoming obsessed with her. The story ends at a California book signing, where Borat throws the ‘Baywatch’ star over his shoulder in a traditional “marriage sack.”
Related: 20 Celebrity Couples Who Regretted Getting Divorced
Soon after, the character runs before security tackles him. Unlike many people who starred in ‘Borat,’ Anderson wasn’t an unsuspecting participant. She knew about the gag from the beginning and agreed to take part.
Cohen later confirmed it in 2019 while speaking to The Daily Beast. “Else it would be kidnapping,” he joked. He and the crew actually filmed the sequence twice. The first attempt didn’t produce the reaction they expected.
“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,” Cohen recalled. “I was like, ‘What kind of fans are these?'” The second take created just the chaos they were looking for.
Fans rushed toward Borat and tried to stop him from carrying Anderson away. During the struggle, Anderson suffered a minor injury and later revealed she lost a small piece of bone from her jaw. The footage ultimately became one of the movie’s defining moments, but the same can’t be said about Anderson’s personal life.
Private Screening Changed Everything For Anderson
Although Anderson understood the joke from the start, her then-husband Kid Rock didn’t see the scene until a private screening before the film’s release. The man reportedly didn’t like Anderson’s cameo and was embarrassed about the references to her explicit tape.
In Case You Missed It: Dustin Hoffman Admitted He Took His Divorce Out On Meryl Streep While Filming ‘Kramer vs. Kramer’
In response, Rock stormed out of the screening and even scolded his wife in front of some industry folks. According to Cohen, Rock’s reaction caught everyone off guard. After the screening, he texted Anderson to ask what her partner thought of the movie, and the reply was shocking.
“She texted back, ‘He’s getting divorced,'” the actor recalled. Assuming she was joking, he asked the exact reason. Anderson replied with just two words, “The movie.” Only a few months earlier, Anderson and Kid Rock had married in July 2006.
Four months later, Anderson filed for divorce. Neither has claimed that the film alone ended their marriage. Even so, Cohen has repeatedly described that screening as the moment everything unraveled. Nearly two decades later, the staged kidnapping remains one of the most memorable scenes in ‘Borat.’
It also produced one of Hollywood’s most unusual behind-the-scenes stories. A prank designed to make audiences laugh left an unexpected mark on Pamela Anderson’s personal life long after the cameras stopped rolling.
You Might Also Like To Read: King Charles Is Reportedly Choosing Clarence House Over Buckingham Palace Even After It’s $500 Million Facelift
