Baron Cohen hails Fielder’s documentary as genre‑reinventing

The comedian lauds Fielder’s three‑hour film “You Can See Everything” and notes their past collaborations.

By Felo News Desk · Published Tue, 27 Oct 2026 17:18:38 GMT

Sacha Baron Cohen told Vanity Fair that Nathan Fielder has “really reinvented the genre” with his Elizabeth Holmes documentary You Can See Everything, adding that Fielder deliberately avoided techniques Cohen had used.

What happened

Baron Cohen’s comments were made in a new interview published on 27 October 2026. He referred to Fielder’s three‑hour documentary, which follows Holmes in the weeks before her 2023 prison sentence and premiered at the New York Film Festival on 1 October 2026 (Felo coverage). Cohen recalled working with Fielder on the 2018 series Who Is America? and on Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, projects that blended satire with real‑world interaction.

What the reports add

Independent reported that Cohen praised Fielder’s “rule” to avoid anything Cohen had done, quoting the comedian: “He’d say ‘we’re going to do the stuff that Sacha would never do.’” Vanity Fair’s longer feature expands on the interview, noting that Cohen sees Fielder’s approach as more centered on social experiments than his own “undercover character documentaries.” Both outlets agree that Cohen pioneered the “undercover character documentary” format, but Independent emphasizes the rule‑based contrast while Vanity Fair highlights the broader cultural reading of both creators’ work.

What was said

“He’s really reinvented the genre, and he had a rule which was not to do anything that I had done,” Cohen told Vanity Fair, as reported by the outlet. Independent quoted the same line, adding that Fielder would say, “we’re going to do the stuff that Sacha would never do.”

How it came about

Cohen’s earlier collaborations with Fielder began on Who Is America? in 2018, where Fielder contributed to the series’ hidden‑camera segments. Their partnership continued with Fielder’s input on Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which pushed the satire into more abstract territory. Cohen’s own recent projects include reviving Ali G in Ali G: Who Iz I? (Felo coverage) and starring in Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming play (Felo coverage). The praise for Fielder’s documentary therefore sits within a broader pattern of both comedians exploring and expanding satirical documentary forms.

Key facts

Sacha Baron Cohen said Nathan Fielder reinvented the documentary genre with "You Can See Everything". (independent.co.uk)
"You Can See Everything" follows Elizabeth Holmes in the weeks before her 2023 prison sentence. (vanityfair.com)
Cohen and Fielder previously worked together on "Who Is America?" and "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm". (independent.co.uk)
Cohen pioneered the “undercover character documentary” style. (vanityfair.com)