Who Is Billy Wayne Ruddick, Jr. — The Man Sharing Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Kinderguardians' Video & Demanding We Boycott 'Who Is America'?
Could it all be one big conspiracy? Or ...
Facebook Many of us scrolling through our Facebook news feed last night found ourselves watching a video from Sacha Baron Cohen's new Showtime series "Who Is America?", posted by Billy Wayne Ruddick, Jr. PhD, founder of Truthbrary.org (aka the Truth LieBrary).
In the clip, Baron Cohen, the British-born comedian known for infamous characters like Ali G and Borat, returns to his identity-bending, man-on-the-street and celebrity duping ways, here playing Israeli security professional Erran Morad, a man on a mission to arm children in preschools, primary and middle schools throughout the United States via his "Kinder-Guardians" anti-terror program, with a little help from NRA lobbyists and members of the U.S. Congress.
After watching the clip and reading Ruddick's caption, which states, "Forced myself to watch sad, irrelephant Sasha Cohens’ show WHO IS AMERICA, which i was DUPED into apearing. Garbage, apart from Patriot who slipped this clip past #fakenewsShowtime sensors. Finally a solution to bad guys with guns! #boycottSashacohen#botcottShowtime;#lockherup#MAGA", I have to imagine I'm far from the only person left wondering, "But ... Who is Billy Wayne Ruddick, Jr. PhD?"
Because the answer might well be (OK, pretty much probably definitely is, but hasn't officially been confirmed to be by anyone, so ...) Sacha Baron Cohen himself!
It's believed that some people went so far as to watch and re-watch the clip shown above multiple times in an attempt to catch the appearance Ruddick claims he was duped into making. (OK, fine. Maybe no one else did that, but I did, and I refuse to regret it.)
Baron Cohen's brilliant, if controversial, mind being what it is, people seem to be slowly putting the puzzle pieces together, and we've gathered the clues (and pretty much probably factual statements) to share with all of you.
Here are 5 reasons to believe the answer to "Who is Billy Wayne Ruddick, Jr. PhD?" is, in fact, Sacha Baron Cohen as one of his most fascinating characters yet.
1. The Truth LieBrary
The Truthbrary website reads like a cross between conspiracy theorists, right-wing propagandists, and Internet trolls on steroids.
While there is no bio for Ruddick anywhere to be found on the site (because, duh, he isn't a real human being), there is a long list of "informative articles with titles such as these:
- Obama is a Kenyan
- Liberals Hate The West
- 9/11
- 9/11 Planes Twin Towers
- 9/11 16 More Reasons
- 21 Goals of the Illuminati
- Hillary is Satanist Illuminati
- Roswell Area 51
- Obamanoids - For Real!
The site's mission is explained as follows:
"This website ... is a collection of studies and investigations carried out by Dr. Billy Wayne Ruddick for the good of the American people. Now it the time when the American people must take back control of our media. The mainstream media cannot be trusted. They have there own agenda and are beholden to the whim of the deep state and the illuminati. We must take control of our facts and our truth. We must stand together to fight the dark forces of clintons and muslims and Godless peoples to stand strong for our religious freedom and hold forth for what is right in our country. Now is the time for the silent majority to come together ansd seek out our truth."
2. His posts on Twitter and Facebook
For a man who claims to be furious with Baron Cohen's behavior and who is calling for a boycott of Baron's show, he sure seems to be promoting the heck out of it.
DO NOT WATCH WHO IS AMERICA? HBOTIME MIDNIGHT 12.01pm today!! Boycott Sasha Cohen and his irelevate properganda agenda!! Share this so everyone knows not to watch! #BoycottWhoisAmerica#botcottSashacohen#boycottHollyweird#lockherup#boycottNFL#MAGA
So ...
3. His YouTube channel
The channel that, you know, misspells the abbreviation "Jr." as "Jnr" and only has one video uploaded, i.e., the same 10-minute clip from Baron Cohen's new show.
4. His letter to Sarah Palin
After learning she had been among those duped by Baron Cohen for the series, former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin called the comedian to task in a public message on Facebook, in which she stated, "[My] daughter and I were asked to travel across the country where Cohen (I presume) had heavily disguised himself as a disabled US Veteran, fake wheelchair and all. Out of respect for what I was led to believe would be a thoughtful discussion with someone who had served in uniform, I sat through a long "interview" full of Hollywoodism’s disrespect and sarcasm."
While Baron Cohen issued no public response, Ruddick did!
In a letter typed on Truthbrary station, Ruddick demanded an apology from Palin, stating for the record that it was him, not Baron Cohen, who interviewed her, and that he never claimed to be a war veteran, but rather a veteran of the United Parcel Service.
You know — UPS.
There's now talk that Palin and others may sue Baron Cohen for his actions, which would be an interesting move for a woman who just this past week shared posts Facebook with headlines such as "Oops: Women’s March Mocked for What They Left Out of Press Release Slamming Judge Kavanaugh" from the Young Conservatives and "Trump Jr Trolls Democrats Over Supreme Court Pick And Its The Best Thing We’ve Seen In Ages", from her namesake personal blog.
5. The articles already referring to Ruddick as Baron Cohen's characters
On July 12, IndieWire published an article titled, "‘Who Is America?’: Sacha Baron Cohen Introduces His MAGA-Loving New Character by Trolling Sarah Palin," in which they say, "Cohen introduced his new alter ego, Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr., through a mock Twitter account that posted a letter addressed to Sarah Palin."
And on July 13, Newsweek published an article titled, "Sacha Baron Cohen's 'Who Is America?' Character Demands An Apology From Sarah Palin", which opens by stating, "Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr., Ph.D., demanded an apology from Sarah Palin on Friday. Well, technically it was Sacha Baron Cohen, portraying his Who Is America? character."
Additional stories unveiling Ruddick as Baron Cohen's latest comedic manifestation also appeared in publications such as the New York Post, Esquire, the Daily Beast and Raw Story.
Update: Dr. Ruddick's identity has been officially confirmed!
Just hours ago, Showtime issued a statement via TheWrap, in which they state:
“There has been widespread misinformation over the past week about the character of Billy Wayne Ruddick Jr., Ph.D., performed by Sacha Baron Cohen on the Showtime comedy series 'Who is America?' ... Baron Cohen did not present himself as a disabled veteran, and viewers nationwide who watched the premiere on Sunday can now attest to that.”
“In Sunday’s episode, during an interview with Senator Bernie Sanders, Baron Cohen in character as Dr. Ruddick was asked by the Senator if he is disabled, and he stated that he is not and uses a mobility scooter to conserve his energy ... In addition, Baron Cohen never presented himself as a veteran of the U.S. military to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin during the booking process or during the filming of her interview, and contrary to her claims he did not appear in a wheelchair. In both the interview with Governor Palin and the interview with Senator Sanders, he did not wear military apparel of any kind.”
Senior Editor and happily-former divorce coach/mediator Arianna Jeret is a recognized expert on love and relationships (except when it comes to her own life, of course) who has been featured in Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post, Yahoo Style, Fox News, Bustle, Parents and more. Join her Sundays at 10:20 PM Eastern when she answers questions on Facebook Live on YourTango. For more, follow her on Twitter and on Instagram.