From Nixed Host to Nixed Skit: Sacha Baron Cohen Sits Out Oscars

The life of the edgy comedian. First we find that Sacha Baron Cohen was denied the chance to host the Oscars. Now we find he's not even coming after his potentially uncomfortable presenting skit was cut.

New York Magazine's Vulture column quotes an Oscar insider detailing the "Avatar" sketch planned by Cohen and Ben Stiller that was nixed only yesterday. Cohen planned to appear onstage as a blue-skinned, female Na'vi with Stiller gamely serving as an ineffective Earth translator. As Cohen would grow more frustrated with the translation he would open his evening gown to reveal he was pregnant with James Cameron's baby.

Naturally he would then confront the baby daddy in front of an international audience.

While Cohen's outrageous air arrival at the MTV awards in 2009 on top of Eminem's face was a big hit and the talk of the ceremony, Oscar producers didn't feel this would go down well and could be offensive to the big-time director.

"Let's just say that Cameron isn't known to be, shall we say, self-deprecating," one insider explained to the mag. The skit was denied and Cohen decided he doesn't want to present anymore.

Cohen's rep says that due to "creative differences" the comedian will stay home. "(Cohen) might as well remain in London," says the rep. Alas.

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