Viral video: Comedian pranks Ryan Seacrest on red carpet

Published 3:01 pm Monday, July 14, 2014

Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is known for dressing as outlandish characters of his own creation and pulling pranks on celebrities and the general public. On Sunday night, the Oscars became his latest target.

Dressed as the fictional General Aladeen from his new movie, “The Dictator,” the British actor was interviewed by Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet before the Academy Awards.

Baron Cohen carried an urn that he said carried the ashes of the late North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il. During the interview, he spilled the urn’s contents all over Seacrest. As security hauled him away, “The Dictator” told the E! host, “When people ask you who you are wearing, you can say Kim Jong-Il!”

YouTube reports that the prank was a top rising search on the video site Sunday night.