“I think this has been the hardest year in living memory for most people,” Baron Cohen said. “Jeanise is this incredible figure in the movie. She helps Tutar find her own beauty and helps her stand up for herself and value her independence as a woman. I heard they were doing a crowdfunding for her afterwards. I called her up and I wanted to help in some way. I said, ‘What’s important to you? Is there some way I can help?’”
Baron Cohen continued, “At the time there was a natural disaster in Oklahoma and they were struggling to house and feed a lot of members of her community. It was the least I could do really. By the way, her pastor was saying this woman Jeanise had spent all her time helping others in the community. He virtually took us around the church and they were housing and feeding a lot of people who were struggling. What else can you do?” The $100,000 donation Baron Cohen made to Jeanise Jones went directly to helping her community members overcome a string of recent natural disasters, including ice storms that caused power outages. The original crowdfunding campaign was organized by Pastor Derrick Scobey of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, who reacted to Baron Cohen’s donation earlier this year: “I was blown away but not surprised because I was told about what type of heart this man has. Maybe it’s a little risqué, some of the things in the movie, but he has a good heart.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
