Josh Gad Says His Most Memorable “Frozen” Fan Encounter Involved Sacha Baron Cohen Cornering Him in a Bathroom (Exclusive)
Josh Gad Says His Most Memorable “Frozen” Fan Encounter Involved Sacha Baron Cohen Cornering Him in a Bathroom (Exclusive)
Toria SheffieldSat, August 29, 2026 at 4:27 PM UTC
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Josh Gad (left); Sacha Baron CohenCredit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty; TheStewartofNY/WireImage -
Josh Gad says his most memorable Frozen fan encounter involved Sacha Baron Cohen pulling him into a bathroom
Gad shared that he only sends voice messages as the character so he doesn’t break the illusion for young fans
The actor recently caught up with PEOPLE exclusively during the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, Calif.
Josh Gad revealed his most memorable Frozen fan encounter — and he says it involves comedian Sacha Baron Cohen in a bathroom.
Gad, who voices the iconic snowman Olaf in the franchise, recently caught up with PEOPLE exclusively during the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim, Calif., alongside his Frozen costars, Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel.
During the conversation, PEOPLE asked the stars about their most unforgettable fan experiences.
“I have a pretty funny one,” Gad, 45, said.
From left: Kristen Bell, Josh Gad and Idina Menzel at the D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event in Anaheim. Calif., on Aug. 14, 2026Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
“I was at a party. It was shortly after we did the first Frozen. It was like an Oscar party. And this large man pushes me into a bathroom,” he continued, before adding he soon realized it was the Borat star, 54.
“And he goes, ‘Listen, mate, I need you to do a voice message for my kids as Olaf.’ And so I did it, and I said, ‘I am Olaf.’ He goes, ‘No, no. Do it again.’ He had me do it like six times because he didn’t like the quality of the first five,” he added.
Cohen shares three children with his ex-wife, actress Isla Fisher: daughters Olive, 18, Elula, 16, and son Montgomery, 11.
Gad additionally said that he only sends voice messages as the character — never videos — so as not to break the illusion for young kids.
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Gad first appeared as the voice of Olaf when the initial film hit theaters in November 2013.
He went on to reprise the lovable snowman in Frozen 2 in 2019, as well as a string of shorts and specials like Frozen Fever and Olaf’s Frozen Adventure.
Olaf the snowman in Disney’s ‘Frozen’Credit: Disney+
His performances in the first two Frozen films earned him two Annie Awards for voice acting, and he is slated to return to the franchise once again for Frozen 3, set to be released Nov. 24, 2027.
While speaking to PEOPLE at the D23 event, Gad, who is dad to daughters Ava, 14, and Isabelle, 12, shared that his involvement in the franchise — which has now spanned almost 15 years — is meaningful to his whole family.
“My oldest, Ava, looked at me recently. We were home alone and she goes, ‘Can we watch Frozen together?’ ” he shared.
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“And I actually started to tear up. I go, ‘Are you serious?’ She’s like, ‘Yeah, I really miss it. I want to see it again.’ It was beautiful. It was actually really beautiful … seeing her almost nostalgic for it because she’s [nearly] 15 was kind of amazing. It was a really cool experience,” he added.
“My kids like procedurals,” Bell, 46, jokingly chimed in, adding, “Their niche is cop dramas.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
