Comedian Aziz Ansari is the mastermind behind the parody Twitter account SergeantBrody that riffs on the lead character from the Emmy-winning Showtime hit Homeland, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The feed sprang up Oct. 29, the day after the season's pivotal fifth episode aired.
The account has picked up 28,112 followers since its debut.
The Parks and Recreation star tipped his hand by retweeting several of SergeantBrody's tweets.
For example, he retweeted this one making fun of Brody's daughter, Dana, a favorite target: "DAD! THE DVR ERASED MY FAVORITE SHOW, AND I THINK ITS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!" *Cry* *Cry* #EverythingisMyFault #IBetMikesDVRNeverErasesShit."
Ansari inadvertently outed himself when he accidentally posted a tweet intended for the parody account to his personal feed: "Oh what the f—! Jess threw out all my CDs!!! Guess all the shit is on Spotify, but still…"
Ansari quickly deleted the tweet and reposted it on SergeantBrody, but an eagle-eyed Twitter watcher on THR's staff noticed the error.
Ansari, a fan of the show, recently penned an appreciation of Homeland for Entertainment Weekly.
Representatives for Ansari declined comment on his role in the parody.
A prolific tweeter on his personal account (azizansari), Ansari has more than 2.4 million followers.
Keep up with the fake Sergeant Brody account here.
email: andy.lewis@thr.com
twitter: andyblewis