Punk’d By Bogus Bono

Conservative activist Jason Mattera, author of “Hollywood Hypocrites,” was sure he’d executed a major coup when he tracked U2’s Bono to a Los Angeles event and proceeded to ambush the singer on touchy subjects such as U2’s alleged business move to Holland as a tax shelter.

Mattera’s chest-thumping got him more than he expected.

Turns out the man Mattera peppered with questions was Bono impersonator Pavel “Bonodouble” Stera, not the real deal, according to the Washington Post.

Video posted of the Feb. 8 interview at The Village Recording Studios, interspersed with ads for Mattera’s book, shows Mattera approaching “Bono,” asking for an autograph, then launching into his tirade. The impersonator politely denied any involvement in the alleged U2 tax controversy, saying “I didn’t do anything,” but Mattera refuses to back down.

The activist was so focused on his task that he neglected to notice that “Bono” didn’t have an Irish accent.

After the video was posted on sites such as YouTube, Breitbart.com and Glenn Beck’s The Blaze, a denizen of the Twitter-sphere posted that a Bono impersonator was scheduled to appear at that event, the Post said. The videos were promptly yanked.

Mattera’s response to his public humiliation was to tell the Post “I got punked. I thought I got Bono. I didn’t. I got his impersonator apparently. Hat’s off to him. He got me – and how!” he wrote. “After scores of interviews with big-time politicians and celebrities, I finally got had. It was bound to happen sooner or later.”