Sacha Baron Cohen Says Ali G’s Return Confronts Racism Concerns

WHO:

The Independent - Sacha Baron Cohen debuted Ali G on Channel 4’s *The 11 O’Clock Show*.

The Independent - Cohen said the world Ali G has returned to is “in many ways, worse than the one he left 20 years ago.”

The Independent - Sacha Baron Cohen is the comedian behind Ali G and other satirical characters, including Borat, Brüno and Admiral General Aladeen.

The Independent - Morgana Robinson plays Ali G’s girlfriend, Julie, in the new film.

AllHipHop - Cohen defended Ali G as a joke about white cultural theft; critics questioned who “really pays for the laugh.”

WHAT:

The Guardian - The review says the film repeatedly has to tell viewers who is and is not “in on it,” including at the beginning, during the action and over the closing credits.

The Guardian - The reviewer says the film does not land a major punch on a prominent target as the *Borat* sequel did.

The Guardian - *Ali G: Who Iz I?* is not a fully scripted narrative; it is structured as a series of hoaxes.

The Guardian - The film introduces Dr Nira Cain-N’Degrocello, a white liberal who opposes cultural appropriation, and brings back Erran Morad, a Mossad/IDF officer turned US security consultant.

The Guardian - In the plot, Ali and Julie travel to the US after an old fax machine produces an offer from HBO; a character then tries to persuade Republicans that Ali is a Mexican terrorist.

The Independent - Cohen said Ali G “undermines” the white male establishment that takes him seriously.

The Independent - Cohen said a “thin-skinned authoritarian” or an extremist with an online following might spread “ludicrous lies.”

The Independent - NewsCord quoted Sony Pictures UK promoting the film with the line “He iz back. We ain't liable.”

The Independent - Cohen is reprising Ali G in *Ali G: Who Iz I?*, his first return to the character in 12 years; the film is also his directorial debut.

The Independent - Ali G is described as a stereotype of white, middle-class young men who adopt British Jamaican and hip-hop culture. Cohen called him “a white imbecile – a delusional cultural appropriator.”

The Independent - Cohen wrote that the joke is on Ali G and the “predominantly white male establishment” that takes him seriously, not on the culture he borrows from.

The Independent - Cohen said he intended his characters and comedy to “expose prejudice, bias and stupidity,” while acknowledging that not everyone sees them that way.

The Independent - Cohen said Ali G’s being “outdated and problematic” was “the very reason I resurrected him.”

The Independent - Cohen said political violence, misogyny, intolerance and extremism had increased, and hoped the film would “sound the alarm.”

The Independent - Cohen said social media and AI fuel prejudices, calling social media “the greatest propaganda machine in history.”

The Independent - NewsCord said 37,658 emails had been sent in support of its campaign asking cinemas to boycott the film.

The Independent - NewsCord cited Black British comedians calling Ali G “an alibi for racism,” Jeanette Winterson questioning how the character differed from the Black and White Minstrels, and Kazakh and Arab organisations documenting harm from Cohen’s characters.

WHERE:

The Independent - Cohen said Ali G borrows from gangsta rap and dancehall idols “from Compton to Kingston.”

The Independent - The film was filmed partly in secret.

WHEN:

The Guardian - The film’s plot depicts Julie as heavily pregnant and considering launching an OnlyFans account.

The Independent - Cohen said the US midterm elections were weeks away.

The Independent - Cohen finished filming the Ali G follow-up in July.

WHY:

The Guardian - The review suggests audiences may not recognise Cohen because Ali G and the height of his *Borat* popularity were long ago, and online media is now fragmented.

The Guardian - The review says the film does not mention Tim Westwood, whose speech mannerisms were considered an influence on Ali G and an example of white people aping street speech.

The Independent - Cohen said he brought Ali G back because the prejudices the character was designed to expose have persisted and, in his view, worsened.

HOW:

The Guardian - The film’s climax uses body doubles and covert reshooting, according to the review.

The Independent - Cohen said the film could encourage citizens to mobilise against falsehoods “at the ballot box and beyond.”

The Independent - NewsCord’s boycott campaign called on cinemas not to screen the film.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 21:08 UTC)

Sacha Baron Cohen is bringing Ali G back in *Ali G: Who Iz I?*, his first return to the character in 12 years and his directorial debut. The film is built from hoaxes rather than a fully scripted story, following Ali and his pregnant girlfriend, Julie, to the US after an old fax machine produces an offer from HBO. One scheme tries to convince Republicans that Ali is a Mexican terrorist. Cohen says Ali G is a white cultural appropriator whose joke targets him and the establishment that takes him seriously. He brought the character back because, in his view, the prejudices Ali was meant to expose have worsened. The film also revives Erran Morad and introduces a white liberal opposed to cultural appropriation. A review says it struggles to land a major punch and repeatedly explains who is in on the joke.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 20:15 UTC)

Sacha Baron Cohen is bringing Ali G back in *Ali G: Who Iz I?*, his first return to the character in 12 years and his directorial debut. Cohen says he revived the white, middle-class character because the prejudices Ali was created to expose have persisted, and the world is “in many ways, worse.” The film unfolds through hoaxes rather than a conventional scripted story, including a plot in which Ali and his heavily pregnant girlfriend, Julie, travel to the US after an old fax machine brings an offer from HBO. Cohen says the joke targets Ali and the establishment that takes him seriously, not the cultures he borrows from. But critics have called the character an alibi for racism, and a boycott campaign says tens of thousands of emails have been sent in support. Cohen hopes the film will sound an alarm about extremism and falsehoods.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 09:07 UTC)

Sacha Baron Cohen is bringing Ali G back in *Ali G: Who Iz I?*, his first return to the character in 12 years and his directorial debut. The film was partly shot in secret, and Morgana Robinson plays Ali G’s girlfriend, Julie. Cohen says he revived the character because the prejudices Ali G was created to expose have persisted and worsened. He describes Ali G as a delusional white cultural appropriator, arguing the joke targets the character and the establishment figures who take him seriously, not the cultures he borrows from. Critics disagree: some Black British comedians have called Ali G an alibi for racism, while other campaigners have documented harm from Cohen’s characters. A boycott campaign says it has received more than 37,000 supportive emails. Cohen says political violence, misogyny and extremism have grown, and hopes the film will sound an alarm and spur people to challenge falsehoods.

(UPDATED October 22, 2026 08:07 UTC)

Sacha Baron Cohen is returning to Ali G in *Ali G: Who Iz I?*, his first time playing the character in 12 years, and his directorial debut. The film was partly shot in secret, with Morgana Robinson playing Ali G’s girlfriend, Julie. Cohen describes Ali G as a delusional white cultural appropriator, arguing the joke targets the character and the predominantly white establishment that takes him seriously, not the cultures he borrows from. He says he revived the outdated, problematic character because the prejudice he was meant to expose persists and has worsened. Cohen hopes the film will sound an alarm about political violence, misogyny, intolerance and extremism, and says social media and AI fuel prejudice. Critics disagree with his framing: NewsCord’s boycott campaign says 37,658 emails have been sent urging cinemas not to screen the film, while critics and organizations have raised concerns about harm and racism.