Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Ali G: Who Iz I?’ Sparks Backlash for Being Incredibly Racist

Sacha Baron Cohen has built much of his career on characters designed to provoke discomfort, using exaggerated personas to expose hypocrisy and prejudice in the people he interacts with. That approach has earned him critical acclaim and awards recognition over the years, but it’s also made him a frequent target of controversy whenever one of his creations resurfaces.

Ali G, the character that first launched Cohen into mainstream fame back in 1998, is making his return nearly two decades after being retired in 2007. Amazon MGM Studios is bringing the character back for ‘Ali G: Who Iz I?,’ marking Cohen’s feature directorial debut and reuniting him with the studio behind ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.’

That reunion isn’t going smoothly so far. Following the release of the film’s first trailer this week, backlash against both Ali G and the project has grown steadily, with critics accusing the character of being an outdated and racist caricature.

The trailer shows Cohen’s Ali G sporting fake dreadlocks and a Rastafarian hat while discussing his desire to be an “absent” father, imagery that quickly drew sharp criticism online. Ali G has always been built around the joke of a white man from Staines blindly adopting slang, clothing, and mannerisms associated with Black British culture, a premise that’s been debated since the character’s earliest days on Channel 4’s ‘The 11 O’Clock Show.’

That debate has resurfaced in a big way this week. NewsCord, a news comparison and media monitoring platform, launched a campaign urging cinema chains worldwide to refuse screening the film, accusing Cohen of using satire as what it called a cover for enforcing racist stereotypes. The campaign has generated tens of thousands of emails sent to major UK exhibitors including Odeon, Cineworld, Vue, Everyman, and Showcase.

Part of the campaign’s momentum came from a reply NewsCord received from Picturehouse Cinemas, which the group presented as evidence that the chain had agreed not to screen the film. According to Variety’s reporting, however, that characterization appears to be inaccurate, with the outlet noting that Picturehouse’s response was a standard reply and that no actual decision regarding the film has been made by the exhibitor.

That distinction matters given how quickly some outlets ran with the claim that a major UK chain had already pulled the film in response to the campaign. The confusion highlights just how fast backlash narratives can spread online, sometimes outpacing the actual facts of a still-developing situation.

Not everyone sees the character the same way NewsCord’s campaign frames it. Some commentators have pushed back on the criticism, arguing that Ali G’s entire comedic premise has always been rooted in mocking the ignorance and appropriation of the character himself, rather than punching down at the communities he clumsily imitates.

‘Ali G: Who Iz I?’ is still set for a global theatrical release on October 23, distributed by Amazon MGM Studios. The film reportedly follows the same format popularized by ‘Borat,’ with Cohen interacting with real people while in character rather than sticking to a scripted fictional narrative.

Whether the growing backlash affects the film’s box office performance or its international rollout remains to be seen, but the controversy has already overshadowed much of the film’s initial marketing push. With two months still to go before release, expect the debate over Ali G’s place in modern comedy to keep escalating.

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