Sacha Baron Cohen Says Israel Isn't the Reason for the 'Ali G: Who Iz I?' Boycott Calls, but Claims Prominent Jews Are Being Targeted

Few comedians court controversy as deliberately as Sacha Baron Cohen. His guerrilla-style comedies blur the line between documentary, satire and hidden-camera pranks, and each new release tends to arrive with a debate attached. His latest film, ‘Ali G: Who Iz I?,’ is no exception, and the argument around it has moved from the trailer to the box office with the release only days away.

The film is Amazon MGM Studios’ theatrical release of Baron Cohen’s first feature as a director, opening Oct. 23 and rated R. It brings back the Ali G character, whom he retired in 2007, in a story where Ali G discovers his girlfriend Julie is 8 months pregnant and travels to America to reclaim his former glory. Morgana Robinson co-stars, and the film is opening against DC Studios’ ‘Clayface’ and ‘Klara and the Sun.’

Now Baron Cohen has weighed in on the boycott calls in a Hollywood Reporter cover story. Asked about suspicion that the campaign is connected to his past support of Israel, he said he hadn’t said anything about Israel, and he told The Hollywood Reporter, “I’m not surprised that prominent Jews are being targeted.” He added that he was surprised by the level of organization and described what he sees as a trend of Jews being portrayed in certain ways and trying to be silenced, pointing to his work co-founding the Stop Hate for Profit campaign with groups including the ADL and the NAACP.

The boycott push comes from NewsCord, a British media-monitoring platform that launched its campaign a day after the trailer was released. It urged cinemas worldwide not to screen the film, arguing that the character is a cover for enforcing harmful stereotypes of Jamaican and Black culture. Reports say it sent between 36,000 and 40,000 emails to theater chains, and the group says that tens of thousands of people have joined.

The criticism of the character is not new. NewsCord cites a 2000 report in which Black comedians called Ali G an ‘alibi for racism,’ and critics of the new trailer have pointed to elements such as a dreadlock wig under a Rastafarian hat. Baron Cohen has long said that the character is not meant to parody Black people but to expose the ignorance and prejudice of the people he interviews.

The Israel question is where the sides diverge. The Wrap reported that reactions to the film’s announcement on his social media included many that targeted his support of Israel, along with others calling the film the work of a racist hack. The Washington Free Beacon argued that NewsCord is an anti-Israel group using the stereotype complaint to undermine him, while NewsCord’s representative told that outlet that the campaign has nothing to do with Baron Cohen’s connection to Israel and that any suggestion otherwise is false.

The Free Beacon also pointed to an Aug. 27 piece from The Canary that said viewers object to his support for Israel. That is a separate argument from the campaign’s own stated objection, which concerns the portrayal of Black and Jamaican culture, and the available reporting does not settle how much each concern is driving the backlash. Both threads appeared in the same wave of online reaction.

Yo check out de trailer for me new movie, Ali G: Who Iz I? It got nuff sick tings, but u’ll have to watch de hole film to find out if me hactually died makin it. Only in dem cinemas October 23nd. https://t.co/kz0c3FBeET
— Ali G (@OfficialAli_G) August 25, 2026

The industry response has been measured. UK Cinema Association CEO Phil Clapp told Variety that cinemas are not censors, and Variety debunked reports that the Picturehouse chain had already agreed to drop the film, though another outlet reported a Picturehouse statement saying it would not screen it. Representatives for the studio declined to comment on the campaign, while public supporters of the film included Kevin Durant and A$AP Rocky.

Baron Cohen himself has answered with satire. On Oct. 7, he posted an Instagram sketch in prosthetics as a fictional activist from the ‘Campaign for Ethical Comedy’ who urges audiences to boycott the Ali G movie. The sketch ridicules the language of the backlash, though it doesn’t directly address the objections raised, and the film’s own plot reportedly features a progressive nemesis, also played by Baron Cohen, who tries to cancel Ali G.

For the moment, the debate will play out where it matters most. ‘Ali G: Who Iz I?’ reaches cinemas this weekend, and ticket sales will show how much the controversy has moved audiences one way or the other.