Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Ali G: Who Iz I?’ Trailer Draws Backlash Over Racial Stereotypes / TITLE]

Sacha Baron Cohen’s attempt to revive his iconic character Ali G in the upcoming film Ali G: Who Iz I? has sparked significant controversy following the release of its trailer.

The trailer for the Amazon MGM Studios sequel has prompted an email campaign through watchdog organization NewsCord, with over 40,000 messages sent urging theaters to boycott screening the film when it premieres in October 2026.

“Ali G: Who Iz I? opens on 23 October 2026. Black British comedians called the character ‘an alibi for racism’ in 2000; Jeanette Winterson asked what separates it from the Black and White Minstrels; Kazakh and Arab organisations documented the harm of the catalogue behind it. Sony Pictures UK is selling it with the line ‘He iz back. We ain’t liable,'” the campaign statement reads. “The screens belong to the chains, and a booking is a choice.”

NewsCord reports that UK theater chain Picturehouse Cinemas has confirmed they will not be screening the film, with emails also being sent to over 15 other international cinema chains.

“Ali G is a cover to laugh at Jamaican culture. The character enforces harmful stereotypes of how a Jamaican man behaves in society,” NewsCord stated on social media platform X.

“Ali G smokes weed, is a misogynist, and does nothing meaningful in life. He does this because he thinks this is what a Jamaican does. The world laughs at Ali G. But the real butt of the joke are Black people and specifically Jamaicans,” critics added. “This is evident in a number of Baron Cohen’s films, where a race or religion is the victim of the ‘joke.'”

Baron Cohen originally created the Ali G character for Channel 4’s The 11 O’Clock Show in 1998, portraying a British suburbanite mimicking urban British Jamaican culture. After the success of the Channel 4/HBO sketch comedy series Da Ali G Show (2000-2004) and the 2002 Universal Pictures film Ali G Indahouse, Cohen temporarily retired the character in 2007.

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