Sacha Baron Cohen has defended bringing back his controversial character Ali G and said he's 'designed to expose prejudice'.
The actor, 55, who debuted Ali G on Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show in 1998, is reprising the role in forthcoming film, Ali G: Who Iz I?
However, there have been calls for the mockumentary to be banned in UK cinemas, with a petition being launched by campaigners amid claims the film and character are 'enforcing racist stereotypes'.
Now, defending his character, Sacha wrote for Time magazine: 'The fact that Ali G is outdated and problematic is the very reason I resurrected him.'
He continued: 'All the prejudices my characters are designed to expose haven't just lingered—they've metastasised.
'They're fuelled by the greatest propaganda machine in history—social media—and now by its monstrous child, AI.'
Sacha Baron Cohen has defended bringing back his controversial character Ali G and said he's 'designed to expose prejudice'
The actor, 55, who debuted Ali G on Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show in 1998, is reprising the role in forthcoming film, Ali G: Who Iz I?
Sacha claimed that in 2026, 'ignorance reigns and truth is inverted.'
The actor, in his directorial debut, filmed the movie secretly over the course of a year with the mockumentary following his character's life 'since the world went to c**p', alongside his pregnant girlfriend Julie, played by Morgana Robinson, 45.
The pair made a statement in their characters' looks, with the latter pulling out all the stops with her racy moves on the red carpet and on stage.
Criticism for the Amazon MGM film, which is due for release in cinemas on October 23, has been widespread.
A day after the trailer's release in August, NewsCord, a UK news comparison and media monitoring platform, started a campaign urging cinemas around the world to refuse to screen the film.
The campaign group have said they have emailed 15 major chains globally with the request on behalf of those who register.
At time, NewsCord had reached a total of 44,946, with an explanation for the campaign reading: 'On 11 January 2000 the Guardian reported the verdict of Black British comedians under the headline 'Comics find Ali G is an alibi for racism'...
'Felix Dexter, who helped build The Real McCoy: 'He allows the liberal middle classes to laugh at black street culture in a context where they can retain their sense of political correctness.'
Criticism for the Amazon MGM film, which is due for release in cinemas on October 23, has been widespread
The actor, in his directorial debut, filmed the movie secretly over the course of a year with the mockumentary following his character's life 'since the world went to c**p', alongside his pregnant girlfriend Julie, played by Morgana Robinson, 44
'Jeanette Winterson: 'I don't know what the difference is between him and the Black and White Minstrels.''
Phil Clapp, head of the UK Cinema Association, told Variety in response to the campaign: 'Cinemas are there to engage and entertain the widest possible audience. They are not there to act as censors or arbiters of public taste.
'So where a film has been given a certificate by the BBFC [British Board of Film Classification], they will decide whether or not to play it solely with the likely response of their audience in mind.'
A defiant Sacha himself also addressed the growing backlash, writing on X: 'In an age where a comedian's career can be ended by a single un-PC joke, I thought I'd play it safe and bring this guy back.'
Reports have suggested that the UK cinema chain Picturehouse had responded to the campaign and confirmed their outlets would not be screening the film.
However, Variety has since reported that Picturehouse's email was a standard customer response to any release query about a film that hasn't yet been booked by the company and didn't appear on its schedule, with no decision yet made.
Sacha teased the return of the comedy legend with a surprise appearance at Wimbledon in July, where he donned his character's trademark look of bling jewellery paired with a tracksuit and sunglasses.
Last year, it was first reported he was 'bringing back his iconic comic creation, 27 years after the character first appeared on screens – where he was staged as the 'voice of youth' on Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show in Autumn 1998'.
Subsequently, he became the title character of Da Ali G Show in the early 2000s, before starring as the titular character in 2002 film Ali G Indahouse.
In a 2007 interview with The Daily Telegraph, Sacha announced that Ali G had been retired. However, he resurrected Ali G at the 2012 British Comedy Awards to accept his Outstanding Achievement Award.
He returned to TV as Ali G with Ali G Rezurection in 2014, which featured new footage of Ali G while showing old highlights of Da Ali G Show.