Sacha Baron Cohen’s directing his first feature film around Ali G, the controversial character he created decades ago.
Sacha Baron Cohen is stepping behind the camera for his first feature film, and it’s bringing back one of entertainment’s most controversial characters.
The director’s new project centers on Ali G, the West London poseur he created in the late 1990s, with Amazon MGM Studios set to release “Ali G: Who Iz I?” theatrically on October 23, 2026.
Baron Cohen’s been spotted filming at major events like Wimbledon, building momentum for what could be his most provocative work yet.
Here’s where it gets complicated.
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Ali G has always lived in a gray zone between satire and stereotype, and critics have spent decades questioning whether the character actually mocks suburban white kids trying to act Black or if it’s just a cover for mocking Black culture itself.
The character appropriates Jamaican yardie culture and Black American vernacular, and some of the most respected Black comedians have called out the performance as offensive racial mockery dressed up as social commentary.
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The suburban background Baron Cohen wrote into the character’s backstory? Many argue that’s just an alibi for humor that punches down at Black people, not up at poseurs.
The timing of this revival is particularly loaded.
Just months ago, the entertainment industry watched Tony Hinchcliffe make a George Floyd joke during Netflix’s “The Roast of Kevin Hart” in May 2026, sparking immediate backlash from George Floyd’s family and viewers.
Despite the controversy, Netflix rewarded Hinchcliffe with a massive deal that March, giving him four specials including his standalone hour “Man of the People,” which dropped in June and immediately hit Netflix’s Top 3.
The message was clear: controversial racial material gets you paid, not canceled.
Baron Cohen’s previous character films have grossed billions combined.
“Borat” made $262 million worldwide, “Bruno” pulled $188.8 million, and “The Dictator” earned $179.4 million.
The industry has consistently rewarded his provocative approach, and [this new Ali G project suggests that pattern isn’t changing anytime soon.
The character announced the project himself on Instagram, writing that “Dey has finally made a documentary about me” and promising content with “at least twice as much animal sex” than a penguin documentary.
It’s vintage Ali G absurdism, but the real question is whether audiences will still laugh or finally reckon with what the joke actually costs.
