A petition to block Sacha Baron Cohen’s Ali G sequel from theaters has drawn tens of thousands of supporters since the trailer debuted last week.
The campaign, launched by British news comparison site NewsCord, is pressuring cinema chains in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Europe, Mexico and the Middle East to refuse bookings for Ali G: Who Iz I?, which Amazon MGM has scheduled for worldwide release on 23 October. At the time of the source coverage, the organization claimed 44,814 people had signed up to send emails to theater chains through its platform.
Cohen, 53, wrote, directed, produced and stars in the mockumentary, which follows the titular character’s venture into fatherhood and a trip to America to “reclaim his former glory” after two decades of “chillin’, tokin’ and bonin’.” The actor previously retired the character in 2007 but revived him for this project, which was shot in the same style as his earlier films Borat and Brüno.
In a post on X last Tuesday, Cohen addressed his decision to bring back the controversial persona.
“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,” he wrote.
NewsCord’s campaign materials draw a direct line between the Ali G character and racist entertainment history. One Instagram slide shared Sunday stated that “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.”
The same post “addressed the discourse” surrounding the boycott effort while praising supporters for helping “mount the pressure.”
Another slide broke down the organization’s central critique of the character’s construction: “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 is Black people and specifically Jamaicans. It enforces a perception of what Jamaicans are, which is totally detached from reality,” the post continued.
NewsCord also pushed back against accusations of censorship in a subsequent slide, acknowledging that restricting speech can be a “very slippery slope” but insisting there “must be a red line.”
“How can we simply sit silently as Sacha Baron Cohen releases yet another harmful film? Why should these companies continue to profit from this?” the organization asked.
The campaign scored what appeared to be an early victory when reports said that Picturehouse Cinemas, which operates 25 theaters across the UK, stated it “currently does not have any plans to screen this film on its release.” However, subsequent reporting suggested this may have been a standard customer response for films not yet scheduled, leaving the actual booking status unclear.
Phil Clapp, head of the UK Cinema Association, pushed back against the idea that theaters should act as gatekeepers. In a statement shared with trade publication Variety, he defended the traditional role of exhibitors.
“Cinemas are there to engage and entertain the widest possible audience,” Clapp said.
“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, they will decide whether or not to play it solely with the likely response of their audience in mind,” he continued.
Cohen’s personal life has also drawn attention in recent months, with the source noting that the actor split from wife Isla Fisher in 2024. In the trailer for Ali G: Who Iz I?, he appears wearing fake dreadlocks, a Rastafarian hat, and his signature yellow-tinted glasses.
The original Ali G character debuted in 2000 on Channel 4’s The 11 O’Clock Show before spawning the 2002 feature film Ali G Indahouse and the 2003 HBO series Da Ali G Show. The persona — a white man from Staines who adopted elements of Black British and Jamaican culture — made Cohen a household name but drew criticism throughout its initial run for allegedly promoting racial stereotypes. Sony Pictures UK is marketing the sequel with the tagline “He iz back. We ain’t liable.”
Ali G: Who Iz I? Is set for worldwide theatrical release on 23 October.