Sacha Baron Cohen's Ali G to return in new film amid character's 'racist stereotypes' controversy

Sacha Baron Cohen is bringing back his controversial character Ali G in a new film, "Ali G: Who Iz I?", nearly 20 years after the character was retired. The mockumentary, filmed in secrecy and marking Baron Cohen's directorial debut, is set to open on October 23 through Amazon MGM Studios. However, its return has sparked a global boycott campaign, launched by British media monitoring platform NewsCord, which accuses the character of promoting "racist stereotypes" and mocking Jamaican culture. NewsCord states, "Ali G is a cover to laugh at Jamaican culture." The campaign has sent over 41,000 emails to major movie theater chains, urging them not to screen the film. Baron Cohen responded sarcastically to the controversy, while UK Cinema Association CEO Phil Clapp stated that movie theaters are not censors and aim "to entertain the widest possible audience, not to determine the audience's taste."