Sacha Baron Cohen defends reviving ‘problematic’ Ali G character: ‘That’s the reason I resurrected him’
There have been calls to boycott the satirical comedy, which is released later this week
Sacha Baron Cohen has defended bringing his comedic creation Ali G back for a new film after after 12 years, explaining that him being “outdated and problematic” is exactly why he’s needed today.
The comedian, 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? , which arrives in cinemas later this week.
However, there have been calls to boycott the new film, with some considering Ali G – a stereotype of white, middle-class young men who adopt British Jamaican and hip-hop culture – to be an offensive character.
Responding to the controversy surrounding Ali G, Cohen defended his character in an essay for Time magazine, explaining that he has always intended his characters and comedy to “expose prejudice, bias and stupidity, though I realise not everyone sees them that way”.
“Ali G is a white imbecile – a delusional cultural appropriator – who steals the fashion and lyrics from his favorite gangsta rap and dancehall idols, from Compton to Kingston,” he wrote in a piece published on Tuesday (20 October).
“The joke is on him, and on the predominantly white male establishment who take him seriously enough to believe that HBO would hire the stupidest man in the world as an interview host. Like a good bouffon, he undermines that establishment—not the culture he loves and borrows from.”
“So why does my new movie bring back that phony and unfunny guy, which some have criticised as ‘microwaving a relic from a generation ago?’” he continued. “The fact that Ali G is outdated and problematic is the very reason I resurrected him.”
Cohen, who is also known for satirical characters by Kazakhstani TV presenter Borat, Australian fashion reporter Brüno and fictional dictator Admiral General Aladeen, added that the world that Ali G has returned to is “in many ways, worse than the one he left 20 years ago”.
“All the prejudices my characters are designed to expose haven’t just lingered – they’ve metastasized. They’re fueled by the greatest propaganda machine in history – social media – and now by its monstrous child, AI.”
Citing how political violence is on the rise, there’s been an “explosion of misogyny” and “intolerance and extremism have surged”, he hopes his new film will “sound the alarm”.
“It can remind people about the very real dangers of ludicrous lies – whether spread by a thin--skinned authoritarian or an extremist with an online following. With the US midterm elections just weeks away, perhaps it encourages citizens to mobilise against these dangerous falsehoods – at the ballot box and beyond.”
Earlier this year, British news comparison site NewsCord launched a campaign calling for cinemas to boycott Ali G: Who Iz I?, claiming that 37,658 emails had been sent in support of it.
“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,’” they wrote.
Cohen finished filming the Ali G follow-up in July this year, having filmed much of it in secret. It is also set to star comedian Morgana Robinson as Ali G’s girlfriend Julie and will mark Cohen’s directorial debut.
