Sacha Baron Cohen defends the resurrection of the “problematic” character of Ali G: “That’s why I resurrected him”

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Sacha Baron Cohen has defended the return of his comedy creation Ali G in a new film after 12 years, explaining that the fact that it is “outdated and problematic” is exactly why it is needed today.

The comedian, who made his debut with Ali G on Channel 4 The 11 o’clock show in 1998, reprized the role in the next film, Ali G: Who am 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 young, middle-class white men who embrace British Jamaican and hip-hop culture – as an offensive character.

Responding to the controversy surrounding Ali G, Cohen defended his character in an essay for Time magazine, explaining that he always wanted his characters and comedy to “expose bias, prejudice, and stupidity, although I realize not everyone sees it that way.”

“Ali G is a white idiot – a delusional cultural appropriator – who steals fashion and lyrics from his favorite gangsta rap and dancehall idols, from Compton to Kingston,” he wrote in an article published Tuesday (October 20).

“The joke is on him, and on the predominantly white male establishment that takes him seriously enough to believe that HBO would hire the stupidest man in the world as an interview host. Like a good jester, he undermines that establishment, not the culture he loves and borrows from.”

“So why my new film bringing back this phony, unfunny guy, who some have criticized as ‘a microwaved 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 “The fact that Ali G is outdated and problematic is the very reason I resurrected him.”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 the satirical characters of Kazakh TV presenter Borat, Australian fashion journalist Brüno and fictional dictator Admiral General Aladeen, added that the world Ali G has returned to is “in many ways worse than the one he left 20 years ago”.

“All the prejudices that my characters are supposed to denounce have not only persisted: they have metastasized. They are fueled by the greatest propaganda machine in history – social media – and now its monstrous child, AI.”

Citing increased political violence, an “explosion of misogyny” and a “rise in intolerance and extremism,” he hopes his new film will “sound the alarm.”

“It may remind people of the very real dangers of ridiculous lies – whether they are spread by a thin-skinned authoritarian or an extremist followed online. With the US midterm elections just weeks away, it may encourage citizens to mobilize against these dangerous lies – at the ballot box and beyond.”

Earlier this year, British news comparison site NewsCord launched a campaign calling for a boycott of cinemas Ali G: Who am I?claiming 37,658 emails had been sent in support of him.

“Black British comedians called the character an ‘alibi for racism’ in 2000; Jeanette Winterson asked what made him different from the Black and White Minstrels; Kazakh and Arab organizations documented the misdeeds of the catalog behind the character. Sony Pictures UK is selling him with the phrase “He’s back. We are not responsible,” they wrote.

Cohen finished filming the Ali G sequel in July this year, after filming much of it in secret. It is also expected to star comedian Morgana Robinson as Julie, Ali G’s girlfriend, and will mark Cohen’s directorial debut.