Sacha Baron Cohen is firing back at the growing backlash against his new Ali G movie. The actor recently shared a video message, mocking the ongoing boycott campaign.
Baron Cohen posted an Instagram video on October 8, where he dressed up as an old, balding progressive activist to mock the backlash against his upcoming mockumentary film Ali G: Who Iz I? The video comes as a scathing response to critics saying that the movie “enforces racist stereotypes.”
What does Sacha Baron Cohen say in the new Ali G movie video?
The video shows an unrecognizable Sacha Baron Cohen in prosthetic makeup, sharing a satirical message for the critics campaigning to boycott Ali G: Who Iz I?
“I’m here on behalf of the Campaign for Ethical Comedy,” Baron Cohen began. “I’m sure you’ve heard of our five Cs: Consider, contextualize, consult community, and obtain consent before you laugh—That’s right, do the work before you smirk.”
Still in character, the actor added, “Regarding the Ali G trailer, it’s so sad that Sacha Baron Cohen cannot come up with a new character, so I urge you to boycott this Ali G movie.”
The parody message comes after the trailer for Who Iz I? sparked a campaign urging theaters to not play the film when it’s released on October 23. NewsCord reports that over 56,000 fans have joined the campaign to stop the film’s release.
Baron Cohen previously faced backlash over a promotional video for the movie. In an X post on August 25, he responded, “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.”
Ali G: Who Iz I? serves as a sequel to Ali G Indahouse and marks Baron Cohen’s feature directorial debut. The movie returns with the highly controversial character that the actor debuted in 1998.
