Ali G sequel slammed over 'harmful stereotypes'

Sacha Baron Cohen's attempt to bring back an old character with Ali G: Who Iz I? has caused controversy.

Following the release of the trailer for the Amazon MGM Studios sequel, an email campaign began on watchdog site NewsCord, sending more than 40,000 emails urging cinemas to "leave the film off its screens" when the movie premieres on 23 October.

"Ali G is a cover to laugh at Jamaican culture. The character enforces harmful stereotypes of how a Jamaican man behaves in society," NewsCord shared on X.

According to NewsCord, UK cinema chain Picturehouse Cinemas has already responded that they are "not planning to screen the film".

The last Ali G movie, 2002's Ali G Indahouse, grossed $23 million (£17 million), largely in the UK.

The character of Ali G was first introduced to Stateside audiences via Da Ali G Show in the early 2000s, when he fooled those in the highest posts, including a pre-presidential Donald Trump and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

A return for the character was first rumoured in 2023, but the project was reportedly delayed by the series of writers' and actors' strikes in the US.

Ali G first appeared on Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show in 1998 as the "voice of da yoof".

The character was intended to target middle-class white youths who appropriate urban, British Jamaican culture.