Sacha Baron Cohen Is Bringing Back Ali G In Some Kind Of Mystery Project
Sacha Baron Cohen's satirical interview character Ali G turns 25 this year, and to celebrate, he might be making a comeback. According to a report by Variety, the "Borat," "Bruno," and "Da Ali G Show" creator is planning to incorporate Ali G into a future comedy tour, although a source close to the actor-comedian wants to be clear that Baron Cohen is fully adhering to the current WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike rules. That means that whatever Ali G project is in the works, it's not a new movie.
As a SAG and WGA member he is supporting the ongoing strike alongside his fellow writers and actors," the source assured Variety, but the outlet still reports that Ali G is set to return in some form or another. The poser character who declared himself a voice of the youth who was inspired by hip-hop culture back in the aughts was last seen in 2021 when Baron Cohen brought him back for a stand-up set in Australia, per Variety. The actor first presented the ignorant, over-the-top character back in 1998 on the UK's Channel 4 series "The 11 O'Clock Show," before ultimately playing him for 3 seasons of "Da Ali G Show."
Baron Cohen has successfully revived one character so far
As with all of Baron Cohen's surprising, semi-improvisational comedy characters, Ali G ended up at the center of some wild news stories in his heyday, giving a commencement address at Harvard, starring in a Madonna video, and interviewing Buzz Aldrin and an early "The Apprentice"-era Donald Trump, among others. His time in the pop cultural zeitgeist was certainly not without controversy, though, as other comedians were declaring the Ali G character racist as early as the year 2000, noting that much of the humor of the character came from the idea of a non-Black comedian performing Black stereotypes.
Baron Cohen's last major public appearance as Ali G came at the 2015 Oscars, where he surprised the Academy by popping up in the Ali G costume that his wife Isla Fisher helped him secretly put on in the bathroom (per THR). While Baron Cohen's polarizing persona may be even more controversial now, he's certainly had success bringing one of them back in recent years. "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" took over watercooler discussions in 2020, earning two Oscar nominations and picking up several other accolades for then-newcomer Maria Bakalova's turn as Borat's daughter Tutar.
Ali G's return is not currently attached to any announced project, but Variety reports that he'll likely appear in Baron Cohen's next stand-up tour.