Ali G: Who Iz I? (2026)

In a candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 55‑year‑old comedian announced that Ali G: Who Iz I? will be his last foray into the high‑risk, character‑driven comedy that made him a cultural lightning rod. Cohen explained he’s stepping away from the genre not because the jokes have run out, but because he’s terrified of where society is heading—conspiracy‑laden social media feeds, AI‑fueled misinformation, and a fragile democratic fabric. He wants his next projects to challenge him in new ways, ruling out even a potential Borat 3. The film itself was a physical gauntlet. Cohen described the climactic sequence as an eight‑hour, continuous shot that roamed across twelve locations, weaving gunfire, a medical procedure, drones, explosions, and a scorching desert backdrop into a single, unbroken take. The stunt crew warned him he’d end up in the hospital, and indeed several crew members suffered dehydration, prompting Cohen to hire a Tour de France‑level endurance specialist to keep everyone on the brink of collapse but still safe. Cohen’s commitment to danger isn’t new. He recalled a near‑fatal moment on the original Borat set when a police officer’s gun was holstered on his thigh, and he later risked his life at a gun‑rights rally for Borat 2, insisting the stakes were worth the social commentary. Now, with Ali G: Who Iz I?, he hopes to blend that same fearless satire with a therapeutic dose of laughter, using comedy as a mirror to the extremism and “virtuous violence” that threaten today’s tolerant societies.

Britpop legend Noel Gallagher, once wary of his kids picking up Ali G’s lingo, has now been thrust into the comedian’s new film, Ali G: Who Iz I?, as part of a cheeky promotional push. Sacha Baron Cohen posted a clip of himself barging into a screening, pointing at the bewildered Noel and quipping, “You look like, what’s his name, one of them Oasis twins, innit… It’s Nigel Gallagher, innit? 50‑year‑old white man trying to make a comeback after 20 years, so sad.” The jab forces Noel to stand up before a laughing audience, turning the Brit‑rock icon into a punchline. The promo comes at a crucial moment, with Amazon/MGM having trimmed the film’s rollout and fans hungry for any buzz. Noel’s willingness to lean into the joke signals a shift; he recently appeared on the viral “Chicken Shop Date” where he dissed vegetarians and riffed on the meaning of Oasis’s “Champagne Supernova,” declaring himself firmly in a “comedy era.” It’s a rare glimpse of the Oasis frontman trading guitar riffs for punchlines, and the unexpected crossover is already sparking chatter among both music and comedy circles.

After a brief limited run, Sacha Baron Cohen’s new Ali G adventure is set to stream on Prime Video on Oct. 28. Amazon MGM Studios originally aimed for a wide theatrical release, but a wave of online backlash – including a coordinated campaign to bar the film from European cinemas – forced the studio to shrink its theater plan and double‑down on streaming, echoing the surprise Prime debut of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm in 2020. The film follows a pregnant Ali G, whose long‑term girlfriend Julie (now played by Morgana Robinson, replacing Kellie Bright from 2002’s Indahouse) discovers she’s eight months along. Determined to provide for his soon‑to‑be‑child, the brash MC jets to America, only to run into foes who threaten both his and his baby’s survival. Cohen, who also starred in Netflix’s Ladies First and the Prime Video comedy Balls Up earlier this year, makes his directorial debut with the sequel. While Borat’s follow‑up turned into a streaming smash, Who Iz I? has struggled to capture the same buzz, prompting the studio’s pivot to a digital launch. Critics have been lukewarm, with a 48% Rotten Tomatoes rating. One reviewer noted that despite Cohen’s awareness of his fame’s constraints, the film feels “dispiriting and painfully humorless,” suggesting the comedy’s edge has been outpaced by the very culture it once mocked. The verdict? Viewers will have to decide for themselves when the movie lands on Prime Video later this week.

Prime Video’s new Ali G: Who Iz I? drops the iconic MC on a quest to revive a cancelled HBO series, but the film feels stuck in the past. The plot follows a broke Ali who discovers an old fax about a potential Season 3, prompting a cross‑Atlantic dash to the U.S. with a baby on the way. What could have been a witty commentary on fame and redemption quickly devolves into a mishandled attempt to address accusations that the character mocks Black culture. Instead of flipping the script, the movie doubles down on the old‑school shock humor that made Sacha Baron Cohen controversial. A standout, uncomfortable scene has Cohen’s disguise, Nira, deliberately mispronouncing Black cultural phrases to provoke BIPOC onlookers, underscoring the criticism that the comedian profits from marginalised groups’ discomfort. The film’s narrative pushes Ali to prove he’s biracial while pitting him against an “African American studies” professor, yet it offers little nuance or self‑reflection. Fans hoping for a modern reinvention are left with the same stale formula that plagued the 2002 Indahouse sequel. The reviewer notes that while Cohen managed to evolve Borat’s satire, Ali G remains unchanged, missing a golden opportunity to turn the lens on his own audience. As a result, the movie feels more like a relic than a fresh comedy, leaving viewers questioning whether the character still has a place in today’s cultural conversation.