Ali G Controversy Comes at Perfect Time for Sacha Baron Cohen

Sacha Baron Cohen’s rebellious pose is just that, an act for our amusement.

It wasn’t always this way.

Cohen’s colorful characters, including white rapper Ali G and Kazakh reporter Borat Sagdiyev, pushed the boundaries of comedy and, yes, good taste.

That naked wrestling scene from “Borat” (2006) is a prime example.

Sadly, Hollywood came calling for Cohen, and he softened his edge and began picking on the approved targets. Think Trump, Donald J. for example.

Now, he’s back with a feature mockumentary based around one of his earliest comic creations. Introducing “Ali G: Who iz I?”

The film, in theatres Oct. 23, finds Cohen bringing the old-school character back to life. And a very select few aren’t happy about it.

Both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter are tracking an effort to censor the film, sight unseen, based on Cohen’s previous comedy work. It’s racist and brimming with stereotypes, Cohen’s critics claim.

Ali G. embraces elements of hip-hop culture, from fashions to rap slang.

Yet Cohen released a film earlier this year for Netflix and this chorus of complaints didn’t erupt. Now, “Ladies First” wasn’t a typical Cohen film, the kind brimming with naughty humor and “Candid Camera” style pranks.

Still, it’s hard to savage “Ali G: Who Iz I?” when very few people have actually seen it.

Tell that to NewsCord.

The A.I.-based media watchdog apparently has some humans running the shop. The organization is allegedly behind an email campaign demanding theaters not screen “Ali G Who Iz I?”

The campaign accuses Cohen of using satire as a “cover for enforcing racist stereotypes,” citing a newspaper report from 2000, just two years after Ali G first landed on British TV screens, in which Black British comedians claimed the character was an “alibi for racism.”

No matter what Cohen may have done in the past, it’s absurd to suggest a film, sight unseen, is racist.

There’s a Karmic twist here, of course.

Cohen ditched his edgy comic persona a while back, preferring to embrace the Left’s comic narratives. He built his “Borat” sequel around taking down President Trump, for example. He also picked up the woke Left’s censorship cudgel, demanding President Trump be banned from major social media platforms following the Jan. 6 riots.

Now, he could be the one facing a censorship campaign. It’s not right, but Cohen should have been speaking up for free speech all along.

Then again, this is exactly the kind of publicity Cohen needs at the moment. It’ll get more attention to “Ali G: Who Iz I?” and beef up his street cred long after he squandered it.

He couldn’t have written a better PR campaign.

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