Sacha Baron Cohen’s Ali G is offensive. That is exactly why satire needs him

Sacha Baron Cohen’s return as Ali G has sparked outrage. But in an age of AI slop and social-media sensitivity, we need comedy that still dares to provoke.

Sacha Baron Cohen returns as Ali G with Who Is I?, reviving a character known for sexist, inappropriate questions that often exposed the prejudices of those he interviewed | IMDb

Sacha Baron Cohen’s decision to bring back Ali G has already sparked backlash, with many calling the character dated, problematic and out of touch with contemporary sensibilities. But what exactly is the problem with bringing him back? Ali G is precisely the kind of rage-baiter we need in the age of AI slop, when everyone seems increasingly oversensitive about every single word. Cohen is simply doing what he has always done: comedy and satire. His character is designed to provoke, offend and poke fun at everyone. That is precisely the point.

When Ali G first appeared 25 years ago, he was an outrageous, unpredictable and shocking character, unlike anything audiences had seen before. But now, in 2026, with Ali G: Who Is I?, audiences seem determined to find deeper meanings in everything, questioning whether the character is politically correct or needs to be reimagined.

The truth is, there is no formula to recreate Ali G Cohen’s foundation for the character was  mimicking British Jamaican hip hop culture, a white man playing a character who appropriated Black cultural markers, while a British Jewish actor used these personas to comment on American society. He ambushed people on American streets, trying to expose their prejudices with his line of questioning.

Through this character,  he exposed the prejudices, absurdities and hypocrisies of different communities. As Ali G, he interviewed some of the most important personalities in contemporary politics, asking questions that even the most fearless journalists would hesitate to ask. Yes, the questions were cringe, sexist and inappropriate, but audiences loved watching people struggle to respond to them.

British comedy has traditionally been far more biting, irreverent and brutal in its approach to satire. American comedy, on the other hand, has been more conscious of its audience, identity politics and the boundaries of what can be said publicly. With Ali G, Cohen brings the unapologetic, uncomfortable nature of British satire into American society. He is an outsider observing a culture he does not belong to, exposing its contradictions by asking questions that people might otherwise avoid. Perhaps that cultural clash is precisely what made Ali G so fascinating.

But now, everyone seems to hate him. Because he is a white man playing a character rooted in Black culture and making fun of other communities. People have completely missed the point of satire.

Cohen is rarely making fun of the character he plays. Ali G is deliberately ignorant, constantly curious about how the world works and completely unaware of how ridiculous his questions sound. The real joke is often on the people sitting across from him, whose prejudices and contradictions become visible through their own responses.

I agree that there are things that were accepted in the name of art that should never have been acceptable in the first place, regardless of the era. But that is precisely how cultural standards evolve. What audiences, filmmakers and critics once defended as artistic expression is now examined through a much more critical lens.

The same shift can be seen in comedy. What once made audiences laugh can now make them uncomfortable.

Comedy’s changing limits 

And that is what Sacha Baron Cohen is doing. He is bringing back a character whose entire existence depends on saying things that are no longer considered acceptable in contemporary discourse. No, those remarks are not necessarily funny today. Some are genuinely offensive, and I agree that they can be inappropriate. But that is also the point about comedy: what makes people laugh, what shocks them and what offends them changes with time.

Cohen’s greatest weapon was always his ability to catch unsuspecting people off guard, allowing their own words and behaviour to deliver the punchline. Today, however, the shock value has diminished. Provocative opinions that once seemed astonishing have become familiar, while social media has made outrageous behaviour and public humiliation part of entertainment.

Look at Indian comedy, for instance. Comedy Circus was once filled with fat jokes, stereotypes and men dressing up as women, all of which would send audiences into fits of laughter. That humour continued into The Kapil Sharma Show, where calling a character fat was often enough to get a laugh. Even today, The Great Indian Kapil Show, on OTT, continues with the same jokes and stereotypes. 

Audiences still enjoy them, and there is barely any outrage over this kind of humour. Much of it is inappropriate and distasteful, and certainly not satire meant to provoke or expose society’s hypocrisy. Yet it continues to find an audience without attracting the same criticism.

Despite his sexist comments and inappropriate behaviour, Ali G is at last talking about world peace. Ali G just wanted to show how divided society had become. And this is why Ali G will get trolled for it, but this is also why Ali G is becoming relevant day by day. He is here to expose how ridiculous people can become when they take themselves too seriously. And if satire cannot make people uncomfortable, what exactly is it supposed to do?

(Edited by Saptak Datta)