Sacha Baron Cohen faces boycott calls and lawsuit over new film

The Anti-Defamation League has defended actor Sacha Baron Cohen against calls to boycott his new feature, Ali G: Who Iz I?, ahead of its theatrical release. According to The Wrap and Yahoo, Anti-Defamation League chief executive officer Jonathan Greenblatt stated on X that no artist should be silenced over their Jewish identity or subjected to ideological litmus tests. Sacha Baron Cohen noted that online campaigns portray individuals incorrectly. [1][9]

The controversy surrounding the release is expanding beyond online boycott campaigns to legal threats. The Guardian reported that Michael Aboud, the chair of the El Paso County Republican Party, plans to sue Sacha Baron Cohen over footage included in the film. Michael Aboud participated in a filmed training session believing it was an actual documentary, appearing alongside another Sacha Baron Cohen character presented as an ex-Mossad terrorist expert. [3]

Critical reception for the project has opened with lower review metrics than previous efforts. ComingSoon reported that initial Rotten Tomatoes scores for the new movie are lower than those for the Borat franchise. The Guardian described the film as featuring a newly created character designed to mock accusations of racism against the comedian. [2][5][6][7]

Sacha Baron Cohen created and portrayed the satirical characters Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev, and Brüno Gehard, winning two British Academy Television Awards and three Golden Globes. The character Ali G first debuted on British television in 2000 before broadcasting on HBO. As FTMQ Film & TV reported earlier, Amazon MGM Studios is releasing Ali G: Who Iz I? in theaters for a one-week distribution window starting October 23. [12][14]