Ali G Returns: Sacha Baron Cohen's Rapper Mockumentary Hits Theaters for One Weekend

Sacha Baron Cohen's new film "Ali G: Who Iz I?" opened in theaters on Friday, and it will play for one weekend only, with a handful of New York cinemas offering just a single showtime per day. The movie is set to stream on Amazon Prime Video shortly after its brief theatrical run.

Baron Cohen both stars in and directs the mockumentary. The plot follows Ali G, a washed-up wannabe gangster rapper, attempting a career comeback while under financial strain, driven in part by his girlfriend's pregnancy.

The character's return comes three months after Ali G resurfaced at Wimbledon, one of Baron Cohen's most public staged appearances in recent years.

Who is Ali G?

Alistair Leslie Graham — Ali G — is a satirical character created and performed by Baron Cohen, the actor best known for playing the fictional Kazakh reporter Borat in "Borat" (2006) and "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" (2020).

Ali G is a white, middle-class rap hopeful and, as The New York Times describes him, a serial cultural appropriator from Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England. He borrows heavily from American hip-hop and Jamaican culture, typically wearing oversize streetwear, a sculpted goatee and tinted glasses.

Where did the character come from?

Baron Cohen debuted the persona in 1998 on the British late-night comedy program "The 11 O'Clock Show." The character's screen history since then spans nearly two decades:

• "Da Ali G Show," the sketch comedy series that ran from 2000 to 2004
• "Ali G Indahouse," the 2002 feature film
• Various other programs and appearances, including the recent Wimbledon stunt

The Times notes that the character remains divisive — Ali G's mock interviews, built on Baron Cohen's improvised confrontations with real public figures, drew both acclaim and criticism over cultural stereotypes.

The takeaway: a character born on late-night British television in 1998 is getting a director-led feature revival in 2026, with a release strategy — one weekend, minimal showtimes, then streaming — that treats theatrical exhibition as an event rather than a window.

For Baron Cohen, the film marks his first directorial outing with the character and a test of whether Ali G, like Borat before him, can carry a second life on screen; the answer will arrive on Amazon Prime Video in the weeks ahead.