Picturehouse Cinemas has confirmed that it currently has “no plans” to screen Sacha Baron Cohen’s upcoming Ali G: Who Iz I?, placing the British cinema chain at the centre of a fresh debate over satire, race and whether one of the early 2000s’ most recognisable comedy characters still works in 2026.

Picturehouse’s statement comes amid an online campaign urging cinemas around the world to reject the film, with critics arguing that Ali G’s humour relies on racial stereotypes while shielding itself behind the language of satire. The character, played by Cohen since the 1990s, is a white, middle-class Brit who adopts exaggerated Jamaican patois, hip-hop fashion and mannerisms associated with Black urban culture.

Picturehouse’s position has therefore become part of a much wider argument. Is the chain simply making an ordinary programming decision, or does its current decision not to schedule the film signal that audiences and exhibitors are reconsidering what counts as acceptable satire?

The decision comes after an online campaign demanded cinemas worldwide refuse to screen the movie due to ‘satire using a cover for enforcing racist stereotypes’.

The campaign, started by media watchdog platform NewsCord, alleged Baron Cohen has ‘enforced harmful stereotypes across marginalised communities through his characters’….At the time of publication, NewCord has sent upwards of 27,000 emails from supporters to various cinemas demanding the film isn’t shown internationally.

Metro

There is also the practical question of who actually wants this. Ali G’s peak was 25 years ago. His original fans are now in their 40s, dealing with mortgages and children. The generation that grew up with him may have enjoyed it when they were young, but are they willing to pay to see a character that many now regard as outdated and racist?

Ali G may claim to be mocking white cultural appropriation, but Cohen constructs that joke using exaggerated Jamaican patois, hip-hop imagery and recognisable stereotypes drawn from Black and Caribbean culture. The satire may be meant to expose the white imitator, yet the performance relies entirely on racial caricature to land.

The uncomfortable question remains: does mocking the imitator automatically neutralise the racial caricature being performed? I do not think it does. Intention does not erase impact. A comedian can intend to expose one group while still relying on stereotypes about another. Saying “you have misunderstood the satire” does not answer the criticism when members of the cultures being imitated are telling you the performance itself feels degrading. At some point, the defence becomes an excuse for bigotry.

That tension follows Cohen beyond Ali G. Borat has long sparked similar arguments. Defenders say Borat’s grotesque behaviour exposes the racism, misogyny and antisemitism of supposedly respectable Western people who become comfortable revealing their prejudices around him. Critics, however, argue that Cohen builds those encounters by turning real communities, cultures and national identities into caricatures, which can end up reinforcing the very racism, misogyny, antisemitism and Islamophobic or anti-Muslim stereotypes the satire claims to expose.

Final Thoughts

Cohen may have “exposed” prejudice through his characters, but that does not excuse the stereotypes he uses to get there. When humour depends on exaggerated Black and Caribbean mannerisms, the intent matters less than the effect.

The issue is not that audiences have become too sensitive. It is that many now recognise the racial baggage behind Ali G more clearly. In 2026, calling something satire is no longer enough to shield it from criticism.

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