Ed Sheeran took a brutal joke in the new Ali G trailer as a compliment, turning the movie’s pop-star swipe into a nostalgic full-circle moment.
Ed Sheeran had an unexpectedly upbeat reaction after becoming the punchline of the new Ali G: Who Iz I? trailer. The singer responded beneath the film’s official Instagram post after Sacha Baron Cohen’s character singled him out while recapping how much the world had changed during Ali G’s long absence, a moment also highlighted by Billboard.
In the trailer, Ali G says, “I’z been gone for 20 years, chillin’, and in that time the world went to crap. There was COVID, wars, and Ed Sheeran.” Rather than push back, Sheeran embraced the joke and wrote, “Tell 10-year-old me that Ali G would put him in his movie. Restecpa.”
That final word is a callback to the deliberately misspelled “respect” gag associated with the character’s 2002 film Ali G Indahouse. Sheeran’s response made clear that the cameo-by-insult landed more like a childhood milestone than an actual diss.
The new film brings Baron Cohen back as Ali G more than two decades after the character’s original big-screen run. According to Amazon MGM Studios’ official synopsis, Ali G discovers that his longtime girlfriend Julie, played by Morgana Robinson, is eight months pregnant before heading to America in an attempt to reclaim his former glory.
Ali G: Who Iz I? also marks Baron Cohen’s feature directorial debut, with the comedian serving as writer, producer and star. The project was filmed in secret and revives the mockumentary approach that became central to his later work with characters including Borat and Brüno.
The movie is scheduled to hit theaters on October 23, 2026, with Amazon MGM Studios handling distribution. For Sheeran, the trailer’s jab has already delivered its own payoff, giving him the kind of Ali G shoutout he says his 10-year-old self would have been thrilled to see.
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