Sacha Baron Cohen on Why Democracy Isn't Compatible with Social Media | Pivot Conversations

Sacha Baron Cohen argues that bringing Ali G back in 2026 only works because the world has become more divided, more extreme, and more easily manipulated by lies. He says the new film pairs Ali G with two additional characters to expose extremism on both the right and the left, while still making the premise funny. The point, he says, is not nostalgia but escalation: satire has to keep finding whatever people are actually willing to believe and say now.

He also makes a broader case that democracy is not compatible with social media, which he describes as a propaganda machine that rewards outrage, hate, and misinformation. Cohen says he warned tech leaders years ago and found they were uninterested in protecting democracy. He argues that social platforms, now amplified by AI, can turn conspiracies into real-world violence, and that the problem is not just Donald Trump but the combination of Trump and the platforms that spread his style of politics.

Cohen says he is not fearless, but able to overcome fear in the moment while performing dangerous undercover comedy. He frames the movie as a warning about where the world is headed, and says his aim is still to make people laugh while pushing them to think about authoritarianism, intolerance, and the collapse of truth.