Ed Sheeran reacts to being mocked in new ‘Ali G’ trailer

Ed Sheeran has broken his silence after being mocked in the new trailer for Ali G: Who Iz I?, reacting positively to the joke at his expense.

Ali G first appeared in the 2002 film Ali G Indahouse, and the character is now returning 24 years later in a new comedy, which is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on October 23.

Sacha Baron Cohen is making his directorial debut with the movie, whose first trailer was released recently and features a joke about Sheeran.

In the scene, Ali G can be heard saying, “I’z been gone for 20 years, chillin’, and in that time the world went to crap. There was COVID, wars, and Ed Sheeran.”

The trailer also shows a clip of the Shape of You singer on the red carpet. Sheeran appeared amused by the shout-out and commented on Instagram: “Tell 10-year-old me that Ali G would put him in his movie. Restecpa.”

The final word is a reference to Ali G Indahouse, where the character famously misspells the word “respect” as “restecpa.”

Ali G first appeared in a segment on The 11 O’Clock Show in the late 1990s. The character was created as a parody of street culture, with Cohen portraying Ali G while interacting with public figures who were unaware that he was playing a character.

The character gained further popularity after appearing in Madonna’s music video for her 2000 single Music. Cohen also developed several spin-off series featuring the character.

Ali G Indahouse was promoted with the single Me Julie, performed by Cohen in character alongside Shaggy.

Cohen went on to achieve major success with films such as Borat and Brüno, before taking on dramatic roles in movies including The Trial of the Chicago 7.

The new Ali G film marks the character’s return to the big screen, with the trailer already generating attention for its mix of comedy, satire and celebrity references.