Sacha Baron Cohen reveals real reason for 2021 Australian comedy show

Sacha Baron Cohen has revealed the real reason behind his 2021 stand-up show in Australia.

Five years ago, the British comedian resurrected his famous characters - Ali G, Borat and Bruno - for a one-off show at The Comedy Store, and at the time, he explained that he "just wanted to get on stage and muck around".

However, in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Baron Cohen revealed that he had to perform to fulfil his obligation to the Perth authorities after they let his family into Western Australia during lockdown.

"My ex (Isla Fisher) is from Perth, so we applied to go there. She's rejected. I find out that you have to show that there's a financial benefit to Western Australia to be allowed in. You have to apply to the police. So I say, 'Listen, I'm doing a stand-up tour. It's going to create 300 jobs. It's going to bring tens of millions of dollars into Western Australia,'" he recalled.

"Obviously I had no intention of doing it. But then the police accept me. We spent 14 days in lockdown, and at the end, a police car turns up, an inspector comes out, and she says, 'I am in charge of your stand-up tour.'"

Baron Cohen noted that he ended up doing a 90-minute show, with "police watching" his performance.

During the stand-up gig, the comedian found the audience had "a different response" to Ali G and almost "believed he was real", leading him to wonder if there was more to explore with the character, which he had largely retired since his '90s and '00s heyday.

He started the ball rolling on a new Ali G movie when he returned to America in late 2021 and recently released the project, Ali G: Who Iz I?. The film is now streaming on Prime Video.

Baron Cohen and Fisher, who share three children, filed for divorce in 2023, and the split was finalised two years later.