El Paso County Republican Party Chairman Michael Aboud was unexpectedly featured in the new comedy film Ali G: Who Iz I, written and directed by Sacha Baron Cohen. The movie, which opens nationwide this Friday via Amazon MGM Studios, follows Cohen’s iconic Ali G character as he embarks on a far‑cetched mission involving a fictional South American drug kingpin’s unborn child.
In the film’s trailer, Aboud appears in a staged training program alongside Cohen’s character. According to a report from The Guardian, the plot has Ali G recruiting Aboud to help prevent the drug kingpin’s baby from being born on U.S. soil. The climax shows a prosthetic baby being dropped from a drone at a great height to keep it from touching American ground.
The Guardian notes that Aboud was unaware the project was a comedy. He believed he was participating in a non‑fiction documentary and did not sign any release forms before filming began. In a phone interview with ABC‑7, Aboud said he was not an “active participant” and did not give his signature to anyone prior to the shoot.
ABC‑7 reached out to both Aboud and the Republican Party of Texas for comment. Neither side provided additional remarks beyond Aboud’s statement that he was unaware of the film’s satirical nature.
Local reaction
El Paso residents have expressed a mix of curiosity and concern over the cameo. Some see it as a harmless moment of local visibility, while others worry about the potential for misrepresentation in a comedy that uses real people without full disclosure. The incident underscores the importance of clear communication when public officials are approached for media projects.
For those interested in seeing the film, it will be available for a limited one‑week theatrical run beginning Friday, after which it will move to streaming on Amazon’s platform.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
