The Riyadh Comedy Festival, touted as “the biggest comedy festival in the world,” is currently underway from September 26 to October 9, featuring a star-studded lineup of comedians, including Dave Chappelle, Louis CK, Bill Burr, Kevin Hart, Whitney Cummings, Pete Davidson, Aziz Ansari, and Jo Koy. A big name US comedians are at the forefront of it. What they are doing is unbelievable—they are taking money directly from the Saudi government to perform.
The festival continues to deliver big, bold and glamorous entertainment. It’s under fire due to the country’s abysmal human rights history and severe limitations on content imposed on performers. The event is produced in collaboration with the U.S.-based talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) and Bruce Hills, president of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal.
Critics have spoken out about the ethics of playing in a country mostly recognized for their atrocious prosecution. Comedian Marc Maron recently highlighted the issue of labor exploitation in the region when he met a member of the Saudi royal family. He sparked controversy with a joke referencing the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, asserting, “the same guy who paid for the murder is the same guy who paid comedians to perform in Saudi Arabia.”
Comedian Tim Dillon had a wild ride at this year’s festival. He lost his job for joking about slavery. Andrew Schulz certainly got a lot of attention the other day for his comments on Khashoggi’s murderous assassination. He took up Saudi Arabia’s connections to the September 11th attacks. In a tweet, Schulz noted that Saudi Arabia “exists because we allow them to exist” to “give us fucking gas, bitch.”
The festival added a programmatic focus — by way of a new Content Restrictions section. This section prohibits any content that defames the Kingdom, its leadership, or its judicial system. This has led many comedians to reevaluate how and what they’re joking about. Nimesh suggested performing “40 shows … here in the perfectly clean, moral, above-everyone-else United States of America” after potentially losing a gig due to these restrictions.
Chris Distefano added a humorous twist by stating that an upside to Saudi Arabia’s repression of women is that his fiancée cannot accompany him. He went on to specify that he wouldn’t be doing any gay or Jewish related acts while in Saudi Arabia.
At a presser this weekend, Pete Davidson addressed fears over his performance in the Kingdom directly. He cited his deceased daddy, who was killed in the September 11 attacks. He conceded that to many, it was an open and shut case as to how he could take a paycheck from the Saudi government in this context.
“I just know I get the routing, and then I see the number, and I go, ‘I’ll go.’” – Pete Davidson
So have other comedians, on the chilling effect that the festival and its actions are having on free speech and comedy. Dave Chappelle remarked on censorship by stating, “The more you say I can’t say something, the more urgent it is for me to say it.” Jeff Ross described Saudi Arabia as “one of the last bastions of free speech,” while Jim Jefferies downplayed concerns regarding Khashoggi’s murder by saying, “One reporter was killed by the government – unfortunate, but not a fucking hill that I’m gonna die on.”
Some of the most high-profile performers have taken the bait — and the lavish festival amenities — in the face of these ethical quandaries. Jessica Kirson commented on her experience, stating, “It’s five-star, crazy treatment, hotels and car service, and food. And they really take care of you.”
Yet some comedians are not so eager to gloss over things. David Cross expressed his dismay at fellow performers’ decisions to participate in the festival.
“I am disgusted, and deeply disappointed in this whole gross thing,” – David Cross
Cross further lamented that talented individuals would support such a regime for trivial gains:
“That people I admire, with unarguable talent, would condone this totalitarian fiefdom for … what, a fourth house? A boat? More sneakers?” – David Cross
This wouldn’t be the first time comedian Bill Burr has played it safe about his involvement. He humorously stated he would not risk being kidnapped by saying:
“I’m not going over there and getting kidnapped.” – Bill Burr
Discourse around the Riyadh Comedy Festival is growing contentious. Our participants are bravely walking the tightrope between artistic risk-taking and political fist-pumping. The festival is the perfect manifestation of a complicated intersection of culture and commerce in a country where free speech is narrowly defined.