Comedians Called Out for Accepting Offers to Perform at Saudi Arabian Festival: ‘They Have Slaves for F*ck’s Sake!’
(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
A slew of comedians have been criticized for their decision to accept offers to perform at a comedy festival held in Saudi Arabia.
Last Friday was the first day of the Riyadh Comedy Festival, a two-week long event held in the Saudi capital. The festival includes some of the biggest names in comedy, including Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Andrew Schulz, Louis C.K. and Kevin Hart. The flier for the event boasts that “more than 50 of the best comedians from around the world” were slated to perform.
As is the case with many things involving Saudi money these days, the news of their participation in the festival was met with a great deal of backlash. Similar to the controversies surrounding LIV Golf and a host of other sports ventures, many have accused the Saudis of investing in entertainment as a distraction from the human rights issues plaguing the country. In the eyes of critics, that makes the comedians willing participants in the country’s effort to sanitize its image.
Much of that criticism has come from their own peers. David Cross, known for his role as Tobias Funke in the sitcom Arrested Development, published a scathing essay Monday expressing disappointment that the ones he considered to be his heroes accept the offer:
“You’re performing for literally, the most oppressive regime on earth,” Cross said on his website. “They have SLAVES for fuck’s sake!!!”
Shane Gillis, one of the biggest names in the industry, said he was also invited. On a recent episode of his podcast Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast, Gillis revealed that he declined the offer. After the Saudis responded by doubling that offer, Gillis still declined.
“It was a significant bag,” Gillis told his co-host Matt McCusker, “but I’d already said no. I took a principled stand.”
Longtime comedian Marc Maron has been among the most vocal critics. During a recent stand-up set, he wondered how one would even go about promoting the event.
“How do you even promote that?” Maron asked the crowd. “Like, ‘From the folks that brought you 9/11, two weeks of laughter in the desert! Don’t miss it!’ I mean, the same guy that’s gonna pay them is the same guy that paid that guy to bone-saw Jamal Khashoggi and put him in a fucking suitcase! But don’t let that stop the yucks. It’s gonna be a good time!”
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Atsuko Okatsuka also turned down the Saudis’ offer to perform at the festival. After declining, she then revealed on social media that the contract included restrictions on the material comedians were allowed to use. Off-limits topics included the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi legal system, and religion.
