A contentious state-backed comedy festival in Saudi Arabia has caused a rift within the comedy community, as performers criticize colleagues for accepting substantial payments from a government accused of grave human rights abuses.
Among the notable comedians participating in the two-week event are Pete Davidson, Bill Burr, Aziz Ansari, Hannibal Buress, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Jessica Kirson, and Andrew Schulz.
Comedians have reportedly received between $350,000 and for their performances. However, an offer shared by one performer revealed clauses prohibiting jokes that might “defame” Saudi Arabia, its Royal Family, legal system, government, or religion.
The Saudi government stated the festival aligns with its “Vision 2030” initiative, a strategy aimed at diversifying the nation’s economy into sports, arts, and culture, and implementing liberal social reforms.
Nevertheless, comedians have spent the past week denouncing industry colleagues willing to overlook the government’s human rights record.
Comedian Marc Maron, host of the , posted a strong critique on Instagram, referencing the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He stated, “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 f***ing suitcase. But don’t let that stop the yucks, it’s gonna be a good time!” The U.S. government officially concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered
Maron further elaborated, “Full disclosure: I was not asked to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, so it’s kind of easy for me to take the high road on this one. Easy to maintain your integrity when no one’s offering to buy it out.”
Zach Woods, renowned for his role in the sitcom “The Office,” also voiced criticism against fellow comedians who accepted the festival engagement .
Woods mockingly remarked, “Now there’s a lot of drips, killjoys and dweebazoids who are saying, ‘Oh, they shouldn’t do comedy over there because it’s whitewashing a regime that just in June killed a journalist and killed Jamal Khashoggi.’’ He then challenged, “Shut up. Name one comedian who hasn’t whored themselves out to a dictator.”
In contrast to Maron, comedian Shane Gillis stated he was invited to the festival and declined a “significant bag”—an offer that was reportedly doubled after his initial refusal. On his podcast “Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast,” he commented, “I took a principled stand. You don’t 9/11 your friends.”
Tim Dillon was initially slated to perform, but claims the Saudi government removed him from the engagement after he discussed the country’s alleged use of forced labor on his podcast “The Tim Dillon Show” .
On his podcast, Dillon claimed he was “being paid a lot of money to not care about what they do in their country,” confirming an offer of $375,000 for his performance, and noting that some headliners reportedly received over $1.5 million.
The General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Compensating for Lost Income
Comedian Nimesh Patel announced on Instagram that he withdrew from the festival following the removal of Jimmy Kimmel’s show from the air, which fueled a debate about free speech in the U.S. To recover the forfeited earnings, Patel stated he planned a 40-date comedy tour.
Patel’s post quoted him as saying, “I’ll just do 40 shows that I had not planned on doing, here in the perfectly clean, moral, above everyone else United States of America…to make up for the lost bag.”
Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka also announced on that she rejected the festival offer, sharing the invitation she received, which stipulated restrictions on jokes, particularly prohibiting criticism of the government.
Okatsuka observed, “A lot of the ‘you can’t say anything anymore!’ Comedians are doing the festival.” She added, “They had to adhere to censorship rules about the types of jokes they can make.”
For years, Saudi Arabia has faced criticism regarding its treatment of journalists, its restrictions on free speech, and its suppression of women’s rights and activism.
‘White-washing’
Michael Page, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East division, stated that some comedians participating in the festival “go beyond everyday hypocrisy” and venture into “abandonment of any kind of core principle.”
Page told TIME, “A lot of these incredibly prominent stand-up comedians have often made it a part of their act to talk about free speech, saying ’we have the right to offend, and we need to be able to say what we want without being cancelled.’’ He continued, “These same individuals who are then attending this Riyadh Comedy Festival are doing so in a place where free speech is not only explicitly prohibited, but where journalists are executed for it.”
Page contended that these comedians are “self-censoring,” describing it as a “textbook definition of white-washing.”
A Human Rights Watch statement regarding the comedy festival asserted that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s government organized the event “to deflect attention from its brutal repression of free speech.” The organization urged participants to leverage their performances at the festival to call for the release of detained activists in Saudi Arabia.
Many of the comedians scheduled to perform in Saudi Arabia have previously advocated for free speech.
Bill Burr has criticized “cancel culture,” asserting it is the . Dave Chappelle has similarly been vocal about cancel culture, and during his acceptance of the Mark Twain award in 2019, delivered an impassioned address endorsing free speech.
He notably stated, “I, personally, am not afraid of other people’s freedom of expression. I don’t use it as a weapon. It just makes me feel better.”
Regarding the Constitutional right to free speech, which is absent in Saudi Arabia, he remarked, “The First Amendment is first for a reason. Second Amendment is just in case the First one doesn’t work out.”
In an announcement about the event, Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority hailed the festival as “the largest of its kind globally,” further stating it “reflects the efforts to amplify Riyadh’s status as a leading destination for major cultural and artistic events.”
TIME sought comment from the comedians named in this report.
