The comedy world is in a tizzy about the Riyadh Comedy Festival, an enormous comedy festival currently underway in Saudi Arabia, at which various cancelled, controversial and crappy comedians are taking money directly from the oppressive Saudi government (including Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., Kevin Hart, Russell Peters, Hannibal Buress, Jimmy Carr, Whitney Cummings, Bill Burr, Gabriel Iglesias, Pete Davidson, Aziz Ansari and more).
Now, the opposing voices are getting louder, with David Cross and Marc Maron joining the voices condemning the festival and its participants.
In an open letter on Instagram, Cross wrote that he was "disgusted, and deeply disappointed in this whole gross thing." He wrote, "These are some of my HEROES," specifically citing Chappelle, Louis C.K., Burr and Jim Jefferies (although Jefferies's name disappeared from the lineup after initially being included).
"We can never again take seriously anything these comedians complain about (unless it's complaining that we don't support enough torture and mass executions of journalists and LGBTQ peace activists here in the States, or that we don't terrorize enough Americans by flying planes into our buildings)," Cross continued. "You have a funny bit about how you don't like Yankee Candles or airport lounges? Okay great, but you're cool with murder and/or the public caning of women who were raped, and by having the audacity to be raped, were guilty of 'engaging in adultery'? Got any bits on that?"
Maron, for his part, said in a recent standup bit, "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."
Zach Woods posted a facetious video on Instagram, complaining about the "drips, killjoys and dweebazoids" criticizing comedians playing the festival as "whitewashing a regime that, just in June, killed a journalist, and killed Jamal Khashoggi, and played a big role in 9/11.' Shut up! Name one comedian who hasn't whored themself out to a dictator."
Comedians are reportedly being paid hundreds of thousands or even millions to play the show. Pete Davidson said in an interview with Theo Von last week (September 23), "I just know I get the routing, and then I see the number, and I go, 'I'll go.'" Davidson's father died in 9/11.
Comedians who were reportedly offered the gig but turned it down include Shane Gillis, Atsuko Okatsuka, Mike Birbiglia and Stavros Halkias.
The Riyadh Comedy Festival, which runs from September 26 to October 9, is being put on by Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority as well as Sela, a live events company owned by the country's sovereign wealth fund. The Human Rights Watch has condemned the festival, writing, "The Saudi government is using the Riyadh Comedy Festival 2025 from September 26 to October 9 to deflect attention from its brutal repression of free speech and other pervasive human rights violations."
[SRC] https://exclaim.ca/comedy/article/david-cross-marc-maron-condemn-comedians-playing-saudi-arabia-s-riyadh-comedy-festival
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