US EditionJimmy Kimmel Grills Aziz Ansari over Saudi Comedy Festival: "These Are Not Good People"
Bill Burr called the festival a positive step for the Middle East and said he faced the most criticism among comedians, emphasizing the event’s role in pushing progress forward.
- Taking place from Sept. 26 to Oct. 9, the Riyadh Comedy Festival welcomed about 50 high-profile comedians, including Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., Kevin Hart and Pete Davidson, to Riyadh and Bahrain.
- Turki Al‑Sheikh announced the festival as part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 reforms, though Human Rights Watch warned it was used from September 26 to October 9 to mask repression.
- Appearing on Conan's live taping, Bill Burr said `I really don’t give a f---, and if it affects my career, I’ve been to LAX enough in my life, I’ll f---ing sit home for a little bit` and called the trip 'mind-blowing.'
- Fellow comedians criticized the festival, noting Marc Maron, David Cross and Atsuko Okatsuka condemned it, Jessica Kirson apologized and pledged to donate her fee, and rumors say audience members left during the Oct. 5 taping.
- Critics argue the festival raises ethical questions about festival performance contracts barring jokes on the Saudi royal family, forcing comedians to rely on outdated stereotypes, while comedian community critics question the alignment with stated values.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Trevor Noah Calls Out Hypocrisy Over Riyadh Comedy Festival Controversy, Jokes Censorship 'Would Never Happen Here'
During a stand-up set at the Comedy Cellar in New York City this week, former “Daily Show” host Trevor Noah called out Americans’ hypocritical criticisms of the comedians who performed at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia, joking that Free Speech censorship “would never happen here.” “When you know what Saudi Arabia is all about, it’s weird to go to a comedy festival that is paid for by Saudi Arabia,” Noah conceded at the top of his set…
Will Anti-Woke Comedy Recover From the Riyadh Festival?
Any event that includes comedy’s biggest names is going to attract attention — but the Riyadh Comedy Festival, which kicked off on Sept. 26 and continued through Thursday, is disproving the adage that there’s no such thing as bad publicity.
Bill Burr Keeps Cycling Through Excuses For Doing The Riyadh Comedy Festival
By default, Bill Burr exists in a state of his ass being chapped, but clearly it's been feeling more chapped than usual. The comedian has continued to address his decision to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, but he still can't settle on which lazy excuse he wants to employ. Last week, Burr recapped his trip to the festival and attempted to explain his decision to take money from the Saudi government. Part of the explanation was that the ex…
Bill Burr blasts critics of Saudi Arabia comedy festival visit in expletive-laden interview
Veteran comedian Bill Burr unleashed on critics of his recent trip to Saudi Arabia, saying he doesn’t "give a f---" what anyone thinks about his appearance at a comedy festival in Riyadh. The outspoken comic made the remarks during a special live recording of "Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend" on Sunday, responding to backlash over performing in the kingdom amid concerns about human rights and free expression."I really don’t give a f---, and if it a…
Bill Burr Fierily Responds To Backlash Over Performing In Saudi Arabia: 'Sanctimonious C-Words'
Comedian and actor Bill Burr has responded to the backlash he received for performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia. Burr was just one of many A-list comics to appear at the festival, which was held earlier this month. Bill Burr’s first public comments about his performance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia came during a live taping of Conan O’Brien’s massively popular podcast, Conan Needs a Friend. The episode was ta…
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