Why are Alist comics getting backlash for performing at a Saudi Arabian festival? Greta Cross, USA TODAY October 1, 2025 at 2:50 PM 12 Comedian Bill Burr is defending his performance at Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Comedy Festival.
- - Why are A-list comics getting backlash for performing at a Saudi Arabian festival?
Greta Cross, USA TODAY October 1, 2025 at 2:50 PM
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Comedian Bill Burr is defending his performance at Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Comedy Festival. The A-list celebrity, and others like Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson and Kevin Hart, has received backlash from peers for performing in a country that is criticized for its human rights record.
Held in Saudi Arabia's capital city, the debut Riyadh Comedy Festival, which kicked off Sept. 26 and runs to Oct. 9, is billed as "the biggest comedy festival in the world." Louis C.K., Tom Segura, Sebastian Maniscalco and others round out the lineup of more than 50 performers.
Human Rights Watch, a global human rights organization, claims the festival is diverting attention from allegations of the government's severe repression of free speech directed at its citizens, while comedians, who either have turned down the opportunity to perform in Riyadh or were not invited, say it's hypocritical to be advocates of free speech and then perform on the behest of an oppressive regime.
Comedian Bill Burr attends the premiere of Universal's "Nobody 2" at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on Aug. 11, 2025.
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On his "Bill Burr's the Monday Morning Podcast," Burr said he was initially nervous to perform at the Saudi Arabian festival. Still, he now defines it as one of the top three best experiences he's had performing.
"The royals loved the show. Everyone was happy. The people that were doing the festival were thrilled and yeah, it was just this great, positive thing," Burr said. "I got to tell you, just to be a part of that, it was (expletive) amazing. It was a mind-blowing experience."
Why is the Riyadh Comedy Festival so controversial?
The Riyadh Comedy Festival overlaps with the seventh anniversary of the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi, a Saudi national and resident of the U.S., was killed inside the Saudi consulate, a government building, in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018.
In 2021, former President Joe Biden ordered the release of a declassified intelligence report detailing Khashoggi's murder, which concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had approved the operation to capture or kill Khashoggi, a claim the Saudi government denies.
In a post on Threads, comedian Atsuko Okatsuka shared why she declined an invitation to the festival. Okatsuka shared screenshots of messages she claims were sent by the festival's organizers. The shared messages reveal restrictions on jokes about the Saudi government, royal family and Islamic religion.
Saudi Arabia Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud reacts during the joint European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, in Brussels, Belgium on Oct. 16, 2024.Who are the comics that have spoken out against the Riyadh Comedy Festival?
Comedians Marc Maron and Shane Gillis have also spoken out about the festival, pointing to the Saudi government's alleged ties to 9/11.
During a recent appearance on his "Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast," Gillis said he was offered a "significant bag" to perform at the festival but he declined. He said the festival even doubled his offer, but he continued to turn the opportunity down.
"I took a principled stand," Gillis said on the podcast. "You don't 9/11 your friends."
These comments come after a federal judge ruled in early September that a lawsuit against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over its potential involvement in the 2001 terrorist attacks can move forward. The ruling marks a legal victory for the relatives of 9/11 victims, who have been trying to bring the kingdom to court since 2002.
David Cross attends Netflix's "The Umbrella Academy" fourth and final season premiere at the Egyptian theatre in Los Angeles on Aug. 5, 2024.
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David Cross of "Arrested Development" fame is one of the latest comedians to criticize the festival and those who chose to perform there.
"I am disgusted, and deeply disappointed in this whole gross thing," Cross wrote on his website on Monday, Sept. 29. "This is truly the definition of 'blood money.'"
Pete Davidson speaks on accepting the gig
While payment details for the festival have not been disclosed, some performers have hinted at the price tags as what drew them in.
In a Sept. 23 podcast interview with Theo Von, Davidson said he's received some backlash for attending the festival, as his father, a firefighter, was killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11. But the 31-year-old comedian didn't address his attendance directly when asked by Von.
"I get the routing and then I see the number and I go, 'I'll go,'" Davidson said with a laugh about the paycheck. He did not clarify how much he was paid.
Pete Davidson attends the World Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios' "The Pickup" at Regal LA Live on July 27, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.Nimesh Patel explains why he dropped out of the festival
In a recent Instagram Story, which has since been reshared on Reddit, comedian Nimesh Patel revealed that he initially accepted an invite to the comedy festival but decided to pull out. To make up for the financial hit, Patel plans to host 40 shows through the end of 2025.
"I canceled last week after having a change of heart," Patel said. "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. So if you want to hear my rationale, come out to those shows whenever they are. In joke form, I'll explain why I decided not to go."
As of Sept. 30, Patel is still listed on the festival's itinerary, but tickets for his canceled performance are no longer available for purchase.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US comics get backlash for performing at Riyadh Comedy Festival
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