publicly shared details of content restrictions at the festival, prompting further media discourse around censorship and Saudi Arabia's human rights record. The Riyadh Comedy Festival received criticism from several comedians and
human rights organisations.
Human Rights Watch accused the Saudi government of purportedly using the event to
whitewash its image, and urged any performers at the event to call for the release of journalists and activists imprisoned in the Middle Eastern country.
Mike Birbiglia,
Shane Gillis,
Stavros Halkias,
Leslie Liao, and
Atsuko Okatsuka were invited to perform, but they ultimately declined and spoke out against the event. Some comedians who did not attend criticised their colleagues for putting "a fun face on [Saudi Arabia's] crimes against humanity." Other comedians, including
Marc Maron and
Zach Woods, criticised the event and the comedians performing there. Maron derided the prince and festival performers in a stand-up routine. Comedian
Gianmarco Soresi stated in an interview on CNN that "these comedians are allowing their images and their reputations and, frankly, the brand of American stand-up comedy, to be exploited for propaganda" and that "it's embarrassing to go on stage and tell jokes that if some of the audience members tweeted from their own personal accounts, could lead to them being executed".
David Cross wrote an
open letter condemning the comedians who agreed to perform, writing that he was "disgusted, and deeply disappointed" that comedians he admired "would condone this totalitarian fiefdom for... what, a fourth house? A boat? More sneakers?" and said they were "performing for blood money". Cross concluded the open letter by encouraging people to donate to the
Human Rights Foundation. Some performing comedians defended accepting the offer. he said: "You know, we comedians, we're looking the other way. They pay us enough to look the other way." Jefferies later commented on criticism of the festival during an appearance on
Theo Von's podcast in August, saying in reference to the 14 June execution of
Turki al-Jasser in Saudi Arabia: "One reporter was killed by the government ... unfortunate, but not a fucking hill that I'm gonna die on," and argued it was for the greater good that "freedom-of-speech machines" like himself bring their "edgy" material to Saudi audiences.
Dave Chappelle joked during his routine at the festival that "It's easier to talk here than it is in America."
Bill Burr defended his appearance in the festival, calling it a "mind-blowing experience" and one of his "top three experiences". He stated that the Saudis were "just like" Americans, Ben Schwartz of
The Nation asked, "How can Burr ever get mad about billionaires here after insisting that the Saudi royal family over there is 'just like us'?", and noted that Burr had previously criticized singer
Beyoncé for performing for
Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi.
Jessica Kirson, who is gay, apologized for participating in the festival despite
Saudi Arabia's death penalty for same-sex relations, and said she is "committed" to donating her earnings from the performance to an unnamed human rights organization.
Aziz Ansari defended his decision to perform and said he planned to donate a portion of his performance fees to Reporters Without Borders and
Human Rights Watch. In response, a spokesperson for the Human Rights Watch said that they have been "critical of the comedians, including Mr. Ansari, who are performing in Saudi Arabia [because of] the government's human rights record", and will not accept donations from Ansari and other comedians who offered to donate as doing so could create the impression that Human Rights Watch had compromised their own independence. ==See also==