""My whole fuckin' idea of Saudi Arabia is what I've seen on the news," he said on his podcast. "I literally think I'm gonna fuckin' land and everyone's gonna be screaming 'Death to America,' and they're gonna have fuckin' machetes and want to chop my head off, right? Because this is what I've been fed about that part of the world, right?""
"Since that travel recap didn't move the needle much, Burr continued to address the criticism that his participation was part of a concerted effort to make Saudi Arabia look great, and the way he did that was by talking about how great Saudi Arabia is. On Sunday, he appeared as a surprise guest for a live recording of Conan O'Brien's podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend, and you can guess what the main topic was."
Bill Burr performed at the Riyadh Comedy Festival and faced criticism for accepting payment from the Saudi government. He recapped the trip and sought to explain his decision, stating the experience lessened his fearful assumptions about Saudi Arabia. He contrasted prior statements expressing worry about kidnapping and beheadings with observations that Saudis embrace Western consumer culture. Burr framed his visit as eye-opening and used the encounter to rebut critics who said his appearance helped polish Saudi Arabia's image. He later appeared as a surprise guest on Conan O'Brien's podcast and continued to discuss and defend the trip.
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