"The irony is also not lost that many of these same comics, who have publicly railed against cancel culture and preached about freedom of speech, sold out to a regime that allegedly provided a list of deal terms for appearing at the event, including forbidding any criticism of religion or the Saudi royals. Online, fellow comedians quickly jumped on the bit. "Sometimes in order to fight the power, you need to be paid by the power," quipped comedian Vinny Thomas, who often goes viral for his social media skits."
"New York-based comedian Gianmarco Soresi wrote on X: "If you do the Riyadh Comedy Festival and don't tell a joke that gets you imprisoned by the monarchy then what was even the point of having Trump on your podcast?" Shaan Baig, who regularly posts impressions on TikTok, offered one of comedian Aziz Ansari. "At first I was like oh noooo," he says. "But then they showed me the money and I was like, um, who cares about dead journalists? Get me to the desert.""
The debut Riyadh Comedy Festival ran Sept. 26 to Oct. 9 and billed itself as the biggest comedy festival in the world. The lineup exceeded fifty performers and included controversial names such as Bill Burr and Pete Davidson, surprising and disappointing some fans. Reportedly, the festival presented deal terms that forbade criticism of religion and the Saudi royals. Numerous comedians mocked peers on social media for taking the gigs despite prior stances against cancel culture and in favor of free speech. Representatives for several headliners did not respond to requests for comment, and several comic peers publicly joked about the situation.
Read at Fast Company
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