"The words of Jim Jefferies there, the riotous Australian-American comedian whose work delights in smashing taboos, offending and outraging, saying the unsayable. Sex, politics, religion, faeces: nothing is beyond the pale. And as such, there was a good deal of expectation over his headline set at the inaugural Riyadh comedy festival in Saudi Arabia, which came to an end on 9 October."
"Alas, Jefferies appeared to have been disinvited from the Riyadh comedy festival after comments he made on a recent podcast about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. Even though the gist of said comments was that he wasn't too fussed about the killing either way. Unfortunate, but not a fucking hill that I'm going to die on, were his exact words. To no avail. Cancelled again, this time by one of the richest regimes on Earth."
"These days, you can't even describe the extrajudicial murder of a journalist in an embassy as unfortunate. What kind of woke hellscape are we creating for our children? Happily, many more discreet comedians have managed to pass the government vetting process. Jimmy Carr, Louis CK, Jack Whitehall, Omid Djalili, Kevin Hart, Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson: they tried to make them go to Riyadh, and they all said yes, yes, yes."
"The lineup, predictably, is overwhelmingly male. Some of the appearance fees have reportedly run to seven figures. And of course what the Saudis are getting for their money is not simply words but silence, not simply performance but moderation. Welcome to comedy in the age of the autocrats: a procession of paid court jesters who know exactly who is writing their cheques. The royals loved the show, the US comic Bill Burr reflected on his experience."
Jim Jefferies used provocative language asserting that religious belief is a fantasy and that nothing happens after death. He was reportedly disinvited from the inaugural Riyadh comedy festival after podcast remarks about Jamal Khashoggi, despite downplaying the significance of his comments. Numerous other prominent comedians accepted paid invitations after passing government vetting, with some appearance fees reportedly reaching seven figures. The lineup was overwhelmingly male. The festival exemplified how autocratic patronage can buy entertainment while ensuring moderated, nonconfrontational performances and silence on politically sensitive matters.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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