Comedian Bill Burr was roasted online for the way he defended his decision to perform at a Saudi Arabian comedy festival organized by the government.
Last Friday was the first day of the Riyadh Comedy Festival. Since the announcement of the festival, Burr — as well as a number of other big-name comedians — have been harshly criticized for taking Saudi money and accepting offers to perform. Critics have pointed to the Saudis’ curious investments in sports and entertainment, claiming these investments are nothing more than an effort to take attention away from the country’s human rights abuses.
Participating comedians also faced backlash from their peers. Those who declined have confirmed the Saudis offered them large sums of money. In return, however, their comedy sets were to exclude certain topics — including religion and jokes about the Saudi royal family.
Burr, who hasn’t shied away from talking about social issues on stage or on his podcast, was perhaps one of the more surprising names on the lineup. In a recent episode of Monday Morning Podcast, he called the experience “great” and added that “the royals loved the show.”
“You think everybody’s going to be screaming, ‘Death to America’ and they’re going to have, like, fucking machetes and want to chop my head off,” he said, “Because this is what I’ve been fed about that part of the world.”
Burr then revealed the organizers eased up on the restrictions, leaving most of his normal routine intact.
That did not go over well on social media.
https:/twitter.com/peterjhasson/status/1973730318986387774
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The post Bill Burr Torched for Defending Saudi Comedy Festival by Saying ‘The Royals Loved the Show’ first appeared on Mediaite.
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