<\/p>\n
Dave Chappelle<\/a>. Bill Burr<\/a>. Sebastian Maniscalco<\/a>. Kevin Hart<\/a>. Pete Davidson<\/a>. Aziz Ansari<\/a>. Hannibal Buress<\/a>. Mo Amer<\/a>. Jeff Ross<\/a>. Chris Tucker<\/a>.<\/p>\n These comedians and more are on the bill at the Riyadh Comedy Festival<\/a> currently underway in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n Their participation in the event has drawn criticism from fans and fellow comedians, including some who were asked to perform there and declined.<\/p>\n The festival was the subject of a recent comedy clip from stand-up and podcaster Marc Maron<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, the same guy that\u2019s gonna pay them is the same guy that paid that guy to bone-saw Jamal Khashoggi<\/a> and put him in a f—ing suitcase,” Maron said, speaking of the journalist and Washington Post columnist who was murdered in 2018 by government agents in Saudi Arabia. <\/p>\n \u201cBut don\u2019t let that stop the yuks, it\u2019s gonna be a good time.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cFull disclosure,\u201d he continued. \u201cI was not asked to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, so it\u2019s kinda easy for me to take the high road on this one. Easy to maintain your integrity when no one\u2019s offering to buy it out.\u201d <\/p>\n Maron, a Jersey City native who spent part of his childhood in Wayne, wasn\u2019t alone in his sentiment.<\/p>\n \u201cRepression of free speech is no laughing matter,\u201d the nonprofit Human Rights Watch<\/a> said on Instagram. \u201cComedians performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, which falls during the seventh anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi\u2019s brutal murder, should use their platform to defend free speech in Saudi Arabia.\u201d<\/p>\n The organization posted a video pointing out that some of these same comedians have spoken in support of free speech \u2014 a right that allows them to do their jobs.<\/p>\n \u201cWill they use their platform to defend free speech in Saudi Arabia?\u201d the group asked. <\/p>\n Another comedian, Zach Woods<\/a> (\u201cSilicon Valley,\u201d \u201cThe Office\u201d), addressed the Riyadh Comedy Festival in a satirical Instagram video.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of your favorite comedians are performing at the pleasure of Turki Al-Sheikh, and he is the head of the entertainment authority over there and he has so many people thrown in prison because they tweeted stuff he didn\u2019t like about the soccer team or whatever, that there\u2019s a wing of a prison nicknamed after him where they hang people by their heels from the ceiling,\u201d said Woods, who was born in Trenton and grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, there\u2019s a lot of drips, killjoys and dweebazoids who are saying \u2018oh, they shouldn\u2019t do comedy over there because it\u2019s whitewashing a regime that just in June killed a journalist and killed Jamal Khashoggi and played a big role in 9\/11.\u2019 Shut up! Name one comedian who hasn\u2019t whored themself out to a dictator.\u201d<\/p>\n Woods went on to give several \u201cexamples\u201d of this.<\/p>\n \u201cLet\u2019s not get our moral panties yanked up, wedge high in our rumps,\u201d he said, pointing to the concerns of Human Rights Watch.<\/p>\n The journalist Woods referenced in his video is Turki al-Jasser<\/a>, who was executed for high treason<\/a> in Saudi Arabia after being detained for seven years.<\/p>\n Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka<\/a> said she turned down the offer to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival. <\/p>\n Okatsuka shared the letter<\/a> she received from the festival on Threads, along with censorship rules for performing there. <\/p>\n \u201cThe money is coming straight from the Crown Prince, who actively executes journalists<\/a>, ppl with nonlethal drug offenses, bloggers, etc without due process,\u201c she said. <\/p>\n \u201dA lot of the \u2018you can\u2019t say anything anymore!\u2019 Comedians are doing the festival,\u201c Okatsuka said, using the crying-laughing emoji. \u201dThey had to adhere to censorship rules<\/a> about the types of jokes they can make.”<\/p>\n Those rules, which she shared, included a restriction that the comedians cannot \u201cprepare or perform any material that may be considered to degrade, defame, or bring into public disrepute, contempt, scandal, embarrassment, or ridicule: A) The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including its leadership, public figures, culture or people; B) The Saudi royal family, legal system, or government, and; C) Any religion, religious tradition, religious figure, or religious practice.\u201d<\/p>\n Comedian Mike Birbiglia<\/a> shared that he also passed on performing at the festival. <\/p>\n \u201cRespect to Atsuko and Shane and others for passing,\u201d he said, referring to another comedian, Shane Gillis. <\/p>\n \u201cI took a principled stand<\/a>,\u201d Gillis said on his podcast<\/a>, adding that he turned down a large amount of money. \u201cYou don\u2019t 9\/11 your friends.\u201d<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n