Preachy American Comedians Bucked Off Their High Horse In Saudi Arabia

“It’s easier to talk here than it is in America,” comedian Dave Chappelle told the audience of the Riyadh Comedy Festival, Saturday, according to The New York Times (NYT). 

Riyadh is the capital of Saudi Arabia. You may remember Saudi Arabia for such hits as “oil,” “Islam,” and “al Qaeda.” 

Chappelle is among “over 50 comedy icons” scheduled to speak at the state-sponsored event, including Kevin Hart, Bill Burr, Pete Davidson, Aziz Ansari, Gabriel Iglesias, and Louis C.K. The festival runs Sept. 26 to Oct. 9. (RELATED: Dave Chappelle Travels To Saudi Arabia To Crap On America)

Bill Burr defends his appearance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, calling it “one of the top three experiences I’ve had” and “mind blowing”:

“It was great to experience that part of the world and to be a part of the first comedy festival over there in Saudi Arabia. The royals… pic.twitter.com/kIf028z4bn

— Variety (@Variety) October 1, 2025

Comedian Tim Dillon was supposed to be among them. 

“I was fired from the Riyadh Comedy Festival,” he told listeners on a Sept. 20 podcast episode. 

“[My agent] called me and he said, they heard what you said about their, them having slaves. And I said, I was being positive about it. I was defending them … I literally said, slaves are probably hard workers, and for the most part, agreeable. But they didn’t like that.” 

Dillon previously claimed Saudi Arabia was “paying me $375,000 for one show. Now, a lot of other people are getting 1.6 million.” 

Some comedians who declined Saudi Arabia’s offer said “there was censorship embedded in the contracts they were asked to sign,” the NYT reports.

You’re telling me that a country famous for censorship … censored? The country that executed journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to a report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)? 

Yeah, I’ll bite.

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka shared pictures of alleged content restrictions imposed on performers.

“ARTIST shall not prepare or perform any material that may be considered to degrade, defame, or bring into public disrepute, contempt, scandal, embarrassment, or ridicule:

1. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including its leadership, public figures, culture, or people;
2. The Saudi royal family, legal system, or government, and;
3. Any religion, religious tradition, religious figure, or religious practice.” 

I have no particular affection for the Saudis. I also don’t really care that Chappelle and Burr and Davidson (whose firefighter father died in the 9/11 attack) accepted what was almost certainly a highly lucrative opportunity. 

With that said, can we now dispense with the idea that comedians are saviors of the free world? Or obliged to pollute the airwaves with sanctimonious late night monologues? (RELATED: Jimmy Kimmel Miraculously Comes To Jesus When He’s Feuding With Republicans)

Jesters have been afforded the privileges to mock the powerful, but not in earnest. Critiques had to be clever, and above all, entertaining. 

Chappelle’s Saudi stand-up is entertaining. I’m not sure it was intentional.

“Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get canceled,” Chappelle reportedly told the Saudi audience. “I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m gonna find out.”

Chappelle’s courageous posture reminds me of a Soviet joke related by former President Ronald Reagan. 

An American and a Russian are arguing about their countries. 

The American says, “In my country, I can walk into the oval office, I can pound the president’s desk, and I can say, Mr. President, I don’t like the way you’re running our country.”

“I can do that,” the Russian says.

“You can?”

“Yes. I can go to the Kremlin, to the general secretary’s office, pound his desk, and say, Mr. General Secretary, I don’t like the way President Reagan’s running his county.”

Follow Natalie Sandoval on X: @NatSandovalDC