Some of the world’s best-known comedians -- including American performers Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson, Louis C.K., and Bill Burr -- have been dubbed “sellouts” for taking part in a Saudi state-sponsored comedy festival in the wake of another journalist’s killing, and a reported rise in executions for non-lethal and drug-related crimes, along with long prison sentences imposed for social media posts.
The Riyadh Comedy Festival, hosted by Saudi Arabia’s government, is a new, lucrative gig for big-name comedians as the country expands its entertainment sector as part of “Saudi Vision 2030.” The initiative, brainchild of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also includes the highly-controversial LIV Golf tournament and investments in the tech, gaming, and venture capital sectors.
100 Comments
SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 115 pts · 335d
If anyone expected Marc Maron to be anything except against this entirely they've definitely never actually heard Marc Maron once.
Maron has such a way with words.
alekwithak@lemmy.world · 48 pts · 335d
Love Maron even more now, and all respect to Gillis and Zach Woods, but I did expect more from Burr and Ansari, and Mark Normand was disappointing too. Bill Cosby and Woody Allen made me laugh though. Who's showing up for those two?
Mynameisallen@lemmy.zip · 34 pts · 335d
People who don’t give a fuck about women….sooo a lot of Saudi's I’d assume
Maeve@kbin.earth · 2 pts · 335d
Children
Maeve@kbin.earth · 31 pts · 335d
slaneesh_is_right@lemmy.org · 2 pts · 334d
Yeah but Marc Maron is also this angry old school guys who does't understand modern things while telling you to play this fun game called rocket league.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 5 pts · 334d
Does Marc Maron play Rocket League?
Kraven_the_Hunter@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 2 pts · 334d
Am I Marc Maron?
frongt@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 334d
We are ALL Marc Maron on this blessed day
fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com · 1 pts · 334d
Calculated.
sigmaklimgrindset@sopuli.xyz · 106 pts · 335d
PETE DAVIDSON?? The guy whose origin story is literally that his dad died during the 9/11 terror attacks orchestrated by the Saudis? THAT Pete Davidson??
TachyonTele@piefed.social · 24 pts · 335d
Maybe he's going in undercover as a comedian to get revenge?
slaneesh_is_right@lemmy.org · 18 pts · 334d
It's gonna be really hard for him to pretend to be a comedian
Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 334d
Which one?
reddit_sux@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 334d
His
comedyskit is revenge. Sorry couldn't write that, it would have been hate crime.Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 334d
You mean to tell me that a guy who sells Axe body spray might not care where his money comes from, regardless of how it makes him look?
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 0 pts · 334d
njm1314@lemmy.world · 94 pts · 335d
Damn seeing Bill Burr's name on that list makes me sad. The others all make total sense. But Bill Burr damn.
Nastybutler@lemmy.world · 57 pts · 335d
Pete Davidson didn't make sense either. Dad dies in the towers on 9/11 and he thinks this is cool?
swearengen@sopuli.xyz · 27 pts · 335d
Never forget, until the check clears that is.
FenrirIII@lemmy.world · -2 pts · 334d
Pete's having a baby. Shit's expensive
waddle_dee@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 334d
Maeve@kbin.earth · 21 pts · 335d
Chapelle talking about how bad Hollywood is and not worth it...smh
commander@lemmy.world · 33 pts · 335d
Dave Chappelle has shown signs of being an asshole for a very long time
Maeve@kbin.earth · 3 pts · 335d
I really haven't watched TV since he went AWOL then came back and talked about Hollywood. Sometimes I'm around someone who's watching, but it's not something I pay attention to.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 18 pts · 334d
Oh he went full anti-trans.
Then he brought Elon Musk on stage at a show, got booed, then mocked the crowd for "being poor"
Maeve@kbin.earth · 3 pts · 334d
I had no idea!
commander@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 334d
I use him as an example where people think talking about injustices makes a person a particularly good person. I doubt he was ever all that good natured of an adult. He made his money and once he aged out of the social scene he rapidly started contributing to conservative social talking points in his comedy. And looking back I don't think it's that far from the Chapelle show.
There's what he likes and there's everyone/everything else he looks down on. He was never really an ideologue of anything. Just making fun of people in ways that got him the attention he enjoyed. Just a suck up for whatever social group he thought he could fit in with. Nowadays he's fully embraced in sucking up to billionaires. Thats the social scene he aspires for now. More money means right to Chapelle. Also his dislike of trans people seems to be on his mind often. It's all a joke though like so many other artists that hide behind just making a joke. I highlighted social conservatism for Chapelle. He's an economic conservative too. Actions speak louder than words. Hannibal Burress was another comedian that ended up playing damage control and pretend his personal ideology isn't money while public persona leftist
What I've learned the past 25 years this millennium, don't trust stand up comic. Comics that write jokes for others but the Hollywood types are more often than not garbage
OctopusNemeses@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 334d
I had a feeling he exploits the 9/11 thing for sympathy.
swearengen@sopuli.xyz · 76 pts · 335d
Burr was the most shocking. Torched his brand and legacy with this move, hope the paycheck was worth it.
worst part of it is none of these guys were struggling. All of them could easily turn it down and they would be just fine.
Credit to those like Shane Gillis, Nimesh Patel and Stavvy for turning it down.
dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net · 9 pts · 335d
Nimesh Patel is still listed on the site as appearing 😓
swearengen@sopuli.xyz · 25 pts · 335d
Sites not updated, he's been posting that he cancelled.
150k isn't chump change for him either, he's not as well off as Stavvy or Gillis.
dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net · 11 pts · 335d
Well you don’t get much better sourced than the guy himself.
PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 334d
Glad Stavros has a backbone. I love all the cum boys.
Nastybutler@lemmy.world · 54 pts · 335d
I've lost all respect for the comedians performing in this festival, but gained a lot of respect for the ones who turned down the money out of principle.
ech@lemmy.ca · 39 pts · 335d
Bill Burr is the biggest disappointment for me. Thought he was at least a little better than that.
Jim Jeffries is a surprise, and Jack Whitehall, but no big loss for me there.
MountingSuspicion@reddthat.com · 9 pts · 335d
I'm not a big fan of Gabriel Iglesias or anything, but that was also a surprise to me.
tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 334d
I think he's been going over there for awhile. He did a short set about doing comedy in the middle east years ago. Not sure if it was Saudi Arabia but I think so.
swearengen@sopuli.xyz · 9 pts · 335d
Jeffries didn't surprise me at all, guy always came across as adrift at best. He doesn't have a good sense of right and wrong.
I remember one time he brought his toddler on stage to a rowdy podcast/comedy club scene. All the other comics had to chew him out before he finally left. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1LBf9sftjeNhYl4jUuGA2G The episode used to be on YouTube but this was the only source I could find right now.
Edit: 19:30-Ish is when Stanhope introduces him, here's the clip for those who don't wanna log in to spotify: https://streamable.com/rj0k4p
HereIAm@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 334d
See, when you said toddler I didn't think it would be so bad as long as you put some earmuffs in them to protect their hearing. But that's a full on walking talking child, a bit more than a toddler 😄
fistac0rpse@fedia.io · 42 pts · 335d
Some of the world’s best-known comedians, and also Pete Davidson
SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 334d
And Bobby Lee
NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml · 40 pts · 335d
Chappelle thinks because he acted on his principles one time in his life twenty years ago it grants him a pass to be a POS for the rest of his life.
i'm going to have to give Gillis another chance and try watching his standup.
k0e3@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 334d
I'm curious; what made you not like Gillis in the first place? I don't really know the state of American comedians, but thought Gillis was pretty funny from the IG clips I saw. Then got immediately turned off when I saw that he hangs (hung?) out with Rogan. Then, I see this article and feel more respect for him. I'm really torn here!
waddle_dee@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 334d
k0e3@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 334d
That's awesome that he refused the money. thank you for the info. "Manosphere" was exactly the word I was looking for to describe that group, I had forgotten about it. I'm glad he isn't like neck deep in that crowd because that shit is poison imo.
I liked his comedy and if he isn't spewing bullshit elsewhere, then I think I can keep enjoying him. Thank again!
NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 334d
The SNL he hosted I thought to be cringe. I also got an impression he had some sort of attachment to Heidi Gardner like an awkward teenager. Aside from that, his Netflix sitcom is hot garbage in my opinion.
Dozzi92@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 334d
Gillis had easily the best SNL skit this century, his stand-ups are decent, and lately he's been coming out against the Rogan sphere of influence, to which I say kudos.
SGGeorwell@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 334d
Which skit?
Dozzi92@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 334d
Coupla beers.
SGGeorwell@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 334d
LOOOL . “Museum” I needed that.
Nastybutler@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 334d
With all due respect to Coupla Beers, Flamin Hot Preparation H is the funniest SNL skit in recent memory, imho
Dozzi92@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 334d
Jesus Christ that one really took off, thank you for sharing.
unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de · 39 pts · 335d
This shocked me about a lot of esports events. Sooo much saudi sponsorship and people going to LAN events there. Really disgusting.
NoPanko@feddit.uk · 18 pts · 335d
Yeah I’ve ignored the ESWC because it’s just Saudi attempting to improve its image without actually changing their ways. And I am a huge SC2 fan so it hurts to ignore the biggest tournament of the year
iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works · 15 pts · 335d
Money talks.
HereIAm@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 334d
Same with the World Rally Championship. They added a new desert rally hosted in SA. A desert rally does sound really cool, but I can't support it. They're adding it the same year they are doing a women only promotional competition as well.
Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world · 39 pts · 334d
Burr was surprising. Not in a "Oh my god he would never!" sort of way, but in a "huh. That shoe finally dropped. Was wondering when that was gonna happen" way.
No one expects better from Chappelle or C.K anymore. They're already disgraced so they may as well sell out.
Segura was disappointing. Iglesias wasn't surprising. Davidson was surprising given his background, but my expectations for him are already so low that it wasn't a letdown.
mikesizachrist@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 334d
You were surprised by Tom "fuck you poors" Segura? Dude hasn't even been funny in years
waddle_dee@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 334d
dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net · 26 pts · 335d
Looks like Hannibal Burress is disappointing us too.
https://www.visitsaudi.com/en/seasons/riyadh-comedy-festival
eugenevdebs@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 19 pts · 335d
The dude is a landlord who supported the candidate who wanted to give people $1000 so he could increase rent by $1000.
He's not an ally.
Almacca@aussie.zone · 23 pts · 335d
I went to check who else was going, and was disappointed to see Jimeoin, Gabriel Iglesias and Hannibal Buress there.
inb4_FoundTheVegan@lemmy.world · 50 pts · 335d
Unfortunately Hannibal kinda sucks.
So him not caring who is paying him, long as he is getting paid, sorta tracks. :/
Almacca@aussie.zone · 18 pts · 335d
Well that's a shame. I quite liked his stand-up. Into the bin with him.
HotsauceHurricane@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 335d
It's always a shame finding out funny people suck.
Almacca@aussie.zone · 8 pts · 335d
Bill Cosby was a hard one. That dude ignited my love of stand-up comedy when I was in high school back in the 80's.
swearengen@sopuli.xyz · 6 pts · 335d
No doubt, he was the first standup act I seen in person as a young teen. Had his albums on vinyl and everything.
Instigate@aussie.zone · 5 pts · 335d
His records were among some of the first I ever owned (inherited from my father) and it really hurt to destroy them when we all found out about who he actually is. It really felt like I was destroying a part of my childhood. Had to be done though.
Cataphract@lemmy.ml · 21 pts · 335d
I've been watching a lot of Shane Gillis content for a little under a year and I can officially say I'm even more confused on his political leanings and now know way too much about lady boys and their historical context thanks to him.
AlecSadler@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 3 pts · 335d
Have you watched Tires though? Because it's a lot of fun.
mikesizachrist@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 334d
Jesus christ that show is low effort and dogshit. Im a Shane Gillis fan. Seems like they're afraid to put any of their funny ideas into the show, and prefer to keep them for standup/etc.
commander@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 335d
These are the most successful comedians. Like most rich entertainers, most are assholes behind the scenes when when their public persona matters and they want to fit in with younger crowds. Then when they're past their prime years of relevance, they start kicking down further and further. George Carlin is a rarity. People making a career dunking on others are probably going to end up old shock jocks eventually
NoForwardslashS@sopuli.xyz · 19 pts · 335d
Let's see the court jesters poke fun at their hosts and see what happens.
Nastybutler@lemmy.world · 25 pts · 335d
In the article it mentions that Tim Dillon was uninvited after some derogatory comments about the regime there. He should have saved that material until he was there
themeatbridge@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 335d
He might not have come home.
swearengen@sopuli.xyz · 9 pts · 335d
They would have needed a bigger suitcase at the very least.
Vandals_handle@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 334d
I saw what you did there
SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 5 pts · 335d
I'm definitely curious to see how many of these comedians test boundaries and are summarily disappeared before they leave the country.
alekwithak@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 335d
Could even be a joint plan to get rid of some of them.
COASTER1921@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 335d
I suspect at least one comedian will cross some line but I also suspect that showing which lines are okay to cross now is the Saudi government's reason for doing this all in the first place.
Their government is in a super precarious position both economically and socially. Oil revenue is shrinking and the younger generation doesn't identify so heavily with the wahabists. But the wahabists historically held nearly as much power as the house of Saud and heavily oppose all social change. The pace at which Saudi society has westernized is remarkable considering where they were just 10 years ago, even if brought about by an authoritarian ruler consolidating power from religious fundamentalists. This is yet another step in the direction of pushing the wahabists further aside for the sake of westernizing their economy.
I really don't envy the position MBS is stuck in. He faces enormous pressure from the wahabists who criticize the limited social changes he has brought, he faces distrust from the house of Saud most of whom he essentially accused of mass corruption, and criticism from the West for Saudi's poor human rights record. And amid all of this the country faces the economic crisis of the world moving away from oil. It's no wonder the dude is focusing on stupid mega projects as that's just about the only thing he can do without upsetting a huge number of people.
I sometimes wonder what it would be like if Saudi Arabia were a democracy. I suspect their politics would be far more divided and heated than any Western country.
shawn1122@sh.itjust.works · 14 pts · 335d
If America didn't make Saudi rich with all those oil purchases over the years we wouldnt be in this pickle.
Kudos to those that decided not to go but I think we all know that the American ethos is "everyone has a price".
WhatGodIsMadeOf@feddit.org · 13 pts · 335d
Shane Gillis... The naive all American highschool boy? He's like ...the American Girl doll of comedy.
BetaBlake@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 335d
He's anything but naive
lolola@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 13 pts · 335d
dear billy big bux :/
flop_leash_973@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 334d
The one that is disappointing to me out of the article is Bill Burr. I've listened to a lot of his stand up and his podcast off and on for years, frequently agreeing with the thrust of whatever point he was trying to make. I had hoped he was a better person than to put that reputation he seemed to care about on the line for a fat pay day.
I heard something recently that was along the lines of "who you really are, what you really value, and what you really stand for is defined by the things you are willing to give up to uphold those values and beliefs".
I guess unfortunately Bill is like Chappelle has mostly been reveled to be in the last few years. Willing to agree to throw his supposed values in the trash if the payday is good enough. Just another mouthpiece for hire that I used to think was actually a pretty cool and principled dude back in the day.
Hell, I remember when Chappelle walked out on his show, while I missed that show I respected him for being willing to go that far for something he felt strongly about.
ChaoticEntropy@feddit.uk · 5 pts · 334d
Unless Bill Burr takes a rather big shit on the royal family while he is out there, it's a bit of a downer.
flop_leash_973@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 334d
I doubt he will since there is a list of things you can't talk about, including the royal family. And discarding that in a place like that is talking your own life in your hands.
Imhotep@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 334d
I remember a scene in the (good) show Louie when Louis CK criticized trump in a trump casino (he's often the morally superior guy in his show)
Won't happen there
renrenPDX@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 6 pts · 335d
Oh wow. I hope all this fallout they're going to receive is worth it for them.
Krauerking@lemy.lol · 4 pts · 334d
I mean the peasants back at home are running out of spending money. You wont get a paycheck not selling out.
Who cares if you only perform for oligarchs and slave owners. Got to get paid for making them feel like classic American.
heyWhatsay@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 334d
Tons of artists sell out, because it's crazy oil money. Pretty sure Beyonce was out there performing
fantasyocean@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 334d
How does a few elites creating a censored comedy festival for attendees, who can only attend the event because of the financial position they're only in because of the Royal family, create a more progressive Saudi society?
FenderStratocaster@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 335d
OH NICE SLAM GUYS
IndustryStandard@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 334d
America is literally committing genocide. Americans need to get off their high horse already.
rising_man@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 334d
Considering how backwards the Saudi government is in terms if human rights, it still feels like a win for bringing some different thinking over there.
I would also note:
-Those gentlemen are not perceived as the friendliest to the feminists because they are middle-age dudes. That could explain how they end up in this line up.
-They are more the type to have the balls to go give a controversial show in an autocratic country.
Pfeffy@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 334d
They signed agreements about what they can and cannot make jokes about, so that's a stupid point.
MojitoMoon@lemmy.zip · -5 pts · 334d
Saudi has a population of around 35 million and 15 of those are foreigners. The people have the right to have some entertainment and all the jobs and other economic benefits that events like this bring to the people.
Not to mention more exposure to western media might help the people becoming more progressive no? I don't understand why people just want the people in Saudi to just be miserable just because they don't agree with their government. I don't see people wishing misery on Americans just because of the actions of their corrupt government.
Nastybutler@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 334d
I didn't know the Saudis had a troll farm that works the Fediverse too
MojitoMoon@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 334d
Not everybody that doesn't have the same opinion as you is a troll you can try and having a civil discussion without blindly dismissing every conversation that doesn't fit your agenda
W3dd1e@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 334d
I agree with most of what you said with a caveat. If the Saudi leadership stands to profit, I don’t want to support it.
They are a sponsor of global terrorism, including events like 9/11 and will kill journalists or other people who speak out against them.
They have an incredibly poor history of human rights violations. They’ve committed mass executions multiple times, most recently in 2022. They do public executions via decapitation, stoning, and crucifixion. Homosexuality is illegal and a capital offense.
It’s a popular location for human trafficking. Kafala is used to keep migrant workers in slavery. Kafala is a way for employers to “sponsor” migrant workers. The employee cannot enter the country, quit their job, find new employment, or leave the country without permission from their employer. Those employees typically become slaves.
That said western influence does have an effect. Women gained the right to drive in 2018 and are starting to be allowed back into the workforce. If we shut ourselves off completely, we risk pushing Saudi’s Arabia backwards.
MojitoMoon@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 334d
I agree with all of that and I'm aware of how bad the government is but I think if it's gonna benefits the people overall and they deserve it after being in an extremely conservative culture for so long. The government doesn't nor should it get more money but again I just think if it's gonna benefit the people then it's not a bad thing over all.
I don't agree with censorship as well but like you said they're so far behind in human rights and this is just a step forward towards a more progressive community
fantasyocean@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 334d
So you really think that they're going to allow those comedians to perform without having a once-over of their material? Also, isn't the Saudi government already known for censoring Western media?
MojitoMoon@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 334d
Oh I fully believe they will and I wouldn't watch them personally. I'm just saying it's a step forward towards opening up the community more towards the west rather than have them live in a bubble like north Korea or probably Saudi itself not so long ago.
After all the people that like those comedians would eventually watch their stuff online if they haven't already.