The Riyadh Comedy Festival, which kicked off on September 26, 2025, in Saudi Arabia’s capital, has become the center of a heated debate that’s reverberating far beyond the stage lights. Billed as the “world’s largest comedy festival,” the event boasts a star-studded lineup including Kevin Hart, Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson, Aziz Ansari, Bill Burr, and dozens of other A-list comedians—most of them American. The festival, which runs through October 9, is part of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 plan to reinvent its global image and diversify its economy. But as the curtain rises, so too does a chorus of criticism from fellow comedians and human rights advocates who argue the event is little more than a glossy distraction from the kingdom’s troubling record on free speech and civil liberties.
According to CNN and The Los Angeles Times, the festival’s launch comes at a particularly sensitive time: it coincides with the seventh anniversary of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a killing widely attributed to Saudi agents. Human Rights Watch was quick to allege that the comedy festival is being used to "deflect attention from its brutal repression of free speech and other pervasive human rights violations." The organization called on participating comedians to "publicly urge Saudi authorities to free unjustly detained Saudi dissidents, journalists, and human rights activists." For critics, the timing isn’t just awkward—it’s emblematic of what they see as a deliberate effort to whitewash the Saudi regime’s reputation.
The festival’s lineup reads like a who’s who of stand-up royalty: Jeff Ross, Louis C.K., Jo Koy, Hannibal Buress, Jessica Kirson, Andrew Schulz, Sebastian Maniscalco, Bobby Lee, Maz Jobrani, Whitney Cummings, Mark Normand, Russell Peters, Zarna Garg, Chris Tucker, and more. Organizers, as reported by Forbes, have promoted the event as a cultural milestone for the region, a sign that Riyadh is fast becoming a global entertainment destination. Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, the body behind the festival, says it "reflects the efforts to amplify Riyadh’s status as a leading destination for major cultural and artistic events."
But not everyone is ready to laugh along. Comedian Shane Gillis revealed on his podcast that he was offered a "significant bag"—a lucrative sum—to perform at the festival, and that organizers even doubled their offer after he initially declined. "It was a significant bag. But I’d already said no. I took a principled stand," Gillis explained. He added that he felt pressured by peers to accept the gig, but ultimately decided, "I think I’m gonna pass." Benny Feldman, another comedian, praised Gillis for his decision, even though he’s been critical of Gillis’ other political views in the past.
Marc Maron, never one to mince words, delivered a blistering critique during a stand-up set posted to his Instagram account. "I mean, how do you even promote that? ‘From the folks that brought you 9/11. Two weeks of laughter in the desert, don’t miss it!'" Maron quipped, referencing persistent allegations (denied by Saudi officials and not substantiated by U.S. investigations) regarding Saudi involvement in the September 11 attacks. Maron, who wasn’t invited to perform, added, "It’s kind of easy for me to take the high road on this one. Easy to maintain your integrity when no one’s offering to buy it out."
Other comedians have approached the controversy with satire. Zach Woods, in a video posted to Instagram, lampooned both the festival and its critics. "There’s a lot of drips, killjoys and dweebazoids who say, ‘They shouldn’t do comedy over there because they’re whitewashing a regime that, just in June, killed a journalist, and killed Jamal Khashoggi,’" Woods said, before mockingly dismissing the concerns: "Shut up! Name one comedian who hasn’t whored themself out to a dictator." Stavros Halkias, meanwhile, told podcast listeners that he declined to participate because "Saudi Arabia is spooky to me." Even those who did accept the invitation haven’t been immune to criticism, with some, like Chris Distefano, admitting on air that he was initially hesitant to "take the Saudi money," but was ultimately swayed by the financial offer.
Money, it seems, is a recurring theme. Tim Dillon, originally slated to perform, claimed he was dropped from the festival after making comments about alleged forced labor in Saudi Arabia on his podcast. "They heard what you said about them having slaves," Dillon recalled his agent telling him. He said he was offered $375,000 to perform, with other headliners reportedly getting up to $1.6 million. "They’re paying us hundreds of thousands of dollars, some of us millions, not me," Dillon said, poking fun at both the payouts and the outrage.
Some performers have been notably quiet about their participation. Chappelle, Ansari, and Hart have not posted about the festival on their social media accounts, and their representatives have not responded to media requests for comment, according to The Los Angeles Times. Pete Davidson, however, addressed the controversy on Theo Von’s podcast, saying, "I get the routing, and I see the number, and I go, ‘I’ll go,’" openly acknowledging that the financial incentive was a factor in his decision. "I’m aware I’ve received some flak," Davidson added, but didn’t elaborate further.
The controversy swirling around the Riyadh Comedy Festival is hardly an isolated incident. Saudi Arabia has made major investments in the global entertainment industry in recent years, including launching the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2019, pouring $64 billion into the sector over a decade, and hosting massive events like the SoundStorm music festival and WWE wrestling matches. These moves are all part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 strategy to diversify its economy and boost tourism. Yet, as Forbes and The Los Angeles Times both note, these efforts have often drawn backlash from human rights organizations, who accuse the government of "sportswashing"—using high-profile cultural and athletic events to distract from ongoing abuses.
Human Rights Watch has been especially vocal, urging celebrities and athletes to use their platforms to speak out against repression. "Festival performers, in order to avoid contributing to laundering the Saudi government’s reputation, should use the comedy festival to publicly urge Saudi authorities to free unjustly detained Saudi dissidents, journalists, and human rights activists," the organization said in a statement. The festival’s proximity to the anniversary of Khashoggi’s murder and the recent sentencing of journalist Turki al-Jasser to death for his public speech only adds fuel to the fire, according to activists.
As the world’s biggest comedy festival unfolds in Riyadh, the laughter onstage is echoed by a serious debate offstage—one that pits the promise of cultural exchange and economic opportunity against urgent questions about complicity and conscience. Whether the performers will heed the call to speak out remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: the punchlines won’t be the only thing people are talking about when the lights go down.
