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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.
If anyone expected Marc Maron to be anything except against this entirely they’ve definitely never actually heard Marc Maron once.
From the folks that brought you 9/11, two weeks of laughter in the desert don’t miss it.
Maron has such a way with words.
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?
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.
Does Marc Maron play Rocket League?
Am I Marc Maron?
Damn seeing Bill Burr’s name on that list makes me sad. The others all make total sense. But Bill Burr damn.
Pete Davidson didn’t make sense either. Dad dies in the towers on 9/11 and he thinks this is cool?
I had a feeling he exploits the 9/11 thing for sympathy.
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.
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.
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.
You were surprised by Tom “fuck you poors” Segura? Dude hasn’t even been funny in years
Plot twist, Burr goes there and has a Philly era rant and incites a civil war.
Some of the world’s best-known comedians, and also Pete Davidson
And Bobby Lee
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.
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!
I think Shane likes to get his name out there and get some recognition. He does well with the manosphere, but they’re slowly turning on him, from what I’ve seen, because he’s literally making fun of them all the time. He totes a fine line between offensive and sincerity. I met him once after a show, he genuinely seems like a cool dude. He’s made some mistakes that he regrets, but also owns them all. I think because everything he does is soaked in irony, it’s hard to find the real Shane. E.g. my family are huge MAGAs, but they liked Shane at first. Now they think he’s sold out and woke lmao. Overall, I think he’s funny and worth watching. Really love that the Saudis doubled his offer and still said no.
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!
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.
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.
Which skit?
With all due respect to Coupla Beers, Flamin Hot Preparation H is the funniest SNL skit in recent memory, imho
Jesus Christ that one really took off, thank you for sharing.
LOOOL . “Museum” I needed that.
Looks like Hannibal Burress is disappointing us too.
https://www.visitsaudi.com/en/seasons/riyadh-comedy-festival
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.
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
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.
Have you watched Tires though? Because it’s a lot of fun.
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.
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”.
dear billy big bux :/
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
Shane Gillis… The naive all American highschool boy? He’s like …the American Girl doll of comedy.
He’s anything but naive
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.
Unless Bill Burr takes a rather big shit on the royal family while he is out there, it’s a bit of a downer.
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.
Oh wow. I hope all this fallout they’re going to receive is worth it for them.
