Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Comedy Festival is attracting global stars including Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson and Kevin Hart, with reports that some are being paid more than $1 million each. The event is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's push to rebrand the conservative kingdom through sports and entertainment.

Riyadh

The Riyadh Comedy Festival has drawn prominent U.S. comedians, including Dave Chappelle and Kevin Hart, with reports of performers being paid significant sums. The festival is part of Saudi Arabia's ongoing push to boost its entertainment sector and improve its global image, following major investments in sports and media.

However, the participation of international comedians has sparked controversy, with human rights groups accusing the Saudi government of using such events to distract from its record on free speech and other abuses. Some comedians have faced criticism for performing under restrictions that prohibit jokes about the government or religion, while others have defended their involvement as supporting the growth of comedy in the region.

Riyadh Comedy Festival draws top U.S. comedians amid controversy

The Riyadh Comedy Festival is pulling some of the biggest names in stand-up to Saudi Arabia, including Dave Chappelle and Kevin Hart. Your Majesty, Your Highness, me, you, France, you, here, next time. The Saudi government's reportedly paying some of them over a million dollars each to perform. It may seem incongruous in Saudi Arabia, an ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom. But in recent years, the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has tried to reshape his country's image, investing billions in sporting events and entertainment, including the recent takeover of Electronic Arts, an American video game powerhouse. As we discovered back in 2017, Saudi Arabia has plenty of comedy fans, though one Saudi stand-up admitted he was stealing his material. I take from Chris Rock, nobody know, don't tell anyone. You stole a joke from Chris Rock? Yeah, yeah, I do it, I do, nobody know, I apologise. Human rights groups accuse the Saudi government of doing something much more serious, using its oil wealth to try to whitewash its abuses, which include execution as punishment for criticising the regime, the alleged torture of women who've campaigned for more freedom, the murder of a journalist inside a Saudi consulate. Joey Shea works for Human Rights Watch. Are the comedians hypocrites for saying our business is all about free speech, but then to go to a country that doesn't give people the freedom of speech? It's certainly deeply disappointing. Comedy needs a radical free space to be able to poke fun at everyone and anyone. And so far, I haven't seen anyone make a joke at Mohammed bin Salman or his authority's expense. One comedian who boycotted the Saudi festival posted the terms she rejected, including a ban on making fun of the Saudi government or religion. That was fun. Another stand-up, Jessica Kirson, performed in Riyadh, but later apologised to her outraged fans for a poor decision. Others have defended themselves for taking Saudi money. Louis CK explained his thinking on Real Time with Bill Maher. I love stand-up comedy and I love comedians. So the fact that that's opening up and starting to bud, I want to see it. I want to be part of it. We reached out to Kevin Hart and Dave Chappelle for comment, but they didn't respond. Chappelle apparently said on stage in Saudi Arabia that it's, quote, easier to talk here than it is in America. Now, many Saudis I've met on reporting trips to the country would disagree with that claim about freedom of speech inside the kingdom. Nate? Yeah, this does seem to have the comedy world divided. Holly, thank you.

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