22 Nov What Is the Saudi Riyadh Comedy Festival?
The Saudi Comedy Festival has certainly drawn some attention since its announcement in July 2025. The Riyadh Comedy Festival is the first event of its kind and is often referred to as the “world’s largest comedy festival.”
The festival is part of a larger “Vision 2030” effort, where the country is attempting to present itself as an arts and cultural travel spot. The comedy festival featured 50 of the funniest comedians from around the world and drew quite a bit of controversy.
Let’s take a closer look at the 2025 Riyadh Comedy Festival, including its comedy lineup, and discuss some of the controversy surrounding this event.
What is the Riyadh Comedy Festival?
The Riyadh Comedy Festival was an international event held from September 26 to October 9, 2025, lasting two weeks. The festival featured around 50 A-list comedians performing an array of comedy styles, from improv to stand-up. The festival aimed to enhance Saudi Arabia’s image and attract tourists as a cultural destination.
What is the Riyadh Comedy Festival Lineup for 2025?
The Saudi Comedy Festival was a two-week event with comedians performing every day. Let’s take a look at the Riyadh Comedy Festival lineup. The following comedians performed:
- Bill Burr
- Maz Jobrani
- Andrew Santino
- Whitney Cummings
- Pete Davidson
- Dave Chappelle
- Chris Distefano
- Kevin Hart
- Jo Koy
- Bobby Lee
- Aziz Ansari
- Ali Siddiq
- Nimesh Patel (accepted an invite, but later turned it down)
- Jessica Kirson
- Mark Normand
- Jeff Ross
- Sugar Sammy
- Jimeoin
- Ben Hart
- Gabriel Iglesias
- Jim Jefferies (fired from the event following the podcast comment)
- Omid Djalili
- Russell Peters
- Zarna Garg
- Chris Tucker
- Aries Spears
- Jimmy Carr
- Jack Whitehall
- Louis C.K.
- Wayne Brady
- Sam Morril
- Tom Segura
- Mo Amer
- Hannibal Buress
- Andrew Schulz
- Sebastian Maniscalco
The Saudi Arabia Comedy Festival comedians were paid very well, with some claiming they were offered over 1 million dollars to perform.
What Is the Controversy Surrounding the Riyadh Festival?
Some non-profit human rights organizations and various comedians have expressed concerns that the festival serves as Saudi Arabia’s attempt to whitewash its reputation. They argue that the festival obscures the country’s suppression of free speech, especially in light of recent events where individuals have been imprisoned for their social media statements. Moreover, Jamal Khashoggi, a US-based journalist, was infamously murdered by agents of the Saudi government in 2018, and there has still been almost no effort to punish those accountable to this day.
Some Comedians Were Removed From the Lineup for Podcast Comments
Jim Jefferies stated on Theo Von’s podcast that he was criticized about going to the festival because the government had killed a reporter, and he replied, “Yeah, a reporter died, that’s unfortunate. Not a fucking hill that I’m going to die on.”
He also said that some edgier comedians would be at this event and that they were representatives of free speech themselves. So it was a good thing that all of these comedians were going there to perform and that he hadn’t been asked to turn in a transcript of what he was going to speak about. Following the podcast interview, Jim Jefferies was removed from the comedian festival lineup. Tim Dillon was also removed after making a joke about Saudi Arabian slaves on his podcast, “The Tim Dillon Show.”
Some Comedians Turned Down the Offer, Some Received Backlash for Accepting
There were reports on social media from a comedian, Atsuko Okatsuka, who did not accept the invitation to perform. She shared the content restrictions outlined in the contract for the comedians. According to these restrictions, they were prohibited from criticizing the Saudi royal family, the legal system, the government, any public leaders or figures, as well as any aspects of culture or religion, including religious traditions, figures, or practices.
Many of the comedians who performed received some backlash for performing at the Saudi Arabia Comedy Festival.
The Saudi Government Claims the Comedy Festival Will Help the Country Become a Cultural Hub
The Saudi Government Entertainment Committee stated that they are simply trying to prove that Saudi Arabia is a fun place to visit. Turki Al-Sheikh, the chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, aimed for the comedy festival to showcase Saudi Arabia as a global destination for arts and culture events.
The Saudi Government Is Accused of Whitewashing
The comedy festival was criticized because of Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record, including its censoring of free speech. The people speaking out about the Riyadh Festival state that the festival is another example of whitewashing the Saudi royal family’s image, similar to other sporting events that have also recently been criticized for the same whitewashing tactics.
Fans Speak Up About the Saudi Comedy Festival on Reddit
It isn’t just Human Rights Watch and comedians; fans of these comedians are voicing their opinions on Reddit across various subs. Many said these comedians who performed at the festival should be blacklisted and called them “dance monkeys.”
Many comedians have publicly addressed the criticism over their performing at the Saudi Arabia Comedy Festival, including Whitney Cummings, Dave Chappelle, Aziz Ansari, Bill Burr, Pete Davidson, and Louis C.K.
The 2025 Riyadh Comedy Festival Is a One-Of-A-Kind Event
The Riyadh Comedy Festival was surely a wild experience for the people in attendance, who experienced so many greats performing in one place. As for Saudi Arabia’s goal of making the country into a cultural destination, it is probably still up in the air.
The event has certainly drawn more attention to their censorship of platforms such as social media or independent news, and searches about free speech in Saudi Arabia have skyrocketed on the internet over the past month or two.
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FAQs
How much were the comedians who performed at the Riyadh Comedy Festival paid?
While official figures for each comedian who performed at the Saudi Arabia Comedy Festival were never released, one comedian who turned down the offer stated he was offered $375,000 for one performance. He also mentioned that other comedians were offered up to $1.6 million to perform. Many comedians defended their performances at the comedy festival simply because they were offered a large sum of money they didn’t want to refuse.
What does free speech have to do with the Riyadh Comedy Festival?
The Riyadh Comedy Festival is linked to a controversy over free speech, as the comedians who performed there engaged with a country that represses it. Some comedians who declined the offer to perform said the contracts required them to make no jokes about the Saudi Arabian government or religion, which conflicted with their beliefs in freedom of speech as comedians. Other comedians argued that performing at the festival was a way to practice free speech.
Which comedians declined the chance to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival?
A few comedians publicly announced that they turned down invitations to perform at the Saudi Arabia Comedy Festival. They include the following comedians:
- Atsuko Okatsuka
- Shane Gillis
- Leslie Liao
- Mike Birbiglia
- Stavros Halkias
- Michelle Wolf