Louis C.K. has defended playing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, while fellow comedian Jessica Kirson has apologised for her appearance.
The controversial event is being held in the Saudi Arabian capital and also included on the line-up are Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Aziz Ansari, Jimmy Carr, Pete Davidson, Kevin Hart, Jim Jefferies and Chris Tucker.
The festival has been criticised by groups such as Human Rights Watch as being an example of the Saudi government attempting to whitewash its human rights abuses and position itself as a venue for major international cultural events.
Other comedians such as Marc Maron, Shane Gillis and Zach Woods have also hit out at their peers for playing at the festival, with Maron quipping, “You know, ‘from the folks that brought you 9/11, two weeks of laughter in the desert. Don’t miss it!’”
“I mean, the same guy that’s going to pay them is the same guy that paid that guy to bonesaw Jamal Khashoggi and put him in a fucking suitcase,” he said, referring to the dissident Saudi journalist that was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. “But don’t let that stop the yucks, it’s gonna be a good time,” he added.
Now, Louis C.K. has spoken about playing the festival on Real Time With Bill Maher. “When I’m talking to the other comedians who have been there, they’ve been really surprised by what’s going on,” C.K. said “There’s a woman who’s a lesbian and Jewish, who did a show there, and she got a standing ovation. So, there’s stuff going on that’s unexpected in this thing. People have been playing Saudi Arabia for years. Comedians have been going and playing Arab countries. There was a film festival there recently, it’s kind of opened up. But I’ve always said no to Arab countries.”
He continued: “And when this came up, they said there’s only two restrictions – their religion and their government, I don’t have jokes about those two things. It used to be when I got offers from places like that, there would be a long list, and I’d just say, ‘No, I don’t need that.’ But when I heard it’s opening, I thought, that’s awfully interesting. That just feels like a good opportunity. And I just feel like comedy is a great way to get in and start talking.”
Kirson, on the other hand, has offered an apology for playing the event. The stand-up, who is openly lesbian, told The Hollywood Reporter: “I hoped that this could help LGBTQ+ people in Saudi Arabia feel seen and valued. I am grateful that I was able to do precisely that – to my knowledge, I am the first openly gay comic to talk about it on stage in Saudi Arabia. I received messages from attendees sharing how much it meant to them to participate in a gay-affirming event. At the same time, I deeply regret participating under the auspices of the Saudi government.”
She added: “Most importantly, I am deeply sorry to all the fans and followers I have hurt or disappointed.”
Bill Burr recently defended playing at the event, telling the Monday Morning Podcast: ““The royals loved the show. Everyone was happy. The people that were doing the festival were thrilled. The comedians that I’ve been talking to are saying, ‘Dude, you can feel [the audience] wanted it. They want to see real stand-up comedy.’ It was a mind-blowing experience. Definitely top three experiences I’ve had. I think it’s going to lead to a lot of positive things.”
