The Riyadh Comedy Festival, scheduled from 26 September to 9 October, has become a lightning rod for criticism over the Saudi regime's human rights record. Human Rights Watch issued a scathing warning that the festival is being used to 'whitewash abuses' in the kingdom — especially given its timing near the anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi's killing. They urged participating comics to demand the release of detained activists rather than remain silent.
The controversy escalated when comedian Tim Dillon claimed he was removed from the lineup over jokes about Saudi Arabia's alleged use of forced labour. Dillon says he lost a $375,000 contract due to his remarks, recounting that organisers told him: 'They heard what you said about them having slaves... they didn't like that'. Meanwhile, comedy observers and social media users have questioned how performers can reconcile taking huge paydays from a regime notorious for censorship and political repression.
A Saudi government-operated comedy festival in Riyadh has apparently snatched up every big name in stand-up. Bill Burr, Jimmy Carr, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Tom Segura, Hannibal Buress, Pete Davidson, and on and on and on. pic.twitter.com/QxHOOm80ka
— Séamus Malekafzali (@Seamus_Malek) August 19, 2025
American stand-up comedian Tim Dillon says he's been dropped from the Riyadh Comedy Festival bill after jokes about the country's alleged use of forced labor. https://t.co/zJpxsQ55ec
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 24, 2025
The thing about this lineup is literally every single person on it is someone you'd expect to work the "Riyadh Comedy Festival" pic.twitter.com/hGBQ6RNR4f
— PONGO (@Lachmiesta316) September 25, 2025
The Saudi government is using the Riyadh Comedy Festival 2025 starting later this week and corresponding with the anniversary of Khashoggi's murder to deflect attention from its brutal repression of free speech and other pervasive human rights violations.https://t.co/TIw2QDYsZO
— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) September 24, 2025
Tim Dillon was removed from Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Comedy Festival due to jokes about the country's alleged use of forced labor. Organizers were unhappy with his comments, which he made in a podcast. Dillon's remarks on accepting a $375,000 fee further added to the controversy… pic.twitter.com/bi02CbOdkp
— anreads (@newyorktaxcon) September 25, 2025
I expect almost nothing from comedians in the way of morals or ethics, but every one of these clowns playing the Riyadh Comedy Festival deserves the absolute worst of everything all the time.
— Favorite Thing (The Replacements Song) (@favthingpod) September 25, 2025
Bill Burr is about the only one I expected anything better from. Sad to see.
Major U.S. comedians set to perform in Saudi Arabia urged not to help cover up "abuses of a repressive regime." https://t.co/TlCiOCox35
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 15, 2025
Others inside the comedy world are pushing back. Some defenders say comedians can bring dialogue and awareness by simply showing up; others argue that silence on systemic abuses makes them complicit. As Chortle reports, Human Rights Watch has called on top comic acts such as Jimmy Carr and Jack Whitehall to publicly speak out, warning that without doing so 'they risk bolstering the regime's efforts to launder its image'.
