Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival is generating controversy even before the doors open, but for all the wrong reasons. The country is widely considered a human rights nightmare for multiple reasons, though the effective enslavement of its migrant workers is at the top of the list.
The country imports domestic workers, construction laborers, and others from across South Asia, Africa, and Southeast Asia, with their employers then confiscating their passports and controlling their legal status, movement, and wages.
These workers cannot leave the country without their employer’s permission and have limited legal options if they’re being physically, psychologically, or sexually abused. As you might expect, horror stories from those who make it out are shocking.
But far more disturbing are those who don’t get a chance to tell their stories. There have been an estimated 21,000 deaths since 2017, and up to 100,000 people who’ve simply vanished without a trace.
Comedian and Arrested Development star David Cross can’t believe his friends Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, and Jimmy Carr are accepting this “blood money” and telling jokes in a country that has “SLAVES for f**k’s sake!!!”. In an open letter published to X, he said:
My thoughts on the Riyadh Comedy Festival. https://t.co/yRSj3GjwDt pic.twitter.com/6OFZ0hcQsU
— david cross(@davidcrosss) September 29, 2025
“I am disgusted, and deeply disappointed in this whole gross thing. That people I admire, with unarguable talent, would condone this totalitarian fiefdom for…what, a fourth house? A boat? More sneakers?”
He continued:
“We can never again take seriously anything these comedians complain about (unless it’s complaining that we don’t support enough torture and mass executions of journalists and LGBQT peace activists here in the states, or that we don’t terrorize enough Americans by flying planes into our buildings).”
He then rounded on those comedians who claim to promote freedom of speech:
“Clearly you guys don’t give a s**t about what the rest of us think, but how can any of us take any of you seriously ever again? All of your bitching about ‘cancel culture’ and ‘freedom of speech’ and all that s**t? Done. You don’t get to talk about it ever again. By now we’ve all seen the contract you had to sign.”
“I believe in looking the other way”
Said contract probably refers to Tim Dillon, who was “fired” from the festival after making jokes about it on his podcast. On that episode, Dillon said the offer of $375,000 for a set was too big to turn down:
“I believe in looking the other way. I believe in pretending things are not happening that are. I believe in cognitive dissonance. … “I’m gonna say something, and people aren’t gonna like it. If you think for one second that some of the slaves in that country are not proud of what they’ve built, you’re crazy.”
Dillon was promptly removed from the bill, with his manager telling him that the Saudis “heard what you said about them having slaves. They didn’t like that.” Mmm, telling.
Cross is, of course, absolutely right. There are no struggling comedians on this list desperate for the money – they’ve been chosen because they’re hugely successful already. Cross is also correct that anyone who takes this “blood money” forfeits any right to complain about “cancel culture” ever again.
Some, like Nimesh Patel, have already dropped out on ethical grounds. We can only hope more follow in his footsteps. Especially Bill Burr. C’mon Bill, seriously?!
