Dave Chappelle’s recent claim that it’s “easier to talk here than it is in America” — here being Saudi Arabia, where the comedian was performing as part of the Riyadh Comedy Festival — is “not true,” Bill Maher told guest Louis C.K. Friday.
“I don’t know if that’s true,” C.K. also said before he added, “Well, he’s a Muslim, David, so, you know, it depends on who you are and what you want to talk about. Now, if you go there, there’s a pre-decide, like, there’s a thing you buy into. ‘Do you want to work here, then don’t talk about these two things’. Other than that, my act is pretty offensive to most people. So it’s going to be interesting to see how that feels. To me, that’s just an opportunity.”
The festival has become a hot-button topic, dividing top comics – Like Bill Burr, who chose to perform and defended that decision – and David Cross, who slammed many of his former comedy heroes for choosing to perform in a country with preconditions on speech and a sketchy human-rights record.
The festival, which runs from September 26 to October 9, also features performances from Kevin Hart and Pete Davidson. Comedian Jessica Kirson, an openly gay woman whose sexuality has been a common thread through her performances for years, apologized Saturday for performing at the event.
“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.” she told the Hollywood Reporter.
“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,” Kirson added.
