Dave Chappelle poked fun at the ongoing drama surrounding the supposed censorship of American’s right to freedom of speech during his set at Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia, joking that it’s easier to speak freely there than it is in the Land of the Free.
“Right now in America, they say if you talk about Charlie Kirk, you’ll get canceled,” Chappelle said on Saturday, per the New York Times. “I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m going to find out.”
“It’s easier to talk here than it is in America,” Chappelle carried on, adding that he’s worried about returning to the U.S. because he’s afraid “they’re going to do something to me so that I can’t say what I want to say.”
Saudi Arabia and its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have faced criticism from groups like Human Rights Watch for the country’s human rights record. According to the HRW, “Saudi Arabian authorities harshly repress any dissent, including by handing down long sentences or the death penalty after unfair trials on charges related to peaceful online expression.” The organization also condemned the Riyadh comedy festival.
Chappelle is one of the many comedians who signed up to perform at the festival, a controversial decision that has been called out by several comedians, including David Cross.
On Monday, Cross said participating comedians, which include Chappelle, Michelle Wolf, Bill Burr, Pete Davidson and Louis C.K., can never be taken seriously again, “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.”
Burr defended his decision to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival this week after receiving backlash online and from fellow comedians.
On his “Monday Morning Podcast,” Burr went into detail on why he wanted to perform at the festival. He said that the inaugural Saudi Arabia festival could be the first step that could “lead to a lot of positive things.”
“It was great to experience that part of the world and to be a part of the first comedy festival over there in Saudi Arabia,” Burr said. “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.”
In their condemnation of the festival, the Human Rights Watch urged performers to “publicly urge Saudi authorities to free unjustly detained Saudi dissidents, journalists and human rights activists.”
