Overview

• The Riyadh Comedy Festival is underway through early October with more than 50 performers, including Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Kevin Hart and Pete Davidson, as part of Saudi Arabia’s tourism push.
• Chappelle told a crowd of about 6,000 that “it’s easier to talk here than it is in America,” remarks reported by the New York Times that highlighted his criticism of U.S. cancel culture.
• Burr defended his set on his podcast, saying organizers narrowed content rules to avoiding jokes about the royal family or religion and adding that “the royals loved the show.”
• Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka shared contract terms barring criticism of Saudi Arabia, the royals or religion, while outlets reported offers ranging roughly from $300,000 to $1.6 million and Tim Dillon said he was disinvited over past material.
• Human Rights Watch and other advocates condemned the festival as an effort to deflect from repression and free-speech crackdowns, echoing public rebukes from comics including David Cross and Marc Maron.