Overview

• The two-week event runs Sept. 26–Oct. 9 in Riyadh with more than 50 international acts, including Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, Bill Burr and Aziz Ansari.
• An offer shared by comedian Atsuko Okatsuka showed bans on material that could “degrade” or “defame” Saudi Arabia, while performers say fees range from roughly $350,000 to $1.6 million, which organizers have not confirmed.
• Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International condemn the festival as reputation laundering and tie their criticism to Saudi Arabia’s repression record and the Khashoggi anniversary, urging calls for prisoner releases.
• Tim Dillon says he lost his slot after joking about Saudi policies and that he was offered $375,000 to perform, a claim not publicly confirmed by festival organizers or Saudi authorities.
• Industry pushback is intensifying, with Nimesh Patel canceling his set and peers including Marc Maron, Shane Gillis, Mike Birbiglia and David Cross publicly rebuking comedians who accepted the gigs.