Overview
- Cummings said on her Good for You podcast that critics of the Riyadh Comedy Festival are being racist and argued that comics who work with Live Nation have already taken Saudi money.
- Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund disclosed a 5.7% stake in Live Nation in 2020 and sold that holding last November, according to public filings.
- The state-backed festival ran Sept. 26–Oct. 9 in Riyadh and featured Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson and others.
- Comedians including Marc Maron and David Cross publicly condemned participants, while published offer terms shared by Atsuko Okatsuka highlighted content restrictions and attendees reported sets with profane jokes about LGBTQ people.
- Aziz Ansari said he would donate part of his fee to press and human-rights groups, but Human Rights Watch said it cannot accept donations tied to the festival.