Louis C.K. is the latest comedian to address his decision to perform at Saudi Arabia‘s inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival.
As the comedian appeared Friday on Real Time, he explained he had “mixed feelings” about participating in the controversial festival, but has come to see it as “a positive thing,” despite backlash from many of his comedy peers.
“I’ve been talking to them, the comedians who’ve been there, and they’ve been really surprised by what’s going on,” he told host Bill Maher. “There’s a woman who’s a lesbian and Jewish, who did a show there, and she got a standing ovation. So, there’s stuff going on that’s unexpected in this thing.”
C.K. continued, “People have been playing Saudi Arabia for years. Comedians have been going and playing Arab countries, there was a film festival there recently, it’s kind of opened up. But I’ve always said no to Arab countries. I do shows everywhere … and when this came up, they said there’s only two restrictions; their religion and their government, and I don’t have jokes about those two things. It used to be when I got offers from places like that, there would be a long list, and I’d just say, ‘No, I don’t need that.’ But when I heard it’s opening, I thought, that’s awfully interesting. That just feels like a good opportunity. And I just feel like comedy is a great way to get in and start talking.”
Noting he plans to go to a comedy club his first night in Saudi Arabia and meet local comedians, C.K. said, “I love stand-up comedy, and I love comedians. So, the fact that that’s starting to open up and starting to bud, I wanna see it, I wanna be part of it. I think that’s a positive thing.”
Later in the interview, C.K. added, “I think the whole discussion is worthy. I’m glad these guys brought this stuff up, I’m glad that people are challenging this thing, because you shouldn’t just pretend it’s something it’s not.”
“I had mixed feelings about it too. I struggled about going once I heard what everybody was saying,” he confessed. “There’s some good in it, maybe some bad in it. But for me, I think it cuts toward going. That’s my decision, and I know where it’s coming from, because I can see right inside myself.”
Other comedians have recently called out their peers who have agreed to perform, noting Saudi officials’ roles in 9/11 and the 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as well as the human rights abuses committed by Saudi minister of entertainment, Turki Al-Sheikh, who is behind the festival.
Human Rights Watch researcher Joey Shea explained to CBS News, “The Saudi government has invested billions into high profile entertainment events like these in a deliberate effort to whitewash the country’s human rights record and deflect from the egregious abuses that continue to happen inside of the country.
“These investments are a part of the broader strategy to… have people thinking about a comedy event, for example, rather than the soaring number of executions that are happening inside of the country,” added Shea.
Since Deadline exclusively announced the initial lineup in July, the Riyadh Comedy Festival has grown to include Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Pete Davidson, Hannibal Buress, Jack Whitehall, Zarna Garg, Gabriel Iglesias, Jim Jefferies, Jo Koy, Bobby Lee, Jeff Ross, Andrew Santino, Tom Segura, Chris Tucker and more.
