1 week ago Whitney Cummings blasts backlash over Riyadh Comedy Festival: ‘It’s just racism’

Cummings was one of many US comedians who traveled to Saudi Arabia for the festival

Events

2 w. ago Human Rights Watch refuses to accept donations from Aziz Ansari and other Riyadh comedy festival performers

Defending his decision to perform at the festival, Ansari said he had discussed donating a ‘part of the fee’ to human rights organisations

Culture

2 w. ago I have been criticised for being part of the Riyadh comedy festival. This is why I did it | Omid Djalili

The headlines focus on money, but the gigs were great and I think there are different ways to achieve progress. Art, especially comedy, can be part of thatAfter 15 years of turning down offers to perform standup comedy in Saudi Arabia due to the country’s human rights record, this time I took the gig. Why?There’s a push for change in Saudi, and signs are discernible. Yet many from the outside would rather comedians in the west stayed away. At a time when freedom of speech is under attack, the backlash against comedians who participated in the Riyadh comedy festival reflects our ongoing struggle to find consensus on this and many issues affecting humanity. Continue reading...

Culture

3 w. ago Louis CK defends decision to perform at Riyadh comedy festival as ‘a good opportunity’

Comedian admits to mixed feelings but says event is a ‘positive thing’ despite human rights abuses in Saudi ArabiaLouis CK has defended his decision to perform at the Riyadh comedy festival in Saudi Arabia after fellow comedians criticised the big names taking part as whitewashing a regime guilty of human rights abuses.Speaking on Real Time With Bill Maher, CK, who is co-headlining the festival with the British comedian Jimmy Carr on Monday night local time, said other comedians had been “really surprised” by the response from audiences in Riyadh so far. Continue reading...

Culture

3 w. ago EDEN CONFIDENTIAL: Paul Merton scorns Carr over Saudi comedy cash

Billed as the biggest event of its kind, Saudi Arabia's inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival boasts Jimmy Carr and Jack Whitehall in its line-up, as well as US funnymen Dave Chappelle and Bill Burr.

Transport

3 w. ago Pete Davidson and Kevin Hart among comedians criticised for controversial comedy festival

Bill Burr and Jimmy Carr are among the many comedians receiving backlash from comedy colleagues and the public after signing on to the Riyadh Comedy festival despite Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses

Culture

4 w. ago US comedians defend decision to play in Saudi Arabia: ‘They’re paying me enough to look the other way’

Usual supporters of free speech are under fire for signing on to Riyadh festival despite the government’s human rights abusesBilled as “the biggest comedy festival in the world”, the inaugural Riyadh Comedy festival, which is running 26 September to 9 October, features some of the biggest names in US comedy. The lineup features Dave Chappelle, Louis CK, Bill Burr, Kevin Hart, Whitney Cummings, Pete Davidson, Aziz Ansari and Jo Koy, among many others who are all taking their fees directly from the Saudi government.The event’s producers include Sela (a live events company owned by Saudia Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund) and the kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority, chaired by Turki Alalshikh, a royal adviser dogged by allegations of human rights violations, including the detention of people who criticize him on social media. Continue reading...

Politics