Why Saudi Arabia's 'comedy-washing' scheme is so insidious

Why Saudi Arabia's 'comedy-washing' scheme is so insidious
American comedians are helping launder a brutal autocracy's reputation by playing by its rules.

Sept. 30, 2025, 6:00 AM EDT
By Zeeshan Aleem, MSNBC Opinion Writer/Editor


The comedy capital of America is New York City. But Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is giving it a run for its money at the moment with its inaugural Riyadh Comedy Festival, a state-sponsored event that is putting on shows featuring dozens of the biggest names in American comedy, including Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., Kevin Hart, Bill Burr, Jessica Kirson, Aziz Ansari and Pete Davidson.

Many of the comics attending are taking heat — deservedly so — from other comedians and human rights groups in light of the Saudi government’s track record of human rights abuses. Saudi Arabia’s use of what we could call “comedy washing” is an insidious tool to project a misleading image of the country’s incremental efforts to liberalize. These comics should know better than to help launder the country’s reputation in exchange for fat paychecks.

Many of the comics Saudi Arabia has invited to its festival are considered champions of transgressive speech. Chappelle has decried “cancel culture” and has declared, “The more you say I can’t say something, the more urgent it is for me to say it.” Louis C.K. insists on the importance of being able to say things that are profane and offensive. Comedians in general require robust freedom-of-speech laws and cultural norms in order to do their job, because their material often derives from poking fun at taboos and criticizing authority.

Which is what makes the participation of so many prominent comics in the Riyadh Comedy Festival so odd and disappointing. It would presumably be self-evident to anyone signing up to do a comedy gig sponsored by a monarchy with draconian restrictions on speech that this would not be the place for them to take a swipe at the host country’s government: It is widely known that the Saudi government executes journalists and protesters and that media is strictly regulated. But it appears that restrictions on speech were worked into the invitations to the comedians, as well. ....................(more)

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/saudi-arabia-riyadh-comedy-festival-gillis-burr-maron-louis-rcna234504