Headline Roundup • October 5th, 2025
Dave Chappelle, Other Top Comics Draw Media Criticisms for Saudi Performances
Culture,Arts And Entertainment,Free Speech,Middle East,Dave Chappelle,Comedy,Saudi Arabia,Jamal Khashoggi
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Comedian Dave Chappelle made headlines for criticizing American free speech during his Saturday performance at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival.
Key Quotes: According to The New York Times (Lean Left bias), Chappelle said, “Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get canceled. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m gonna find out.” The Times said he was met with applause when he said, “It’s easier to talk here than it is in America.”
The Festival: Several American comedians, including Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, Louis CK, and Bill Burr, performed at the festival, which runs from September 26 to October 9. The festival is part of a wider ongoing initiative by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman named “Vision 2030,” under which the kingdom aims to attract more tourists and investors and diversify its largely oil-dependent economy. Tim Dillon was initially slated to perform at the festival and said, “I’m the only honest person who’s gonna do it… I’m being paid a lot of money to not care about what they do in their country.” He later said he was dropped from the lineup by its organizers for making slavery jokes about migrant workers in Saudi Arabia.
Controversy: The festival has drawn criticism from some other popular comedians. David Cross described many of the performers as people he “admire[s], with unarguable talent” for “performing for literally, the most oppressive regime on earth.” Shane Gillis said on his podcast that he turned down a “significant” amount of money that the festival offered to double. He added, “I took a principled stand,” Gillis said. “You don't 9/11 your friends.”
How The Media Covered It: Media across the spectrum were critical of, and highlighted criticisms of, the comedians who performed at the festival. Media across the spectrum also included context on the 2018 killing of Washington Post (Lean Left) journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
For weeks, ridicule poured in against the American comedians set to perform this week in Saudi Arabia — a country not known for its civil liberties.
But by the time they took to the stage, the comedians had turned the joke on U.S. free speech.
"Real Time" host Bill Maher called out comedian Dave Chappelle Friday for downplaying free speech in America during his performance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia last week.
"Dave Chappelle … was in the press today saying that you can speak more freely over here than in America," Maher told comedian Louis C.K., who is set to perform at the Saudi comedy festival on Monday.
The comedian Dave Chappelle is facing backlash online after he criticized free speech in the U.S. while on stage at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia.
Newsweek has contacted media representatives for Chappelle and the Saudi Arabian government via email for comment.
