Louis C.K. is defending his decision to join Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival.
During a recent appearance on “Real Time With Bill Maher,” C.K. said the other comedians at the event were “really surprised” by the overwhelming response from the Riyadh audience. He added that being part of a budding comedy scene in a place where acts are usually heavily censored is a “positive thing.”
“There’s a woman who’s a lesbian and Jewish, who did a show there, and she got a standing ovation,” C.K said. “So, there’s stuff going on that’s unexpected in this thing. 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.”
He added, “And when this came up, they said there’s only two restrictions: their religion and their government. 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.”
Riyadh Comedy Festival has drawn plenty of criticism from American comedians who question the morals of performing at a Saudi Arabian festival. David Cross released a scathing statement on his website, calling out C.K. by name for agreeing to join the event.
“Clearly you guys don’t give a shit about what the rest of us think, but how can any of us take any of you seriously ever again?” Cross wrote. “All of your bitching about ‘cancel culture’ and ‘freedom of speech’ and all that shit? Done. You don’t get to talk about it ever again. By now we’ve all seen the contract you had to sign.”
Comedian Bill Burr also defended his decision to perform at Riyadh. He called the festival “one of the top three experiences I’ve had.”
“It was great to experience that part of the world and to be a part of the first comedy festival over there in Saudi Arabia,” Burr said on the Sept. 29 episode of his “Monday Morning Podcast.” “The royals loved the show. Everyone was happy. The people that were doing the festival were thrilled.”
