Why Jimmy Carr and Jack Whitehall are facing anger over Saudi comedy shows
The controversial Riyadh Comedy Festival has drawn in some high-profile comedians, while others have criticised its ‘whitewash’ of the regime.
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The comedy circuit is facing a storm of controversy over big-name acts signing up to the Riyadh Comedy Festival, which sees Jimmy Carr and Jack Whitehall performing stand-up sets at the event.
Saudi Arabia has been condemned over human rights issues, including an increase in the number of executions for drug-related or non-lethal crimes, as well as long prison sentences for social media posts deemed offensive to the regime. In June, journalist Turki al-Jasser was executed after being imprisoned for “high treason” in 2018 over newspaper articles and blog posts.
The festival is being held over the seventh anniversary of the assassination of Saudi journalist and newspaper editor Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 2018. Khashoggi had been critical of the Saudi government and had fled the country, but was executed at the consulate while trying to get papers for his planned marriage.
More than 50 high-profile comedians have been booked to perform at the state-sponsored comedy festival, running from 26 September to 9 October. They have reportedly signed restrictive contracts for their performances, with other comedians and human rights groups speaking out against their actions.
Who is performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival?
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A surprisingly long and well-known list of stars is on the bill for the controversial festival, featuring three of UK comedy’s biggest names: Jimmy Carr, Jack Whitehall and Omid Djalili.
Whitehall has kept any mention of the Riyadh gig off his social media, but Djalili has posted about it a number of times and Carr has also now acknowledged his appearance at the festival. Comments on their posts have included criticism of their decisions to perform.
Carr posted on Instagram: “I’m at the comedy festival in Riyadh with my Saudi friends, performing a double headliner show with Louis C.K. next stop is the USA later this week.”
Djalili performed at the festival on Wednesday, 1 October and had flagged up his booking in advance, posting an old stand-up routine about Osama Bin Laden’s death on Instagram with the caption: “As I’m in the Middle East next week, it seems appropriate to post this. RIYADH OCT 1st (sold out) KUWAIT OCTOBER 3rd DUBAI OPERA HOUSE 5th.”
He also posted: “Engagement with your people is always a must, live as well as on social media,” alongside a clip of him taking questions from the audience at a UK show.
US comedians who were named on the bill included Dave Chappelle, Louis C.K., Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari and Pete Davidson.
Louis C.K., who is on a double bill with Carr, spoke to Bill Maher’s US chat show Real Time about the controversial event, saying that he had “always said no to Arab countries” in the past but felt that he could do Riyadh as the only two limitations on jokes were “their religion and their government”.
He added: “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.”
But he also claimed: “There’s a woman who’s a lesbian and Jewish, who did a show there, and she got a standing ovation.” C.K. was talking about Jessica Kirson, who has since said “I deeply regret participating”, explaining that she had hoped to “help LGBTQ+ people in Saudi Arabia feel seen and valued” but apologised to fans she had offended and said that she was donating her entire fee to a human rights organisation.
Others have spoken about their reasons for saying yes to the festival, including Davidson, whose father died in the 9/11 attacks. Asked in a podcast about taking payment from the Saudi government, given his family history, he said: “I just know I get the (flight) routing, and then I see the number, and I go, ‘I’ll go.’”
Other comedians have agreed with Davidson that the high fees offered were a significant draw to the festival, with payments reportedly ranging from $375,000 (£279,000) to a rumoured more than $1m (£740,000). Some said that their offers were doubled when they initially turned down the gig.
Tim Dillon was fired from the festival after joking about the Saudi regime in a podcast beforehand, where he said, “So what, they have slaves? They’re paying me enough money to look the other way.”
Bill Burr discussed his experience on his podcast after performing at the festival, claiming that restrictions on jokes had been “negotiated down” to nothing regarding the royals or religion.
“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. “The royals loved the show. Everyone was happy. The people that were doing the festival were thrilled.
“The comedians that I’ve been talking to are saying, ‘Dude, you can feel [the audience] wanted it. They want to see real stand-up comedy.’ It was a mind-blowing experience. Definitely top three experiences I’ve had. I think it’s going to lead to a lot of positive things.”
Critics of the Riyadh Comedy Festival performers
Comedy fans who have posted their views on the performers’ social media aren’t the only ones to have expressed their outrage over the festival.
Other comedians – some who turned down the job, others who weren’t invited – have also spoken out against those who signed up.
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Arrested Development star David Cross posted on Instagram: “I am disgusted, and deeply disappointed in this whole gross thing. That people I admire, with unarguable talent, would condone this totalitarian fiefdom for…what, a fourth house? A boat? More sneakers?
“We can never again take seriously anything these comedians complain about (unless it’s complaining that we don’t support enough torture and mass executions of journalists and LGBQT peace activists here in the states, or that we don’t terrorise enough Americans by flying planes into our buildings).”
He added: “Clearly you guys don’t give a s*** about what the rest of us think, but how can any of us take any of you seriously ever again? All of your b****ing about ‘cancel culture’ and ‘freedom of speech’ and all that s***? Done. You don’t get to talk about it ever again. By now, we’ve all seen the contract you had to sign.”
Comedian and podcaster Marc Maron said, “I mean, how do you even promote that? Like, ‘From the folks that brought you 9/11, two weeks of laughter in the desert. Don’t miss it!’ The same guy that’s gonna pay them is the same guy that paid that guy to bone-saw Jamal Khashoggi and put him in a f***ing suitcase.”
How could performing at Riyadh affect comedians?
The level of outrage that some comedians have expressed about the job can be seen just by scrolling through their comments on social media posts, but will that translate to a boycott of shows back in the UK for the likes of Carr, Whitehall, and Djalili?
Steve Bennett, editor of comedy guide Chortle, said: “We’ve come a long way since comedians used to condemn colleagues for doing an advert as selling out. The business is a lot less political than it used to be when, for example, playing apartheid-era South Africa could have a huge negative impact.
“A lot of fans probably won’t care – even if some will. But the fact that most of the comedians taking part haven’t spoken about it or shared it on social media suggests they don’t want it widely known that they’ve taken the Saudi shilling.
“Even though it does leave a bad taste, I’m inclined to believe that, actually, it won’t have a major effect on the careers of the particular acts involved. I’m not sure that reflects brilliantly on the industry, but I suspect that’s the reality.”
What have human rights groups said about the event?
The festival and the decision to take part in it have been condemned by human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch.
In a statement about the Riyadh Comedy Festival, Human Rights Watch Saudi Arabia researcher Joey Shea said: “The seventh anniversary of Jamal Khashoggi’s brutal murder is no laughing matter, and comedians receiving hefty sums from Saudi authorities shouldn’t be silent on prohibited topics in Saudi like human rights or free speech.
“Everyone performing in Riyadh should use this high-profile opportunity to call for the release of detained Saudi activists.”