Jimmy Kimmel pressed Aziz Ansari on his late-night talk show Tuesday night to perform at Saudi Arabia’s controversial state-run Riyadh Comedy Festival.
Kimmel said of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Islamic regime, “This is a big part of the news because people, especially a lot of comedians, are very upset, because the people who paid comedians to come do this are not good people. It’s a pretty brutal regime. They’ve done a lot of horrible, terrible things.”
“People are wondering why you go over there and get paid to perform in front of these people,” Kimmel added. “I’m curious as to why you decided to do that.”
Ansari said the decision to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival was “something I thought about a lot” and that she sought advice from her aunt, who lived in Saudi Arabia.
“There are people who don’t agree with what the government is doing. It’s unfair to blame the government’s worst actions on those people,” Ansari said. “Just like in America, there are people who don’t agree with what the government is doing.”
Kimmel agreed that “we’re doing terrible things here” in the United States, but pushed back against Ansari’s comparison. “They killed journalists. Those people over there are not good people,” Kimmel said, referring to the 2018 state-sponsored killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Ansari defended himself by saying, “I was just there to put on a show for the people.” “Whenever you have a repressive society like this, you try to shut things down because people tend to be interested in outside ideas and outside values, whether it’s rock ‘n’ roll music or blue jeans. Also, this is a very young country, half of the country is under 25, and things can change a lot. And to me, the comedy festival felt like something that would open things up more and encourage dialogue.”
“It’s like having to make a choice between being isolated or being involved. For me, especially being me and considering the way I live and coming from a Muslim background, it felt like something I should be a part of. And I hope it pushes things in a positive direction.”
At a Bloomberg ScreenTime event in Hollywood on Wednesday, Kimmel detailed why he pressed Ansari on the issue. “I wouldn’t have gone, but I wanted to hear his reasons, and I thought he had a compelling reason,” Kimmel said. (Please read here for details.)
Kimmel is not the first comedian to publicly express skepticism about the Riyadh event, which runs from September 26 to October 9 and also features a number of American comedians, including Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, Louis CK and Pete Davidson.
Marc Maron was one of the first comics to criticize the Riyadh Comedy Festival, quipping on his podcast: “So the people who pay them are the same guys who paid Jamal Khashoggi to be eviscerated and stuffed into suitcases.” Shane Gillis said he took a “principled stand” and turned down “serious bags” for appearances. (A source told Variety that comedians’ salaries ranged from mid-six figures to up to $1.6 million per show.)
Atsuko Okatsuka revealed in X that she had turned down an offer to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, writing, “The funding comes directly from the Crown Prince, who is actively executing journalists, (non-lethal) drug offenders, bloggers, etc. without due process.” She attached a screenshot of the offer letter, which includes a “content restrictions” section aimed at prohibiting comedians from making jokes about the Saudi government, legal system, or religious customs.
David Cross released a statement criticizing fellow comedians who attended the festival, writing, “How can any of us take you seriously again? All your whining about ‘cancel culture’ and ‘free speech’ and all that? It’s over. We can’t talk about it again. We’ve all seen the contract you had to sign by now.”
Meanwhile, many prominent comedians have defended their decision to perform at the festival. Barr called it “one of the top three experiences I’ve had” and said, “The royal family loved this show.” CK said it was a “good opportunity” and that “comedy is a great way to get involved and start talking.” “It’s easier to talk here than in America,” Chappelle quipped on stage in Saudi Arabia.
Watch Kimmel and Ansari’s conversation below.
