The current Riyadh Comedy Festival taking place in Saudi Arabia has received major backlash, including harsh criticism from comedians who are not participating in the two-week event. Now, comedian Jessica Kirson has apologized for performing at the festival, while the embattled Louis C.K. has defended his appearance.
The festival features a who’s who of prominent comedians who earned major paychecks for their appearances, including Dave Chappelle, Sebastian Maniscalco, Kevin Hart, Chris Tucker, Bill Burr, Pete Davidson, Whitney Cummings, and more.
In recent days, fellow comedians like Marc Maron, Shane Gillis, and David Cross (who wrote a lengthy takedown of his peers) have blasted the festival and the stand-up comics on the lineup, citing Saudi Arabia’s involvement in 9/11, the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and the country’s history of oppressing women and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Related Video
Jessica Kirson, who is openly lesbian, issued an apology after performing at the festival on September 29th. Her statement to The Hollywood Reporter reads, in part, “I hoped that this could help LGBTQ+ people in Saudi Arabia feel seen and valued. I am grateful that I was able to do precisely that — to my knowledge, I am the first openly gay comic to talk about it on stage in Saudi Arabia. I received messages from attendees sharing how much it meant to them to participate in a gay-affirming event. At the same time, I deeply regret participating under the auspices of the Saudi government.”
She added, “Most importantly, I am deeply sorry to all the fans and followers I have hurt or disappointed.”
Louis C.K., meanwhile, appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher, on Friday night, prior to his scheduled performance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, and defended his decision to perform at the event, even referencing Kirson’s performance.
“When I’m talking to the other comedians who have been there, they’ve been really surprised by what’s going on,” said C.K. “There’s a woman who’s a lesbian and Jewish, who did a show there, and she got a standing ovation. 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 continued, “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.”
The interview with Maher marked Louis C.K.’s first TV interview since admitting to sexual misconduct allegations back in 2017.