Comedians Ignore Human Rights Watch Saudi Arabia Plea

Well, this is awkward. When Bill Burr gets back from his upcoming international gig and brags about "killing" on stage, someone's definitely going to ask, "Which journalist?" Because in less than two weeks, comedy's biggest names are packing their bags for Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Comedy Festival – and Human Rights Watch is having approximately zero laughs about it.

The lineup reads like a comedy fan's wet dream: Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, Gabriel Iglesias, Tom Segura, Louis C.K., Whitney Cummings, Sam Morril, and Mark Normand. Unfortunately, their hosts have a resume that's less "entertainment moguls" and more "architects of international incidents."

This whole shindig is part of Saudi Vision 2030, the kingdom's ambitious PR makeover campaign designed to rebrand Saudi Arabia from "that place that gave us 9/11" to "that place with really expensive comedy shows." It's like putting lipstick on a pig, except the pig has a history of state-sanctioned murder and the lipstick costs billions.

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Human Rights Watch isn't buying the rebrand. They've publicly begged these comedians to reconsider their Saudi Arabian adventure, politely asking them not to be "complicit in covering up the abuses of a repressive regime." You know, just minor stuff like journalist executions, mass murder of migrants, and casual torture. But hey, at least the checks clear!

Surprisingly, none of the comedians have responded to HRW's request. Shocking, right? Apparently, speaking truth to power pays way less than speaking power to truth – who knew?

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The timing is particularly tone-deaf. Back in June, Saudi Arabia executed journalist Turki Al-Jasser, and according to Shea, the international community barely blinked. Why? Because everyone was too busy being distracted by shiny entertainment events funded by the same government doing the killing.

So while Bill Burr has been earning standing ovations for roasting American billionaires, Saudi billionaires have been literally roasting their critics – just not in the fun, comedy club way. More in the "state execution" way, which is significantly less hilarious.

Here's the real kicker: Saudi Arabia's strict speech laws mean these "fearless" comedians will have to follow ironclad rules about what they can and can't say about Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman. Dave Chappelle, who loves positioning himself as a free speech martyr, will basically become a glorified court jester with a really expensive muzzle.

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But wait, there's a hero in this story! Shane Gillis, co-host of "Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast," was approached by festival organizers and immediately turned them down. His reasoning? "Weren't those the 9/11 guys?"

And there it is, folks. Sometimes the most profound moral clarity comes in the form of a perfectly timed dad joke. While comedy's A-listers are apparently fine taking blood money from murderous regimes, Shane Gillis remembered that thing called a conscience.

The whole situation is peak 2025 absurdity: comedians who built careers on "speaking truth to power" are now literally being bankrolled by power to avoid speaking any inconvenient truths. It's like watching your rebellious teenage phase sell out to become a corporate middle manager, except with way more state-sponsored violence.

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So when these comedy legends take the stage in Riyadh, remember: every laugh track is drowning out the sound of dissidents being silenced. Every punchline is sponsored by the same people who think journalism is a capital offense.

But hey, at least the paychecks are huge, right? Because nothing says "comedy gold" quite like performing for an audience that includes people who've never heard of the First Amendment and think "human rights" is just a weird Western concept.

Welcome to modern comedy, where the real joke is on anyone who thought integrity couldn't be bought.

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