Dave Chappelle Tells the Riyadh Comedy Festival: 'It's Easier to Talk Here Than it is in America'

Well this should go over well. 

The latest report out of Riyadh, the Saudi capital of 7 million that has turned itself into the Vegas Strip of the Middle East, hosting the elites of American comedy for two fabulous weeks of laughs and frivolity, concerns the perhaps the biggest name in the lineup. First we had Bill Burr speaking in glowing terms about what a good time he had:

Now it's what Dave Chapelle had to say during his set that is fueling the outrage:

Source -  Dave Chappelle criticized the status of free speech in the United States while on stage at the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia … which has come under fire for being held in a country which has been accused of human rights violations and an oppressive regime.

   

“Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get canceled,” Chappelle told an audience of 6,000, according to The New York Times. “I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m gonna find out.” He then added, “It’s easier to talk here than it is in America."

Chappelle later noted he feared returning to the United States because “they’re going to do something to me so that I can’t say what I want to say.” …

[H]is comments are, at the very least, rather ironic. In Saudi Arabia, media outlets are licensed by the government and there is a long list of prohibited speech — from anything that inflames public opinion against the state, to promoting any non-Islamic religious expression or speech that supports activist causes. (For instance: In 2022, student Salma al-Shehab was sentenced to 34 years in prison for retweeting women’s rights activists on X; she was later given a reduced sentence amid global outcry). 

Even the comedy festival had purported speech restrictions, with comedian Atsuko Okatsuka posting a list of deal terms for appearing at the event which included forbidding any criticism of religion or the Saudi royals. 

Hoo boy. In a world where the trenches of the Culture War are dug around the No Man's Land of late night talk show monologues, comedy podcasts and now this festival, Chappelle is going to catch hell for this, I'm sure. 

I'm not about to defend a guy standing on a stage in a country where criticizing the Royals will land you a life sentence, criticizing the country where mocking the Chief Executive will get you $16 million to do an hour of network TV a night. Nor am I going to rip him. Because to be totally honest, I don't know what he was getting at with the lines that are quoted here. 

I mean, that's not actually a joke. It's not really a set up. Nor a premise. There's no punchline. It certainly doesn't sound like a call back. It sounds more like a throwaway line. Something you work in while you're going from one topic to another and just sort of improvise it in your head while you're self-editing. I truly do no know. There's no context given, and context seems like it would be everything here. 

And believe me, I'm not not criticizing Dave Chappelle because I think he needs defending. He's the last guy who does. He's got some of the biggest specials in Netflix history, had his name on one of the great sketch shows of all time, sells out arenas and by any measure is one of the most success comics to ever take a stage. Last week I played to a packed house at a small colonial pub on Cape Cod that held about 40 people. He doesn't need the help. 

Besides, this is what Chappelle does. He courts exactly the kind of controversy. Yes, he'll get (virtually) pelted with rocks and garbage from all directions by people reminding him he's done more monologuing against "Cancel Culture" than anybody. Here's eight and a half minutes of it:

But come after him on this topic and you're fighting in his dojo. Different comics have different wheelhouses. Seinfeld had made a career out of observational bits about laundry and breakfast pastries he could perform at a public school. Norm MacDonald had a joke about how he doesn't understand people who don't understand suicide. Jim Gaffigan can do 12 minutes on shellfish. Chappelle looks for the thing with the "Danger: Keep Out" sign above the opening, kicks the door in and starts mining for gold. And always seems to find it. 

That said, he's going to catch hell for the way he's leaned into doing jokes about controversial topics, but then taking the money to work for people make rules where controversial topics will get you thrown in jail. He owns that. 

Which, if you're a fan of his comedy the way I am, is good for you. Because if nothing else, he's going to turn this whole episode into something great. The more grief he takes about this, the more he gets called out for it, the funnier he'll make it. If he's going to go overseas to work for an oppressive, theocratic government and sound like he's lecturing America on free expression, he kind of owes it to us to make this funny.