David Cross “disgusted” and “disappointed” with comedians performing Riyadh Comedy Festival

David Cross is unhappy with comedians taking to the stage at Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Comedy Festival.

A comedian himself, he also took to his website on Monday to slam fellow comedians for their decision to participate:

“I am disgusted, and deeply disappointed in this whole gross thing,” Cross wrote. “That people I admire, with unarguable talent, would condone this totalitarian fiefdom for…what, a fourth house? A boat? More sneakers?” He continued, “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 terrorize enough Americans by flying planes into our buildings).”

Per NBC News, the Riyadh Comedy Festival began on Friday and runs through October 9. It features a star-studded lineup including Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Pete Davidson, Andrew Schulz, Jo Koy, Jessica Kirson, and Jimmy Carr.

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All the comedians who turned down a performance at the Riyadh Comedy Festival explored:

In his scathing remarks on his website, David Cross called out comedians by name, including heavyweights like Dave Chappelle, Louie C.K., and Bill Burr.

“Clearly you guys don’t give a sh*t about what the rest of us think, but how can any of us take any of you seriously ever again?” Cross added. “All of your b*tching about ‘cancel culture’ and ‘freedom of speech’ and all that shit? Done. You don’t get to talk about it ever again. By now we’ve all seen the contract you had to sign.”

He also accused his collegues of performing for “the most oppressive regime on earth. They have SLAVES for f*ck’s sake!!!”

“I don’t understand how being rich can make someone such a whore,” he said. “Poor people desperate to improve their (or their families lives), sure. Still not acceptable but I can understand the desperation to put food on the table. But this? I mean, it’s not like this is some commercial for a wireless service or a betting app. This is truly the definition of ‘blood money’. You might as well do commercials for Lockheed Martin or Zyklon B.”

Per Variety, David Cross isn't the first comedian to ridicule the Riyadh Comedy Festival. Marc Maron also critiqued participants in a recent episode of his “WTF” podcast:

“I mean, how do you even promote that? ‘From the folks that brought you 9/11. Two weeks of laughter in the desert, don’t miss it!’” he said. “I mean, 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*cking suitcase. But don’t let that stop the yucks, it’s gonna be a good time!”

He did disclose that he wasn't invited to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival,

"So it’s kind of easy for me to take the high road on this one. Easy to maintain your integrity when no one’s offering to buy it out,” Maron said.

As of this writing, the Saudi Press Agency has yet to acknowledge the growing backlash against the Riyadh Comedy Festival, though they did issue an announcement for the General Entertainment Authority:

“The festival is the largest of its kind globally, bringing together a selection of award-winning comedy stars known for their outstanding performances on international stages and streaming platforms,” it read. “It reflects the efforts to amplify Riyadh’s status as a leading destination for major cultural and artistic events.”

According to the outlet, Shane Gillis said during his recent podcast episode that he was offered a hefty sum to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, but he rejected the idea.

“It was a significant bag, but I’d already said no,” Gillis said, adding that the organizers “doubled the bag." However, “I took a principled stand.”

This past weekend, Zach Woods also joined the growing chorus of trolls against those performing at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, per Deadline. In a satirical promo, he said:

“Now there’s a lot drips, killjoys and dweebazoids who say, ‘They shouldn’t do comedy over there because they’re whitewashing a regime that, just in June, killed a journalist, and killed Jamal Khashoggi, and played a big role in 9/11.’ Shut up! Name one comedian who hasn’t whored themself out to a dictator.”

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka also shared a screenshot of the contract she was offered, which she confirmed she rejected.

Per Deadline, it included “content restrictions” that barred any material that would “degrade, defame, or bring into public disrepute, contempt, scandal, embarrassment, or ridicule” the Saudi government, royal family and its legal system.

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