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Debate: Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, Other Comedians Called Out for Saudi Arabia Show - Riyadh Comedy Festival

Day_Carver said:
I’m not saying to they should be performing there; but what isn’t blood money??
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I COMPLETELY understand your point and Mark DOES address that in this clip.

I don't think its as easy to say EVERYTHING is blood money.

We do NOT want to do THAT either.

That's how we getting both sides bullsh*t and celebrating Kirk.

Yeah we ALL got dirty hands. But we gotta draw lines SOMEWHERE.

sidebar: we also have to remember how a CERTAIN part of this country tried to demonize China, the NBA ESPECIALLY Lebron not long ago and those SAME people aint say sh*t to the pro golfers.

So I GET what you saying but if you DO decide to do something like this (KNOWINGLY) you also have to understand the blood on the money you take? will stain your own hands.
 
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playahaitian said:
I COMPLETELY understand your point and Mark DOES address that in this clip.

I don't think its as easy to say EVERYTHING is blood money.

We do NOT want to do THAT either.

That's how we getting both sides bullsh*t and celebrating Kirk.

Yeoh we ALL got dirty hands. But we gotta draw lines SOMEWHERE.

sidebar: we also have to remember how a CERTAIN part of this country tried to demonize China, the NBA ESPECIALLY Lebron not long ago and those SMAE people aint say sh*t to the pro golfers.

So again I GET what you saying but if you DO decide to do something like this (KNWINGLY) you also have to understand the blood on the money you take will stain your own hands.
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Very very true!! Now if they are performing over there and no women are allowed to see and or attend; that would be wild and crazy!! And i would think has to be addressed by everyone and all media like what the fuck are you all doing ….
 
I mean celebrities has also buck dance for trump like some coons which isn't a surprise to me that they would do shows in saudi which we wwe fans have also spoken about them having matches over there. It's all fun and games until it's not.
 
Below are some of the reasons that people have with the comedians performing at the show.

And regarding the US government's history with civil rights and their record, we don't have comedy specials created and promoted by the US government.

To my knowledge, and I'm not talking about White House dinner etc.




Allegations of human rights abuses and other crimes against Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Saudi government under his reign, particularly involving Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), have been made by human rights organizations, intelligence agencies, and other sources
. While King Salman is the sovereign, MBS is widely seen as the de facto ruler and has been directly implicated in some of the most serious accusations.
Human rights abuses
  • Record executions: In September 2024, the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights (ESOHR) reported that Saudi Arabia had carried out 1,336 executions during King Salman's decade on the throne, reaching a new record in 2024.
  • Suppression of dissent: Human rights groups report that Saudi authorities continue to suppress dissent with arbitrary arrests, unfair trials, and harsh sentences for those who express critical views online. In 2025, Human Rights Watch noted a systematic misuse of counterterrorism laws to persecute activists and minorities. In April 2025, HRW reported that while dozens of political prisoners had been released, hundreds or thousands likely remain behind bars.
  • Torture and mistreatment: Instances of torture and mistreatment have been reported, including against activist Manahel al-Otaibi, who told her family in September 2024 that she had been brutally beaten in prison.
  • Political intimidation: The US-based Freedom Initiative reported in 2025 that former political prisoners in Saudi Arabia often face post-release restrictions like travel bans to ensure their silence.
  • Repression of women's rights advocates: Despite some legal reforms, the government continues to imprison women's rights activists for peacefully expressing their opinions.
  • Impact on migrant workers: Reports from human rights groups in 2025 highlighted widespread abuses against migrant workers, including unpaid wages and dangerous working conditions in extreme heat on projects funded by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), chaired by MBS.
  • Forced displacement: The World Report 2025 from ecoi.net noted that capital from the PIF is being used for projects, such as the NEOM development, that have forcibly evicted residents from their homes.
The killing of Jamal Khashoggi
  • Official involvement: A declassified 2021 US intelligence report concluded that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the 2018 operation to capture or kill journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
  • US immunity: In November 2022, a US federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against MBS over Khashoggi's murder, granting him sovereign immunity based on his role as Prime Minister. This decision was criticized by human rights organizations.
Allegations of corruption
  • Ritz-Carlton purge: In 2017, MBS launched a high-profile "anti-corruption" campaign that led to the detention of hundreds of princes, ministers, and businessmen at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Riyadh.
  • Criticism of the purge: Critics viewed the purge as a move by MBS to consolidate power by sidelining rivals, rather than a genuine anti-corruption effort.
  • Recovery and secrecy: The government claimed to have recovered more than $106 billion through settlements, but the process lacked transparency and involved secret deals with those detained.
War crimes in Yemen
  • Failed military campaign: After King Salman's ascent to the throne in 2015, the Saudi-led coalition initiated a military campaign in Yemen. The Washington Institute reported in 2020 that this campaign has been an "expensive failure".
  • Expansion of conflict: The campaign is widely seen as a signature initiative of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The conflict has resulted in a humanitarian crisis and numerous civilian casualties.

  • 18 November 2022
The US has determined that Saudi Arabia's de facto leader - Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - has immunity from a lawsuit filed by murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi's fiancé.
Mr Khashoggi, a prominent Saudi critic, was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018.
US intelligence has said it believes Prince Mohammed ordered the killing.
But in court filings, the US State department said he has immunity due to his new role as Saudi prime minister.

Mr Khashoggi's ex-fiancé, Hatice Cengiz, wrote on Twitter that "Jamal died again today" with the ruling.
She - along with the human rights group Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn), founded by Mr Khashoggi - had been seeking unspecified damages in the US from the crown prince for her fiancé's murder.
The complaint accused the Saudi leader and his officials of having "kidnapped, bound, drugged and tortured, and assassinated US-resident journalist and democracy advocate Jamal Khashoggi".
The secretary general of Amnesty International, Agnes Callamard, said: "Today it is immunity. It all adds up to impunity."

www.bbc.com

Mohammed bin Salman: Saudi leader given US immunity over Khashoggi killing

Mohammed bin Salman now has immunity against a lawsuit due to his new role as prime minister.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
variety.com

Dave Chappelle Jokes ‘It’s Easier to Talk’ in Saudi Arabia ‘Than It Is in America’ While Performing at Riyadh Comedy Festival

Dave Chappelle joked that it was 'easier to talk' in Saudi Arabia than in the U.S. while headllining the Riyadh Comedy Festival
variety.com variety.com

“Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, you’ll get canceled,” Chappelle said. “I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m gonna find out.”

“It’s easier to talk here than it is in America,” he added.

Chappelle later said he was nervous to return to the U.S. because “they’re going to do something to me so that I can’t say what I want to say.”
 
I just cant get with any holier than thou hypocrisy from any one in the US. Especially from a white man. I don't care where actors or entertainers perform to get their money. Whether they play basketball in Russia or tell jokes in Saudi Arabia. Some folks might be surprised as to how much wealth some entertainers obtain from performing for rich folks private events.
 
tallblacknyc said:
Thread.. genocide of native Americans, slavery, dropping atomic bombs in Japan, colonizing and killing worldwide, and being Israel bodyguard to name just some.. American need to shutdafucup
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The whole middle east boogeyman thing is often motivated by folks who are silent about the unsustainable erosion of civil rights, healthcare, economy, etc. policies over here. Just yesterday in Chicago, ICE yanked about 200 residents (in all states of dress or not dressed) out of an apartment building and lined them up in restraints like an auction block on display.

Do the SLOW folks think that was about "immigration" and/or "illegal status"? Which, by the way, is a FUCKING JOKE considering how this nation was established.
 
ghoststrike said:
The whole middle east boogeyman thing is often motivated by folks who are silent about the unsustainable erosion of civil rights, healthcare, economy, etc. policies over here. Just yesterday in Chicago, ICE yanked about 200 residents (in all states of dress or not dressed) out of an apartment building and lined them up in restraints like an auction block on display.

Do the SLOW folks think that was about "immigration" and/or "illegal status"? Which, by the way, is a FUCKING JOKE considering how this nation was established.
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Thank you!
 
Lexx Diamond said:
I just cant get with any holier than thou hypocrisy from any one in the US. Especially from a white man. I don't care where actors or entertainers perform to get their money. Whether they play basketball in Russia or tell jokes in Saudi Arabia. Some folks might be surprised as to how much wealth some entertainers obtain from performing for rich folks private events.
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In general, I mostly agree with a few exceptions. I think someone like Kevin Heart is in better position than someone like Dave Chappelle. Kevin doesn't attach himself to politics etc.. and mostly does family based comedy. Dave is the opposite of this. He mostly does commentary on current events and politics.

I don't think it's unreasonable to call out Dave or those type of entertainers. He's likely viewed as a social justice person.

Right or wrong my stance has always been high level truly rich entertainers can be more selective about the jobs they take. Im not necessarily holding John who works at a Tesla factory to the same standard as a wealthy person even though Elon is racist for example.

But im not really invested enough to care about this issue high level. Bad things happen across the globe but it only becomes a thing with certain countries or groups. People in the US should focus on issues here before going abroad.
 
1. fuck bill maher

Bill Maher criticizes Dave Chappelle for remarks on free speech at Saudi comedy festival​

According to The New York Times, Chappelle told an audience of about 6,000 people, "Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get canceled. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m gonna find out."

The Times reported that Chappelle was met with "whoops, cheers and applause" after telling the crowd, "It’s easier to talk here than it is in America."

so maher was OFFENDED by a stand up comedian....TELLING A JOKE ON STAGE....:rolleyes2::rolleyes2::rolleyes2:

Bill Maher has repeatedly defended Dave Chappelle over his controversial transgender jokes and condemned the backlash against him as an example of "cancel culture". This stance has placed Maher in a similar position to Chappelle, as both comedians have received accusations of transphobia and faced criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates.
Maher defends Chappelle's comedy
  • A "free-speech guy": During an October 2021 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher declared, "I'm a free-speech guy," and stated he was "Team Dave" in the controversy surrounding Chappelle's Netflix special, The Closer.
  • Distinction between allyship and opinion: He also asserted that supporting Chappelle did not make him anti-trans, stating, "We can have two thoughts in our head at the same time".
  • Criticism of "wokeness": Maher used the controversy to express his frustrations with what he sees as overly sensitive "woke" culture, arguing that ending public outrage was necessary to move away from cancel culture.
  • Pushback against "phobia" label: In 2022, Maher released a video on social media blasting those who labeled Chappelle's jokes as "transphobia," arguing that a "phobic" label, meaning fear, was an exaggeration.
NOW this asshole is offended????


2. fuck joe budden....just becuz...



3. why are stand up comedians held to a higher standard than the fucking american president who openly took a 400 million dollar bribe??
I'm gonna wait for the answer to that.

chappelle and the rest of them made a BUSINESS decision and they tell jokes for a living. If you didnt feel like dave needed to be cancelled for the trans jokes then he doesnt need to be cancelled for this. Stop picking and choosing what youre outraged by.
 
I am surprised that Chappelle would talk about about a lack of freedom in the US in the presence of the Saudi's , while they laughed in his face. Knowing damn well that he has to sign a contract to not say a damn thing about Saudi Arabia and their human rights abuses.

I guess Dave is more Muslim, more Arab leaning that he is an American. It's a choice and shit everyone is trying to get paid, but the complexity of his person rings a bit hollow now, following this performance.

Real Money is buying up everybody, got damn.

They even paid off Bill Burr, damn :smh:

The Saudi's literally cut up a reporter up and taunted his grieving wife. These same motherfuckers blew up NY :smh:
 
durham said:
I am surprised that Chappelle would talk about about a lack of freedom in the US in the presence of the Saudi's , while they laughed in his face. Knowing damn well that he has to sign a contract to not say a damn thing about Saudi Arabia and their human rights abuses.

I guess Dave is more Muslim, more Arab leaning that he is an American. It's a choice and shit everyone is trying to get paid, but the complexity of his person rings a bit hollow now, following this performance.

Real Money is buying up everybody, got damn.

They even paid off Bill Burr, damn :smh:

The Saudi's literally cut up a reporter up and taunted his grieving wife. These same motherfuckers blew up NY :smh:
Click to expand...

The US government has had a hand in killing how many black folks & those who were at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement? If a bunch of comedians were going over to Israel to do a concert for the government, very few of these folks that have their panties in a bunch would be saying one single word & Israel continues to kill innocent folks with no real repercussions. And your last sentence about blowing up NY, that's up for a lot of debate.
 
PlayerR said:
The US government has had a hand in killing how many black folks & those who were at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement? If a bunch of comedians were going over to Israel to do a concert for the government, very few of these folks that have their panties in a bunch would be saying one single word & Israel continues to kill innocent folks with no real repercussions. And your last sentence about blowing up NY, that's up for a lot of debate.
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This is an interesting point
 
PlayerR said:
The US government has had a hand in killing how many black folks & those who were at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement? If a bunch of comedians were going over to Israel to do a concert for the government, very few of these folks that have their panties in a bunch would be saying one single word & Israel continues to kill innocent folks with no real repercussions. And your last sentence about blowing up NY, that's up for a lot of debate.
Click to expand...
I don’t think blowing up NY comment is up for debate; but I agree with everything else you said…
 
geechiedan said:
1. fuck bill maher

Bill Maher criticizes Dave Chappelle for remarks on free speech at Saudi comedy festival​

According to The New York Times, Chappelle told an audience of about 6,000 people, "Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get canceled. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m gonna find out."

The Times reported that Chappelle was met with "whoops, cheers and applause" after telling the crowd, "It’s easier to talk here than it is in America."

so maher was OFFENDED by a stand up comedian....TELLING A JOKE ON STAGE....:rolleyes2::rolleyes2::rolleyes2:

Bill Maher has repeatedly defended Dave Chappelle over his controversial transgender jokes and condemned the backlash against him as an example of "cancel culture". This stance has placed Maher in a similar position to Chappelle, as both comedians have received accusations of transphobia and faced criticism from LGBTQ+ advocates.
Maher defends Chappelle's comedy
  • A "free-speech guy": During an October 2021 episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, Maher declared, "I'm a free-speech guy," and stated he was "Team Dave" in the controversy surrounding Chappelle's Netflix special, The Closer.
  • Distinction between allyship and opinion: He also asserted that supporting Chappelle did not make him anti-trans, stating, "We can have two thoughts in our head at the same time".
  • Criticism of "wokeness": Maher used the controversy to express his frustrations with what he sees as overly sensitive "woke" culture, arguing that ending public outrage was necessary to move away from cancel culture.
  • Pushback against "phobia" label: In 2022, Maher released a video on social media blasting those who labeled Chappelle's jokes as "transphobia," arguing that a "phobic" label, meaning fear, was an exaggeration.
NOW this asshole is offended????
Click to expand...

Fuck Bill Maher… but you should watch the clip. Maher clearly was not “offended.”
 
durham said:
I am surprised that Chappelle would talk about about a lack of freedom in the US in the presence of the Saudi's , while they laughed in his face. Knowing damn well that he has to sign a contract to not say a damn thing about Saudi Arabia and their human rights abuses.

I guess Dave is more Muslim, more Arab leaning that he is an American. It's a choice and shit everyone is trying to get paid, but the complexity of his person rings a bit hollow now, following this performance.

Real Money is buying up everybody, got damn.

They even paid off Bill Burr, damn :smh:

The Saudi's literally cut up a reporter up and taunted his grieving wife. These same motherfuckers blew up NY :smh:
Click to expand...
and the president took a 400 million bribe from them..why hold dave to a higher standard??
 

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